Information on White Rock Creek
Rating: III-IV *
TDCR: 8797
Location: To get to the take out drive west on I-40
turn at the Mulberry exit, go north on Hwy 215. Three miles
north one encounters the Mill Creek bridge; be sure to stop
and check the level. Continue north for about five miles
until Fern at which time 215 curves to the east continue
east three milestowards Shores Lake. There will be a sign,
"Shores Lake Campground" to the right, take it and go one mile
to the bridge crossing Hurricane Creek. This is the take-out.
For the put-in be sure to have the Bidville topo and a compass!
From the take-out follow Bliss Ridge Road north until it
"T's", take a left and go approxiamately one mile until you
see an unmaintained road to the left, drive about fifty
yards down it until you can find a parking place. This road
also serves as access to a hiking trail. You can either
follow the hiking trail down to the creek(1.5 mi.)or follow
the finger ridge down to the creek. It has a gentle slope
until you are about 100 feet over the creek and adds .5 mi.
of fun onto the run. If there is any doubt as to the level
of the creek...take the trail.
Topo Quad(s): Bidville
Gradient: 100 fpm (180 fpm in the first mile)
Length: 4.5 mi.
Season: FLOOD
Gauge: Check Mill and Little Mill creeks on the way up 215. They
should at the very least appear to be runnable. Hurricane
creek should appear to be flooded.
Hazards: Several undercuts on White Rock, strainers are present on
Hurricane but none to speak of on White Rock. As one nears
the conflence with Hurricane on White Rock there is some
tornado damage that produces some nasty downed trees and logs.
Walk around them! This section is noticable as the
creek appears to be clear-cut on either side, so there is
plenty of advance notice. These should wash out in the
coming years.
Description: White Rock Creek is a low-volume creek that runs off of
White Rock Mountain - well known by the White Rock Mountain
Recreation Area that sits on top of a big outcrop of Atoka
sandstone and affords a view unlike any in the
area (campsites and hiking trails etc.). Surprisingly the
first runnable mile only drops 180 feet, however it boasts
continuous III-IV rapids and falls that require previous
creeking expirience. There are many falls ranging from 12
to 6 feet in height and inumerable slides, chutes, boulder
gardens and the like. White Rock goes about three miles
through a deep canyon providing views from the creek
bottom that is some of the most beautiful scenery anywhere
in the Ozarks. About one half mile down the creek,
one enters a gorge marked by a two-tiered fall of
approxiamtely 15 feet. It is runnable as a broken
slide on the far right or two vertical drops that are
separated by an eddy just big enough to hold a couple of
kayaks. The right and left are preferred routes as there
is a pile of angular rocks at the center of the base.
After another quarter mile of countless drops there
appears an entrance to a slide with a large undercut
boulder on the right creating a large reaction wave, at
higher levels it could be dangerous to a swimmer (foot
entrapment) as the entire creek pushes against the base of
the rock where there is a slot horizontal to the creekbed
just wide enough to fit a swimmer's foot or leg. This
one is nicknamed Pizza Bone Rapid. Numerous rapids
follow until one comes to a slot (4 to 5 feet wide)
that is the entrance to a 10 to 12 foot near vertical
slide that ends in a pool surrounded on all sides by an
undercut bluff. Micah Adams aptly named it Punchbowl
Falls. After Punchbowl the creek runs along and under a
bluffline that creates a tapestry of cascading falls
running through hanging gardens of ferns and moss for
about 200 yards; as you paddle back and forth through the
mild rapids under the drip-line the feeling of isolated
wilderness is hard to ignore! Numerous rapids follow that
gradually lessen in intensity, and soon the gorge
ends. However, this does not mark the end of the fun as
there are several more six foot drops with a 10 to 12 foot
falls I like to think of as Skinnydip Falls (because it
has a nice pool and there is a trail in from the road to
access it). Not long after this one encounters the confluence
of Dry Fork and White Rock which is marked by a 5 to 6'
falls/drop on both drainages, Dry Fork Rapid. It may seem
to be an end to the whitewater but the paddler should not
grow complacent as soon one encounters a fall that may
produce a extremely nasty hydraulic at flood stage. This
consists of a fall that drops six feet over a sandstone
slab that is the most uniform falls I have ever seen; so
much so it appears to be man-made(no straight lines in
nature). This one is named Shower Curtain Falls because
one can easily paddle behind the veil and relax while
viewing the cascading water in a tunnel half sandstone,
half water. Five of us fit behind it with room to
spare. There are more rapids and drops until one nears
the confluence with Hurricane creek where a tornado
touched down and produced some nasty log jams, be prepared
to walk around them. Hurricane will be flooded, so one
should be very careful when approaching trees and strainers.
About a mile downstream, Hurricane the creek shoots into
and under a bluff. To all appearances from upstream it
doesn't look bad, but when viewing it up close
you can see an extremely undercut bluff that could be fatal
if you became trapped under it as the force of the entire
creek is flowing against it. The take-out is about .75 to
.5 miles downstream where you'll be glad to see Hurricane
Creek Bridge! White Rock Cr. is a good run, but it is very
isolated and it is certainly no place for those who are
not sure of their abilities on class IV water. White Rock
Cr. was first run on 10/6/98 by Micah Adams, Trey Marley,
Rob Pollan, Mike Echols and Steve "Dog" Robertson. Thanks
to Steve Robertson for the write up on this one!
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