A. Columbus to Spring Creek 10.7 miles
Class Grad Size
(Area/Volume) Scene/Pol Level
A-B 5/8 Small A-B/B
Streamside
Topographic Maps: Columbus,
Spring Creek
County Maps: Warren
Description: This stream winds it way through a low country forest of beech, hickory, hawthorn groves, maple, ironwood and hemlock. There are also some nice tall grass meadows. Hills can be seen in the distance, but this is a wide flood plain. [Reported 1999]
Difficulties: Occasional fallen trees to portage.
Shuttle: To reach the put-in, follow State Route 426 north from Spring Creek about 3 miles and turn right/north on T 342 to US Route 6. Turn left/west on US Route 6 and go about 0.1 miles to the first road on your right. Turn right and follow this road to a “T” intersection at State Route 957. Turn right/east on State Route 957 and put in beside the building at the bridge. To reach the take‑out, return to Spring Church via State Route 426. About 0.75 miles beyond Spring Church, turn right/west on State Route 3012 (Cemetery Road). Take out along the road or at the bridge, which in 1999 was closed.
Gauge: None. Check the 3 foot X 3 foot concrete abutment on creek left under the Cemetery Road. Minimum is one foot down from the top at a half inch wide mini ledge.
Normal Wet Period: No available statistics on seasons. Since this section is small, it should normally be runnable through April.
B. Spring Creek to Garland 6.6 miles
Class Grad Size
(Area/Volume) Scene/Pol Level
C-I 12/20 Small A/B
Streamside
Topographic Maps: Spring
Creek, Pittsfield
County Maps: Warren
Description: This section becomes straight forward, and you can spend less time looking for strainers on the bends. The hills are closer to the creek and it is a nice ride down the valley. [Reported 1999]
Difficulties: Possibility of a strainer
Shuttle: Put in along Cemetery Road as described in Section A. To reach the take‑out, return to State Route 426 and travel south to Garland. Turn right/southwest on State Route 27 and the first bridge is the take‑out.
Gauge: Check the 3 foot X 3 foot concrete abutment on creek left under the Cemetery Road Bridge. One foot down from the top is a half-inch wide mini ledge, three inches below that is the minimum for this section.
Normal Wet Period: No available statistics on seasons. Since this section is small, it should normally be runnable through April.
C. Garland to Irvine 13.7 miles
Class Grad Size (Area/Volume) Scene/Poll Level
C-I 10/13 Medium (321/587) B/B
Youngsville Youngsville
Topographic Maps: Pittsfield, Youngsville
County Maps: Warren
Description: The creek meanders through a broad flood plain and runs by several small towns. It has sharp turns and at several points there are narrow channels along islands with fast water. [Reported prior to 1999]
Difficulties: There is a pipeline across the creek in Youngsville just upstream from the old US Route 6 Bridge., which could be a problem in low water. There is a Class I rapid on the left channel around the island below Youngsville.
Shuttle: Roads run along the entire north bank of the river. Use US Route 6 and State Route 27. An alternate take-out is 2 miles further at the mouth of the Brokenstraw near Buckaloons.
Gauges: Youngsville. We do not have enough information to report runnable levels on this section. A reading of 3.0 feet (2003 rating table) on the Youngsville gauge corresponds to the mean flow of 587 cfs. Since this is a medium-sized river, we speculate that the river will be runnable at 3.0 feet and may be on the high side of runnable at that level.
Normal Wet Period: No available statistics on seasons. Since this section is medium-sized, it should normally be runnable approximately December through May. The Youngsville gauge is above 3.0 feet 29% of the time.