Sharps Creek
Staples Creek to Row River
| Difficulty | II-III |
| Length | 8.3 mi |
| Avg Gradient | 86 fpm |
| Gauge | Row River Above Pitcher Creek Near Dorena |
| Flow Rate as of 1 hour | 112 cfsbelow recommended |
| Reach Info Last Updated | May 1, 2023 |
River Description
Sharps Creek is one of those “back of the book” runs in Soggy Sneakers 5th edition.
The most logical place to put in and takeout is at a bridge at Staples Creek, and the confluence with the Row river respectively. You can also drive above Staples creek and put in wherever looks good. Wood becomes more of an issue the higher you go.
There is no gauge on Sharps Creek proper but it flows into the Upper Row River. ~1700 cfs on the Upper Row gauge at Pitcher creek feels like low-medium on snow melt; adjust accordingly if running it on a rain event. Any lower and you’d probably scrape a bit in spots. It could go a lot higher as well.
The average character is class 2 boulder gardens and bedrock ledges, interspersed with some class 2+ and one class 3 ledge with multiple potential lines on either side of a big island and a portage trail on the right. While there was no wood in play on any of the run, there is plenty of wood and brush on the sides and hanging overhead to pay attention to and the river often splits around brushy islands requiring some heads up paddling but nothing too sketchy. For these reasons I would not recommend this run to a class 2 paddler.
Anyone running Olallie to Paradise on the McKenzie, or the Lower Row and having fun on those will enjoy Sharps Creek with the addition of a slight exploratory vibe.
Paddlers will be rewarded with a surprisingly beautiful creek with clear water, a mossy gorge, a few waterfalls cascading in from the sides, lots of wildlife, and some interesting whitewater.
You can get video beta from an April 29, 2023 run at: https://youtu.be/sM0JfsXqQFo
Description by Clinton Begley.
Additional Information
River Features
Put In
Take Out
Trip Reports
Log in to add a reportWe had an excellent sunny day and saw two otters, several wood ducks, some mallards, a few common mergansers, dippers, and an eagle. Lots of gold panners around as well. Some wood and brush in the river but no portages.
We ran from a mile or two above staples creek down to just above the Row confluence.