Information on Graves Cr.
Rating: III+ (IV+) *
TDCR: ????
Location: Pope County; From Hwy 7, take Hwy 164 to Twin Bridges
(Moore Outdoors), cross Big Piney, and turn right
on 1800 (Pilot Rock Road). Turn right again on 1800A.
When road changes from graded gravel to "4WD", continue down
hill to just past the first hairpin; park and drag boat
downhill about 1/2 mile going due West. Goal is the where
two forks of the creek join at about Elevation 790 feet. Two
options exist for take out; either continue down this same
road until you first see Graves Creek (take out #1), or
take out at Long Pool on the Big Piney (take out #2).
Area Map
Topo Quad(s): Treat
Gradient: 106 fpm (not counting Big Piney)
Length: 1.9 mi (plus 5.4 miles if you go to Long Pool)
Season: RAIN
Gauge: Can't be gauged by comparison to Piney. Has been
run both with Piney at 4 ft and with Piney above 17 ft.
Look for about 1.5" or more of rain within the last 6 to 12
hours. Rain gage exists at Twin Bridges; can be accessed via
ACC Bulletin Board.
Hazards: numerous strainers, undercuts (especially in one small box
canyon)
Description: The lower section (below Take out #1) was probably
first run years ago by Kerry Moore, Dale Barton, and/or other
locals, and has been used by Kerry as an alternate put-in for
rescue work on the Big Piney run. The first known run of the
upper section was Nov. 5, 1994, by a small army consisting of
Paul Caldwell, Cowper Chadbourn, Nathan Kline, Chris Jones,
Jim McDaniel, Paul Newton (OC-1), Ted Smethers, and David
Wilbanks. This run is worth doing for the scenery alone,
with many beautiful waterfalls coming in from either side,
including a very spectacular one at "Amphitheater". The
gradient is generally evenly distributed along the
run, with one notable exception at "Amphitheater". Just
after you run the first 8 foot waterfall, beware
The next drop after this waterfall contains a hidden
shelf rock and a nasty undercut rock/bluff, and as of late
1995 had only been run one time at a lower level (by Nathan).
All boaters should be confident on steep class III+ water, or
you should opt for a run on the Piney instead. Thanks go to
Copwer Chadbourn for information on this run.
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