Fires Creek
B) Two miles above the Horse Park to Leatherwood Falls
| Difficulty | II-III+ |
| Length | 2.2 mi |
| Avg Gradient | 113 fpm |
| Gauge | Nantahala River Near Rainbow Springs, Nc |
| Flow Rate as of 1 hour | 208 cfsbelow recommended |
| Reach Info Last Updated | November 22, 2020 |
Projects
Western North Carolina is home to the highest mountains in the eastern US, abundant rainfall, globally significant biodiversity, and large tracts of federal lands. In combination these things add up to an incredible array of whitewater rivers and streams that have long been paddling classics. While many communities rely [...]Read More
River Description
Fires Creek is a narrow steep roadside whitewater run. Even though it has a large watershed, good access, and is near several whitewater outdoor centers, Fires Creek has attracted little local attention. Unlike other similar creeks Fires has no single spectacular large rapid. However when the gauge reads 400 cfs or more the creek is literally a 6-mile rapid with a western feel. The run is genuinely fun and very constant in character. Fires Creek is narrow and thus there is always a strainer hazard. There is a bridge about halfway down the run but boaters can access the stream to put in almost anywhere. Taking out is slightly more difficult but not a real problem, because of the nearby road. 'The two miles above the horse camp from the concrete arch bridge down drop at an average of 200 fpm. Sure didn't feel that steep. Very continuous gradient, no big drops.' Brad Roberts, 2003 Clay County AFWS Rain Gauges
Try this Google Map s linke to locate or get directions to the take-out.
River Features
Put In
First of the big drops
The biggest drops on the upper section are almost a half mile above the horse camp. The photograph is an example of the shallow nature of the upper section of the creek.
Big Drop
The largest series of rapids are less than a half mile above the horse camp. While the first mile is techically more difficult the largest three drops on the river occur here at a tight left bend. These are visable from the road.
Brad Roberts is featured in this photograph runnign the second drop in a four drop series.
Bristol Horse Camp
A good alternate put in to avoid the first two miles, which are scrapy at times.
Boof Right Slide Left
Fires Creek picks up significant volume below the horse camp and the drops tend to be easier but larger than the upper section. This photograph of a small ledge is indicative of the river.
Unnamed Creek Falls
An unnamed side creek flows down into Fires Creek near the takeout on river right. The final drop is a long slide that can easily be carried up and run. Be careful not to skip your boat across the pool.
Take Out
Trip Reports
Log in to add a reportI re-read Allen's trip reports after my first run of Fires Ck (March 6th 2011) and couldn't describe it better:
http://www.allenpogue.com/NorthCarolina.html
It's gorgeous. All the wood around blind corners makes it scary. Otherwise it's a blast. USGS Nantahala had peaked at 1,400cfs a few hours earlier. Fires was dropping gradually, so it may have peaked about the same time. Wonderful, near-bankfull level.
I agree with the 400 cfs number as the minimum, but I would look for 500+ before running it again. It was 'bang/scrape' at 430 cfs, but a raft (Stinger) was able to complete the bottom half of the run with little more difficulty than the hard boaters on the river.
I think 500, or maybe 550 cfs is a better minimum. Another option is to look at the bridge where the turnoff is for fires creek rd. Look for the Center cement bridge piling to be about a foot underwater, or for all the bolts holding the beams to the cement piling to be underwater.