Information on Clear Cr.

Clear Cr.

	Rating: II-III
	TDCR: 3333
	Location: Crawford Co.; Take Hwy 71 north of I-40 to the Hwy 282
		junction just north of Mountainburg.  Take Hwy 282 west to
		Chester.  Put in at the Hwy 282 bridge in Chester. (Park
		downstream river right just below the bridge.)  Take out at
		Ash St. low water bridge in Mountainburg (see Frog Bayou, S1
		for more info.) 
		Area Map
	Topo Quad(s): Mountainburg
	Gradient: 30 - 40 fpm
	Length: 3 mi.
	Season: FLOOD
	Gauge: The USGS Frog Bayou gauge should be above 5 ft. for a 
		good run. Another good indicator is less than 1 ft. of airspace 
		under the Ash St. bridge.  If there is more than 1 ft. of water 
		over the bridge, the run will be dangerous due to extremely 
		heavy water on the Frog.
	Hazards: mostly strainers and some heavy water on the Frog.  Also
		beware of construction work for I-540 in several areas.
		At the time of this writing the creek passes through
		some culverts in three places and the areas are littered with
		rebar and other hazards.
	Description: The first two-thirds of this run is on Clear Cr.  The
		boating in this section is fast paced with many good class II+
		drops.  The first surfing opportunity comes immediately below
		the put-in bridge where enders are possible at high levels.
		Another spectacular surfing wave resides less than 1/2 mile
		down as the creek bends sharply to the left.  This portion
		of the creek is similar to Lee Cr., but it is much narrower.
		Beware of the areas near and under the three I-540 bridges, as
		these areas contain debris left over from highway construction.
		Also, beware of some protruding rebar on the river right side
		of a train trestle just below the third I-540 bridge.  Just
		downstream of this trestle, a ledge in the middle of a class
		II rapid provides a great spot for surfing and 360 spins.
		After the confluence with the Frog Bayou at the end of the 
		second mile, the character of the run changes completely.  The
		paddler is now on a full sized river, and the flow triples.
		Heavy class II+ water is encountered for the next 3/4 mile
		until the take-out is reached.  There are usually some bad
		strainers below the confluence, and the current can easily
		push an unprepared boater into them.  The run is fairly fast,
		usually requiring less than two hrs.  If you are more pressed
		for time, consider taking out or putting in at the upper I-540 
		bridge.  Take care not to trespass on the banks since most of 
		the land surrounding the creek is privately owned.  Boaters 
		should have very good boat control in class II-III rapids 
		before putting on Clear Cr.