Eighteenmile Creek, S. Br.
New Oregon Rd. to East Church Rd.
| Difficulty | II-V |
| Length | 3.5 mi |
| Avg Gradient | 50 fpm |
| Gauge | Cazenovia Creek at Ebenezer Ny |
| Flow Rate as of 1 hour | 265 cfsbelow recommended |
| Reach Info Last Updated | June 9, 2016 |
River Description
South Branch Eighteenmile Creek, NY
12/16/02 Craig Mavis
The entire South Branch and Eighteenmile creek in itself can be run when snowmelt or heavy rains come up, but the best section and the most scenic for whitewater kayaking is a select portion of the South Branch as described below.
The Run - After you put in on New Oregon Rd., you paddle a few oxbow bends and then go down a 12' slide type falls located on a 90-deg bend. You now enter the 'Gorge Section' for some fun on twister-type waves. After another 1/2 mile, you encounter the remains of a concrete low-head dam next to a ranch house overlooking the creek. Look for strainers on this and run the chute that is most open. (Can be scouted on your shuttle from the road). Continuing along, you will encounter several 6-9' slides and a larger 25' slide prior to coming to 'Clarksburg Falls.' Scout Clarksburg Falls on your shuttle, as it is located at the intersection of Clarksburg Rd. and New Oregon. Clarksburg is about a 16' drop you run 5' off the left shore. Do not run river right! Watch for the Toilet Bowl on far river right after your landing.
Several more 5-7' drops (Dave's Hole) and slides are encountered prior to getting to the last big drop, Kromer's Falls. Kromer's can be scouted on the right bank by walking along the edge up to the brink. It should be run about 10' off the right bank under the grapevines. Kromer's consists of a 6' initial drop, followed by a long slide that tends to push you to the center and then a big 16-20' drop. Make sure to surf the bottom of the falls as this is the best surf wave on the river. Proceed another 300 yards and take out on river right at the bridge and hike up the right bank. The total time for the run is about 1 1/2 hours including shuttle unless you spend a lot of time scouting.
Levels are sometimes posted on
...River Features
Put In
Clarksburg Falls
Scout Clarksburg Falls on your shuttle, as it is located at the intersection of Clarksburg Rd. and New Oregon. Clarksburg is about a 16' drop you run 5' off the left shore. Do not run river right! Watch for the Toilet Bowl on far river right after your landing. 42.619434,-78.831239
Kromer's Falls
Kromer's can be scouted on the right bank by walking along the edge up to the brink. It should be run about 10' off the right bank under the grapevines. Kromer's consists of a 6' initial drop, followed by a long slide that tends to push you to the center and then a big 16-20' drop. Make sure to surf the bottom of the falls as this is the best surf wave on the river.
Take Out
Trip Reports
Log in to add a reportJaybird standing next to Clarksburg falls. Not enough water today....It rained about 0.75 inches the night before and Caz was at 750 and falling.
The put-in shown on the map tab is incorrectly placed. It should be a bit farther upstream, where New Oregon meets Belcher (where Jaybird and I put in), Boston or Langford Rd. As we put in by Belcher I don't know about Boston or Langford rd putins, but there is some good action upstream of the put-in shown on the map tab here (including Clarksburg falls and a number of other good drops). - Max