Bear Creek (Dekalb Co.)

Upper Bear Creek is quite a surprise. Most creeks loose their gradient gradually. However, Upper Bear Creek looses its gradient in large chunks! If you arent paddling flat water or portaging downed trees, you are dropping over one of the 5 big drops.

The put in on County Road 78 is privately owned by a police officer. He has requested that boaters not use his yard for parking, to avoid rutting the yard. Otherwise, he has no problem with putting in at the bridge. The best bet for parking is at the Auto Body Shop, which is within sight of the put-in. Over all, the land owners are nice but weary of boaters. I suggest that you change at the take-out, organize the boats on as few cars as possible then head for the put-in. Ask permission to park at the Auto Body Shop a few $$s might help. Then get on the creek quickly and keep a low profile.

When we ran Upper Bear Creek, the Bear Creek gage was 11. When we took off, it was 8. The level was a bear minimum (no pun intended) for the run. I'd suggest 15 is probably a good low.

The run really needs to be cleaned out. There are about 6 tree portages to deal with. However, all the property along the banks is privately owned. So, doing this wouldnt be prudent.

If you are lucky, Mr. Fox, one of the land owners, will try to warn you off the run. Stories of being discharged from the military for being crazy, shooting at neighbors, and neighbors who shoot first and ask questions later are among his repertoire. Most of the rapids were named for a half hour (rather scary) conversation I had with him.

This is a good run when everything else is flooded and can be easily combined with a regular Bear Creek run or you can go run Upper Johnnies Creek. If Upper Bear Creek is running Upper Johnnies will also run.

The rapids are:

Cop Drop - Class 3- Mile 0.1

Fox Falls - Class 4 - Mile 0.3 - has the cable running across the bottom of the last drop

Shotgun - Class 3- Mile 0.7 - marked by the private bridge crossing the creek at the top.

Ft. Payne Transit - Class 3- Mile 0.9 - 25 footer slide

Section 8 - Class 4 - Mile 1.1 - this one is a rock garden / jumble type of rapid. Very out of character with the rest of the run.

John Reeves running the top part of Cop Drop. This is the very first rapid on Upper Bear. A police officer owns the property on river left.
Milt Aitken contemplates the limbo tree at the bottom of Cop Drop
On Upper Bear Creek you are either dropping over something big, portaging around trees or paddling the flat stuff in between.
This is the entrance drop to Fox's Falls. Its about a 5 footer.
John Reeves at the bottom of Fox's Falls. Look closely and you'll see a chest high 1/4' cable streatching across the pool at the bottom of the drop. It is easily moved out of the way.
Milt Aitken and John Reeves in the class 3 boogie water section of the run.
John Reeves running Shotgun. Note the private bridge crossing the creek at the top of the drop.
Milt Aitken navigating the treefest.
John Reeves running Fort Payne Transit. This is the biggest drop on the run. It drops about 25 feet on a 45 degree slope.
Milt Aitken proving once-and-for-all, the superiority of open boats over kayaks, by running Section 8 backwards! – Well, that’s his story and he’s sticking to it.