Turket Creek
NW Co.Rd. 150 near Jennings to NW Co.Rd. 150 Alapaha Bridge
| Difficulty | III-IV |
| Length | 1.7 mi |
| Avg Gradient | 20 fpm |
| Reach Info Last Updated | November 7, 2021 |
River Description
A big waterfall (by Florida standards).
Confessing no firsthand knowledge of this site, but looking at topo maps, it appears:
the overall gradient may be understated -- it looks like it may be more like 50FPM ...
However, it appears fairly spread out, except possibly the final ten feet (+/-) of drop, as Turket Creek drops into the Alapahoochee.
The description for the Alapahoochee includes mention of this, calling it a '12 foot waterfall into a beautiful grotto'.
I wouldn't get too excited about this, as the drainage area is quite small (a few square miles). Thus, it will run only during/immediately after heavy rains (which admittedly can happen with regularity here).
That said, you'd better be there early on, while its pouring -- one hour or so later and you've probably missed it. (This assessment would seem further supported by the comment below.) The earlier you can hit this (during/immediately after the rain), the taller it is likely to be; Smaller creeks like this will run 'early' in a rain event, whereas a larger river will take (at least slightly) longer to come up. (As the Alapahoochee comes up, it decreases the height of the drop from the possibly 12' down to 2' or possibly nothing!)
River Features
Put In
From the take-out (at the Alapaha River bridge), continue 1.3 miles around a bend heading toward Jennings.
The put-in is a bridge over this tiny creek (and you'll see a railroad bridge on the adjacent rail line).
Take Out
Trip Reports
Log in to add a reportCulvet on Highway 150. Note traffic barrel for scale.
Turket Creek is a disappointment. The drop was perhaps two feet when I paddled by on the Alaphochee in June 2005, but the Alapahoochee was high enough that day to flood all of its rapids. Turket Creek is not wide enough to spin a boat 360 degrees. It is such an insignificant creek that it is not obvious where County Road 150 crosses it south of Jennings, Florida. Keep an eye out for where the road dips just outside Jennings. This culvert is effectively the beginning of Turket Creek, since it's blocked by a railroad embankment on the upstream side.
Clearly, the drop will be higher when the Alapahoochee is lower than it was the day I was there. However, for Turket Creek to be interesting, you'd have to have significant rainfall in Turket Creek's drainage basin, without enough rain in adjoining drainages to raise the Alapahoochee or the Alapaha. That combination would likely be very rare. I'd be surprised if Turket Creek would be interesting even one day a year.
When I returned in March 2011 to run the Alapahoochee, the waterfall was much higher, between 6 and 8 feet. However, I noted a sandbar directly below the drop, so paddlers should scout the waterfall before running it.
Note how water flows over some rocks on the way and also the sandbar below the drop. Photo taken at low flow on 3/19/11
Dude, this is in FLORIDA, If they listed this in NC id be dissapointed but a two foot drop thats interesting one day a year is pretty damn good for gradient hell.