Background
Pacific lamprey have been translocated to
Upper Fall Creek for several years in a partnership with the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde and ODFW. When the juvenile lamprey, called ammocetes, leave the spawning beds they work their way downstream to fall creek reservoir and bury themselves in the mud for several years. When they emerge from the mud coinciding with the fall rains, they’re developed into a stage called macrothalmia, and are ready to head to the ocean. To facilitate the out-migration of these juvenile lamprey on their way to the ocean, the Army Corps provides high flow releases as part of their fall draw down of the reservoir to help flush the lamprey out of the reservoir and down to the willamette. These high flow rates provide a few days, to a week or two, of paddling each fall for the Lower Fall Creek reach. This often happens before other watersheds have filled in with fall rains. Fall Creek will also run with heavy rains, although since the run begins below the dam, it is highly dependent upon the Army Corps operations to hold or release water during rain events. The gauge is very accurate.
Put-In & Takeout
Put-in: There are a few different spots to put in near the base of Fall Creek Dam. You can park in a highly visible spot and put in below where big fall creek road crosses the river. Or, you can cross the river on Big Fall Creek road, take the first right and park at the USACE park. There are bathroom facilities here and a nice parking area, and you get another 100 yards of good whitewater. But the parking is secluded. Park at your own risk.
Take-out: You can run Lower Fall Creek all the way to the confluence with the Middle Fork Willamette and take out at a number of locations downstream depending on what kind of day you're looking to have. Jasper is a popular spot. If you're looking for a shorter run, take out under the Pengra Road Bridge at the intersection of Pengra Road and Jasper Lowell Rd. There is an obvious turnout on the upstream side of the bridge, and a usually trimmed path through a blackberry thicket. Spot your takeout before setting shuttle. Maybe bring some clippers.
Character of the Run & Flows
Most of this run flows through back yards and through agricultural land. The banks are brushy and steep and wood along the sides is always an issue.
--1200-3000 CFS: Very few eddies exist during fall-draw down high-flows. While the whitewater features are mostly class 2 (with perhaps the exception of the last rapid just past the covered bridge which could reach class III at high flows), the presence of wood, fast current, and few eddies makes these flows unsuitable for most class 2 paddlers without a roll. Swims could be long, and hazardous with few true recovery pools.
--700-1200 CFS: At the lower end of the flow range, below 1200 CFS, the pace slows and recovery pools begin to appear. Most of the run is not visible from the road, which makes scouting difficult. There are a couple of islands and braided channels that require route finding and good judgement at all flows. Route finding skills recommended.
Additional Beta
A full descrption can be found in Soggy Sneakers guidebook. Run #80