| Difficulty | II-III+(IV) |
| Length | 1.9 mi |
| Avg Gradient | n/a |
| Gauge | Fall Creek Near Ithaca Ny |
| Flow Rate as of 39 minutes | 1.05 ftbelow recommended |
| Reach Info Last Updated | June 7, 2016 |
This is a great little run, with a scenic gorge to boot. You need a good rain to bring it up, and it'll hold water for about 24-48 hours afterwards.
This section starts out fairly tame for the first 1/2 mile or so, and mostly meanders through glacial till. Shortly after the creek begins to downcut into bedrock, one starts to encounter the bigger rapids on this section. The first is Class 3+(4) and is a double-ledge drop (8 ft) onto a 100+ft 15-degree slide. Recommend scouting the first time. At this point, the creek runs through a gorge for almost the next mile. The second drop is Class 3(3+) and can be boat-scouted. There are a few class 2 wave trains for the remainder of the gorge. Just as the river turns a right-hand corner, and the Rte. 96 bridge comes into view, one begins the drop over the last significant rapid, a solid Class 3+(4) drop into a pool. Run it just right of center.
Take out on left bank either before Rte. 96 bridge, or continue the run down to the Falls Rd takeout before the triple drop which precedes the 80-ft falls. See the description of the section 'above the 80-ft falls' for more on this.
Finger Lakes Area Runs
...May 1, 2020
Just paddled this at 4.2: a bit below Podunk Rd. (right above the slide), down to the 96 bridge. It was phenomenal. Solid class 4.
1st feature:
Long slide ends with a surfable hole (fast, bluntable). Start river left.
2nd feature:
Very similar to the first. Start river left and move slightly right. Even if you punch the hole, it'll catch and hold you. That can be good or bad depending on what you're going for. Could definitely work you.
3rd feature:
River curves into two surfable holes. Nothing hairy. Just great.
4th feature:
Junk cars in yard, river left. Fantastic sticky wave with a foam pile.
5th feature:
River curves to the left. Drop is class V in that it could hold you enough to drown you if you're not yet an experienced paddler. I didn't run it because I don't run Class V alone, given that my ego dissolved enough for that to happen about 4 years ago.
6th feature:
Sticky, river-wide hole after the bridge. Good fun, but the first hole after the slide is better.
There are decent wave trains in between each feature. The whole thing is pretty shallow, so tuck and roll as fast as you can. I exclusively wear a Sweet full face now, because my teeth are worth more than $400. I just moved to this area, and live about a mile away. Super psyched to have this in my back yard. It's a gorgeous area with great people and great food.
Apr 9, 2015
This is a nice introduction to solid Class III / low Class IV drops. This section mostly consists of three sets of ledge drops, with the last at the takeout being the most difficult (forgiving low IV).
All rapids are straightforward and very forgiving, but nonetheless you need to have Class III skills to have fun comfortably.
- Peter Lo