Information on Meadow Creek
Rating: III+
TDCR: 5567
Location: From Leslie, AR on Hwy 65 go 7 miles east on Hwy 66 to
Oxley. Turn right on paved county road and travel 2 miles
to end of pavement. Turn left and follow winding county
road 3 miles to a T-intersection. Turn left and go 0.5 mile
to the Flag intersection. Turn left and go 1.5 miles to a
low-water bridge where the road makes a 90 degree right
turn. This is the put-in. Return to the Flag intersection
and continue straight (this would be a right turn in the
put-in directions). About 3 miles past Flag at the bottom
of the mountain you will come to a flooded Suck Hollow
Creek crossing. The take-out is at the mouth of this creek
as it flows into Meadow Creek 100 yards below the road. If
you miss the mouth of Suck Hollow Branch while paddling you
can take-out at a low-water bridge 0.5 mile further down
the creek and walk the county road 0.5 mile back to the
vehicle. If you decide to cross this creek you can drive
0.5 mile further to the low-water bridge and take-out
there. The bridge will probably have 3-4 ft of water over
it so keep in mind if the creeks are still rising you may
become stranded between two flooded creeks. In addition, as
you have probably figured out by now, your are a long way
from nowhere.
Topo Quad(s): Fox, Oxley
Gradient: 55 fpm
Length: 5.5 mi.
Season: Rain
Gauge: The Middle Fork of the Little Red should be at least 12 ft
or more in Shirley. This gauge however has its limits
because the Little Red is a large river and several miles
below its headwaters when it gets to Shirley. Meadow Creek
does not have a significant impact on the Little Red so the
gauge is approximate. There should be at least 1 ft. of
water over the put-in bridge for a good run. The Tick Creek
tributary to Meadow Creek is tiny at the put-in, but it
meets two other tributaries and nearly triples in size
within 200 yards of the put-in.
Hazards: waterfalls, undercuts, strainers, trees
Description: The first two miles on Tick Creek are chocked full of
willow lined chutes and fast II+ water. At about two miles
the paddler reaches Squeeze-the-Tick (III) where the creek
turns sharply left and drops about 15 ft. over 20 yards
through a very narrow willow lined chute. The approach to
Squeeze is sudden and the decision to run the left chute
must be made quickly. Don't run the right chute because of
a poorly placed tree growing in the middle of your path.
About 1/4 mile farther Tick Creek meets Jimmy's Creek
entering from river left and the two become Meadow Creek.
The next mile contains fast II+ water with some nice
boulder dodging. A small bluff on river right signals the
arrival of Walk-on-the-Wild-Slide (II-III+). The Slide is
river wide and drops 15 ft. or more over about 15 yards.
At a level of 1 ft. over the put-in bridge the Slide
should be run river left. A Walk in the name implies the
slide should be ported at lower levels for the sake of
boat preservation. At higher levels the Slide a wild
cascade with two river wide holes on the way down and a
slap-you-in-the-face stopper at the bottom. The bottom
hole provides nice surfing at lower levels. About 1/4 mile
below the Slide hides a 15 yard long undercut ledge on
river right. This could be dangerous at lower levels so
pay close attention. Another 1/2 mile later the roaring of
Meadow Creek Falls (III+) announces the arrival of a nice
scouting trail on river right. The Falls section drops
approximately 25-30 ft. over 150 yards and cannot be
scouted adequately from your boat. The only line available
to run the sheer 8 foot drop is about 15 feet from river
right. The paddler needs plenty of speed and a good boof
to avoid the nasty hydraulic below. A bad boof will result
in a Class IV+ nightmare. I have seen these falls without
water and they are no place to be inverted or swimming.
Paddle aggressively and catch an eddy before washing
through the rest of the falls. From the pool below the
falls you paddle through a wide slot on river right and
blast through Greener Pastures Ahead (III). Greener
Pastures is the last drop in the Falls section. It's a
narrow, but straight forward chute on river left that
drops about 12 ft. over 10-15 yards. Watch for brush
hanging out over the chute from the bluff on river left.
In higher water Greener Pastures Ahead may be run on river
right which ends with a 5 ft. sheer drop. Looking back up
through the Falls section provides a very nice picture of
just how scenic whitewater paddling can be. The remaining
2 miles provide little time to relax as the fast II+ water
continues to wind through narrow slots lined with willows
and dotted with trees. If you plan to take-out at the
mouth of Suck Hollow Branch it is a large tributary on
river right as Meadow Creek makes a hard left turn about 1
1/2 miles below the falls. Meadow Creek was first run on
January 6, 1998 by Randall Gammill and Nick Hansen of
Springfield, Missouri. It compares well with many other
intermediate runs in the Ozarks. It has good length,
gradient, scenery and doesn't require a flood for a good
level.
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