Paint Creek
Da Kelley Falls a Dudley Falls
| Livello di difficoltà | III+(IV) |
| Lunghezza | 3.2 km |
| Gradiente medio | n/a |
| Informazioni aggiornate | Luglio 14, 2026 |
Paint Creek is a pretty roadside run close to Hot Springs, NC. The run is bookended by the 20-foot not quite vertical Kelley Falls and the very fun slide called Dudley Falls and its ledgey lead-in, with just a bit of warm up and cool down, and you can also paddle all the way to the French Broad. The two named drops are a full grade harder than the rest of the run, which consists of smaller 2-3 foot ledges and rapids. Paint Creek is prone to being woody, so stay heads up for wood portages. There is ample camping and hiking opportunities in the corridor, and the easy road access makes scouting and picking the right section for your group pretty easy. If Paint Creek doesn't appeal to you when you get there, chances are nearby Spring Creek or Big Laurel is be running.
Be sure to check out the pictographs on Paint Rock, just upstream of the Paint Creek confluence on a rock face above the road next to the French Broad. Unfortunately the once grand pictograph panel is marred by woodsmoke and graffiti, but some remnants of the geometric indigenous art still remain.
Put in near the Campground or at the Paint Creek Trailhead.
18-20 foot falls
Don't be fooled by the photos, this is a big drop, perhaps 15 feet tall. A series of small ledges leads to a tall horizon line with eddies on either side. The drip offers paddlers a steep and fast roll over slide that levels out at the bottom.
This is a nice short take-out, but of course you could continue down to the French Broad for more mileage.
Luglio 12, 2026
We swung by Paint Creek following some very high water to check it out. Kelley Falls had a nasty wood fence just downstream, but the rest of the creek seemed relatively wood free compared to 2024. There is still some wood in there though, mostly between the rapids, so stay heads up! We did not end up paddling. Big Laurel was running 1.5 feet.
Febbraio 13, 2024
Con il livello del Big Laurel di circa 15 centimetri, ci siamo diretti verso Paint Creek a tarda sera. C'era un po' troppa legna da ardere per percorrere l'intero tragitto nel tempo che avevamo a disposizione prima del tramonto, quindi abbiamo deciso di saltare la parte superiore (compresa purtroppo la cascata Kelley Falls) e di immetterci in acqua da un ponte più in basso, dove si trovava una bella rapida a strapiombo. Nessuno di noi aveva mai percorso Paint Creek prima, ma è stato facile orientarsi. La cascata Dudley Falls è stata una rapida molto divertente. Siamo usciti dal fiume a valle, all'imbocco del sentiero Dog Hobble, appena sotto una bella piccola cascata.
