Greenstone Falls trail to Lake Superior (5.5 miles)

Quick Facts: Location: Porcupine Mountain State Park Shuttle Length: Hike. (See details below.) Character: Big slides and a lot of wood. Put-in elevation is approximately 1270'. Take-out elevation is approximately 600' (mean Lake Superior elevation). Thus total elevation change is approximately 670 '. Information (lat, lng, elev, total drop, run length, shuttle length) adjusted and/or verified from best manual extrapolation of online data (via maps.google.com, distance measuring tool, and other resources). 2009.02.05 The resolution on Google Maps for this area is fairly decent. You may be interested in going to the 'Map' tab, clicking 'Satellite', clicking-and-dragging the put-in (to have it center-screen), zooming in to the maximum resolution available, and doing a 'virtual walk' of this reach! * * * Previously described (by a StreamTeam member who, with no disrespect intended, never actually finished the run) as a masochistic expedition, in a wooded up wilderness stream, requiring a long hike-in (on Greenstone Falls trail off South Boundary Road) and a 4.5 mile paddle-out on Lake Superior. Others who have done it consider it an excellent wilderness whitewater river, with a few 'opportunities to stretch' while carrying or pulling your boat around some (unrunnable) scenic hydrologic features. This run can be split into two main sections with the first putin at Little Carp River Road. The Little Carp River encounters _Overlooked Falls_ and _Greenstone Falls_, followed by about 2 miles of wooded-up river to the confluence with Webeno Creek. Thus, we recommend anyone wanting to catch these two falls should just do a 'park-and-huck' here, before heading to the lower section. The second putin involves bushwhacking, carrying or dragging your boat 1/4 mile from South Boundary Road along the ridge adjacent to Webeno Creek to get to the river. From Webeno Creek down to Lake Superior are a number of nice drops, some prime stretches of continuous class III, and very likely about ten log portages before the mouth at Lake Superior. About 1/4 mile downstream from Webeno Creek lies the first drop in the second section, followed quickly by _Trapper's Falls_, one of the highlights of paddling in the Porkies. This is a long, tall, breathtaking conglomerate slide that will quicken the pulse even if you decide to portage. Numerous sections of fine class III are encountered after _Trapper's_. Keep your eye out for wood in this section. Toward the end of the run, you'll find a sweet series of three drops before a foot bridge, where you may encounter fishermen in search of a trophy steelhead or coaster brook trout. The mouth of the Little Carp at Lake Superior lies just beyond. You now have three options: paddle 5 miles to the Presque Isle camp ground take out, paddle 1 mile to the Big Carp River for a run the next day, or carry/drag your boat 2.6 miles up the Pinckerton trail back to South Boundary Road. (I recommend the Big Carp!)