Information on Tanyard Creek
Rating: III-IV (V) *
TDCR: ????
Location: The creek is found by taking the Town Center exit off of
Hwy. 71 North in Bella Vista. Take a left at the light and
follow the highway. You will go over the Tanyard Creek bridge -
an optional takeout. Further up the highway you will
go up a large hill and there will be a sign on the right
that says "Lake Windsor Dam". Turn left there, and follow the
road to the dam. The creek begins on the east side of the dam
below the spillway.
Topo Quad(s): N/A
Gradient: 65 fpm
Length: .75 mi
Season: FLOOD
Gauge: Only runnable after very heavy rains. A good indicator would
be flooded ponds on any of the golf courses along Hwy. 71
in Bella Vista.
Hazards: very swift water, boulders, strainers near the bottom
Description: First run on 6/21/2000 by Jason and Robert Bertschy,
Tanyard Creek is a very short but dangerous creek. It is a
class V/IV/III run, in that order. Fed by Lake Windsor, the
whole stretch is only about 3/4 mile, and the intense rapids
come in a section only 300 yards long. The put-in is
located a little way down a trail that follows the spillway to
the north. You must drop in off of a large boulder (it will
be obvious) to start the run. The first rapid is a massive
drop with an extremely shallow landing. You would
probably have to be crazy to run this fall since the potential
for injury appears to be very high. Next up is Penny’s Plunge,
a 8 to 9 foot drop that can easily push you into an undercut
ledge on river right (nicknamed "Sideburns"). Penny’s Plunge
should be run on the right. The Plunge can be portaged
on the left by following the trail downhill 25 yards. The
next rapid, "Gone to Bosnia", signifies that the war has
begun. This is a class IV drop of 5 or 6 ft. Next, you
encounter "Where’d He Go", a class III+ drop of 4 feet. This
drop produces a large hole that can completely swamp a boat.
After this rapid you have about 40 yards before hitting
"Headhunter". This is a class II rapid that runs under a
bridge which is low enough to take your head off.
After Headhunter, the creek slows down and flattens out for
the remaining 500 yards. There could be strainers below all the
action, so scout well before running. There is NO recovery
time on this run, and if you blink you might miss the
rapids - but they may not miss you. Only serious boaters
should run Tanyard Cr., it is strongly suggested that
no one try to run the first drop! Thanks to Robert Bertschy
for information about this strange, cool little creek.
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