Sand Creek

NOTE: Best gauge for this run is on NOAA: CLICK HERE for NOAA Sand River Gauge

An anonymous tipster provides:

When the creek is running well, there is a hole (and plenty of nice little drops and some good standing waves) about 2/3 down the run. This can be accessed from Sawmill Road if you stop and ask permission from a property owner where a corral fence leads you back to the railroad and the river. As long as you are polite and respectful of the privelege of crossing their land, they have generally been gracious in allowing that access. (Don't screw this up for the rest of us by abusing their generosity in allowing this access! Ask and receive permission, and be on your best behavior or go elsewhere!)

MnktoDave provides:

A short while after leaving the put-in at Hwy.8, you will pass a golf course on the left side. Soon after, the waves begin to build, and form long roller coaster haystacks that are a lot of fun to ride. When the river is at 4'+, these haystacks will go on for a long time, and are a real 'hoot'. They build, larger and larger, leading to Nelly's rapids, which has a series of haystack waves at this level, and can be recognized by a railroad bridge at the start total row 5827
of the rapids with grafiti saying 'Nelly's Rapids'.

There will be a pause in the action on the backwaters of a dam. The dam at Lagoon Park is fairly sizable, and most paddlers should portage, river-left. It looks runnable, and it HAS been run (along the very left edge), at certain water levels, but is not recommended. One mistake here could be very dangerous (even with safety being set). A very large backroller can develop here, and I would not want to be the one trying to explain to the cops if something went wrong. We have run this river many times, at many levels, and we always portage the dam (even though sometimes it looks so very t

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