Information on Falls Branch
Rating: III-V *
TDCR: ????
Location: Put-in: Go North on Hwy 123 at Lurton to Spence Junction.
To the right is a dirt road which is the way to Richland.
There is a large pond on the left (this is the headwaters
to Falls Branch) Go North on Hwy 123 for ~1.25 miles to the
next dirt road on the right. (Shulers Point) Go ~0.7 miles
on this road to a parking area in front of a burmed road on
the right. Drag South down the old roadbed to a field and
then down from the left (East) edge of the field to the
creek. Target is just above the junction of the two upper
branches where the old roadbed crosses. (Elevation 1830)
Reach the take-out by going back to Spence Junction and
heading East on the dirt road. Take lefts at the two major
intersections and head North on FR 1200 down the mountain
toward Bass. Park on the side of the road near the low
water bridge. (Elevation 890) The Shulers Point road does
go down the hill to the confluence of Falls Branch and Cave
Creek, but the FS gated it in the summer of 2001. But it
could be used as an emergency access.
Topo Quad(s): Lurton
Gradient: 150 fpm, (300+ fpm max)
Length: 9 mi (4 on Falls Branch)
Season: FLOOD
Gauge: Gage at Richland Campground should to be above 6 or headed
that way. Look for 1.5" or more rain at the Deer, Ben Hur
and Mt. Judea rain gages, at the BNR Data Page. Rain must
have fallen within the last 6 to 12 hours. If the Pond at
Spence Junction is spilling lots of water, it should be a
run!
Hazards: Undercut ledges and rocks, overhanging branches, strainers,
waterfalls.
Description: First known descent was April 22, 1996. By Cowper
Chadbourn, Chris Anderson, Howard Elliot, Walter Felton
(OC-1), Bob Hoffman, Lance Jones, Nate Kline, Robert Orr,
Ted Smethers and Billy Williams. Falls Branch is a
4.5-mile run down to Cave Creek, with and average gradient
of 150 ft/mile, the first mile being 300 ft/mile. Due to
closure of the 4WD road to the confluence, an additional
4-5 mile paddle to the community of Bass is required. The
creek starts out on bedrock with a short slide followed by
a 10-12 foot waterfall just below the confluence of the
upper forks. There is a large rock in the left center of
the drop and a narrow line to land in just right of
center. Exit through one of two slots and over a 6-foot
waterfall. Now get ready for lots of action with very
tight slots and boulder jumbles. Little bedrock is
encountered for the next 0.25 miles. Many of the boulder
jumbles offer pin and undercut dangers compounded with
possible wood. Note: the first run occurred after a series
of wind storms resulting in a very large number of trees down
across the creek. Portaging these trees was a major chore
and led to the renaming of the creek by the paddlers as
'Dead' Falls Branch. Most of the drops were run. Once the
bedrock returns, have fun on the first couple of slides
but be on the lookout for the point where the slide takes
a sharp turn to the left in front of a large boulder. This
is 'Nate's Falls'. The drop is entirely on bedrock, but
two undercut boulders add some spice. Start with the
entrance turn to the left followed by a tight turn to the
right through a slot. The large boulder on the left bank
is undercut and may collect wood. Main route is to exit
far right and cut back left before dropping 10-12 feet
through a tight slot requiring a hard turn back to the
right. The crux is not pinning on the undercut boulder
forming the right side of the slot. Optional route (water
level and wood/debris dependent) is a straight line
through a slot between the boulders and down through the
final slot. Several more boulder jumbles and slides are
encountered shortly, topped off by a slot move into a
steep 12-15 foot slide drop into a grotto pool. Fast class
II-III water takes you from the next mile or so from the
tribuary on the right. Two small ledge drops signal the
approach of 'Surprise Turn'. The creek takes a hard turn
to the left as it drops between two boulders. As you enter
the white foaming maelstrom, you think "This is going to
be ugly!" But the foam is suprisingly forgiving and you
shoot out with a big smile. Stay to the center/left and
away from the undercut wall on the right and line up for
the next 5-6ft drop. Fast boogie water takes you to the
confluence with Cave Creek as the gradient starts to
subside. 80-100 ft/mile gradient continues downstream to
the takeout on FR 1200. Be aware of strainers and willow
jungles in this section. A road parallels the creek if
needed for portaging. Like other micro-volume creeks,
meaningful ratings are difficult to establish on
the accepted International scale. At lower levels, the
creek may seem like a very technical class III, with
much rock bashing, scraping, and some portages. At higher
levels, several rapids are expected to become solid
class V. In any case, paddlers need to be very
familliar with the hazards of small, steep Arkansas
creeks before attempting this run. Thanks to Lance
Jones for information about this great creek!
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