Lower Mill Creek IV-V+ American Whitewater River Reach

Our Favorite Creek!

Videos----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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1.12.08 Mill Creek @ 18 inches + Glade Creek Falls + Upper Glade Creek 3 min 12 mb NEW VIDEO 1.16.08

12.9.07 Top Mill Jacquelyn Davis and Aaron Giles first run (also some Laurel Creek) 5 min 17mb

7.20.07 Lower Mill (Paul S, Sc, HD) Top and Bottom Mill Creek (mostly Bottom in vid) 4 min 16 mb

3.3.07 Lower Mill (Paul S., CB, SC, CC, HD) All the way to the New 4 min 13mb

2.23.07 Lower Mill (HD, CB, SC) (2:50 9mb)

1.6.07 First run of '07- Jim, Case, HD - Top Mile and HD on Headless Horseman Med Res (1:30 11mb)

11.13.06 Mill Creek Top & Bottom (MUWC, BJ, and Ben Guska) High Res (5min 56mb) or Low Res (16mb)

6.27.06 Mill Creek at 2 feet! 2:34 10mb

6.21.06 June Mill Creek 2:44 min

4.9.06 MUWC Mill Creek 12 inches (MUWC, Fayettevillians, VT Paddlers)1:30min 45mb or low res 5 mb

3.18.06 MUWC Mill Creek XLF (Jim's First Full run) 2min 68mb

3.14.06 MUWC Mill Creek at 6 inches 4min 114mb

2.18.06 MUWC ELF Run #2 Mill Creek  4 min 50mb

2.4.06 MUWC ELF Run of Mill Creek Remix "Double Time" by CC 2:30 min 22mb

2.4.06 MUWC ELF Run of Mill Creek 9 minutes 100mb

12.12.05 - Full length Mill Creek Video with scouting footage (high res 30 mb 2:24 min) low res 7 mb

11.30.05 Chris Barry Slow-Motion off Mill Creek Falls

 

Top Mile and Lower Mile Pictures-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

• 12.9.05 - Pics from Brian Rahall from 11.30.05
• 11.12.06 - Pics from Top and Bottom Mill 11.12.06 NEW 11.15.06!!
   

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MUWC Description (updated 1.9.07)

Where to begin?  If you have never saw this creek you should sometime take the time to drive down and bring you camera if you are not coming to paddle it.  The putin is less than a mile down the hill out of Anstead, WV.  To get there, go to Anstead on Route 60.  If coming in from Charleston take a right on to the road before the corner of the Deligne Ford dealership in the main drag.  Just follow the road down the hill and you will come to the putin.  If coming from Rt 19, you will take a left just past the Deligne Ford dealership.  The gauge is down below the river right side of the bridge.  The first time we ran it at 12” and we were told before hand that that was a good first time level but you should decide that for yourself after scouting or going there with someone who knows the run. 

The run is broken up into two steep one mile sections.  The Top is considered IV and the bottom is considered big time V.  River classifications are always debatable but based on what I have ran I feel that the Top mile of Mill Creek comparable to Upper Glade Creek (IV) just shorter and tighter.  There could be multiple portages based on wood and other factors.  The good news is all but one small section of the top mile of the creek is scoutable from the shuttle road.  There are 3 drops just out of site before the house on river right.  You can see lots of laurel from the road and that is the only section you can not check out from the road. 

Min and Max levels?

F-up down can be ran at 0"

6" from F-up down is nice (lower run min as well)

at 12" is said to be good for the entire run

Max whatever you are comfortable with....   

How to figure out if Mill has a chance on running without knowing what the level is at the bridge.

Since we drive from H-town we need good cause to get in the truck.  Here are the factors that we use:

1.  Rain gauges for Fayette County - 0.75 - 1 inch of rain in the past 24 hours is a good indicator, but if it has ran in recently then it sometimes takes less.   If Mill is 2 feet today it will be a foot tomorrow, 6inches then next.  In the summer it drops really fast.  Mill and Manns don't always run at the same time. 

2.  Peters Creek at Lockwood, WV - Link to Real time gauge -  this watershed is 9 miles away but can be used.  If Peters is 100-200 cfs then Mill has a good chance.  Here are a few Peters to Mill readings.  If you call 6 inches as good enough then using the cut off of at least 100 cfs works about 90% of the time.  The exceptions are mostly localized thunderstorms.  If you use both the rain gauges and Peters you will have a good estimate that there will be water.

*local thunderstorms brought it up and it dropped at a rate of 1 inch per hour during the day (small window)

** The rain fall was ~ 1.25 inches in the 24 hours before 3.16.07 reading.  It peaked ~ 36 hours after the rain started.  On 3.17.07 it snowed 4-5 inches in Fayetteville area (30 degrees).  3.18.07 is forecast to be 45 degrees and sunny.  Will report the level to have an idea what snow can do.

***Local rainfall was ~2-2.5 inches in the 12 hours before

It seems like Mill runs on average once a month for a few days.

Our description disclaimer:

This description is based on many runs high and low levels and we scouted not only from the road but also multiple drops along the way.  The purpose of this description is to give you an idea what is there and what to expect.  This is our experience and not a guide.  If you don’t like steep drops with sieves, undercuts, downed trees and other interesting elements then you don’t want to put on because even after you scout the whole creek it is going to surprise you with even more things than your scouting did.

Drop by drop - Top Mile

1.      After 100 yards of flat water you will come to the first ledge and there is an undercut on the right.  The best line was to catch a center eddy after the lead in and then boof the center of the ledge

2.      The low head dam is next.  The center and left of run-able river right side flush the best but at 1 foot it was all sort of shallow.

3.      A nice long slide that has some shallow spots comes up next it is about 100 yards

4.      There is a good eddy on the right and nice place to scout F*ck Up Falls.  You have too see this to understand it but basically the line is left of center off the kicker.  There is a terrible sieve in the center which you will see on you scout.  If you get to the kicker and get kicked right you will land on a bad rock pile.  It can break boats and bodies (see video).  When you are scouting it pay attention to the shallowness of the lead in.  If you start right and drive left  you can get to the left of the kicker but if you start to far center and get slowed on the shallow lead in you will get kicked and land on the rocks.  The landing is super shallow (couple feet) so try on to keep your bow up. (ELF Note: putin below F*ck Up near the rail to trails bridge if the run is on the low side (say less than 6 inches)).

5.      The next drop under the railroad bridge right in front of you.  We ran to the right of the pylon down the deepest channel. 

6.      You will then be setup above a tight technical shallow set of drops.  The top will be working to get to the channel working to the left of the island.  Just beside the island is a 8 foot wide channel about 4 feet tall.  The right side of the channel has a terribly stiff hole against an undercut self.  Try to ferry or work just past it to at least the center of the channel and boof over the milder main hole. 

7.      After this you will be in the section that cannot be scouted from the road.  The first drop is two massive rocks making a channel 4 feet wide by 30 feet long that drops about 4 feet and then requires a strong right move to avoid the rock that you are running directly at.  You have about 6 feet to make a 90 degree turn.  This drop is worth a look from the shore. 

8.      Below the “tunnel” drop #7 there is going to be a set of ledges.  Watch the small eddies on the left because they are all drained by sieves.  The larger calmer eddies down on the right of each ledges seemed better.  The last ledge should be boofed off the slant rock which is about 6 feet wide.

9.      After a short set of calm there is a couple of read and run ledges

10.  Not far below the house there is a sweet little drop we call Squeeze Box with some ill placed rocks.  Just jump in eddies on the right or left to get out and look at it.  Here is a picture.  This drop is the first drop you see on the road after the part that is covered in laurel. (ELF Note:  This is a tight interesting drop at low water but it should be scouted on either side before dropping in because tree limbs can get stuck in there.)

11.  After the slot drop, you will be above a tight sequence that begins by sliding down a slide on the left bank and then working across the current in front of some sieves to get to the kicker.  The final drop is a wicked little kicker with some great pin spots.

12.   Against the Wall: There is a good beach on river left to get out and you will want to.  We did not run this drop (at 12 inches) because of the huge tree in the main slot, but it is an easy carry on river left.  The standard line is on the river right up against the wall.  There is usually some wood to move at the top.  This line can be ran a really low water and it is quite fun.

13.  After that roadside drop you will come to the super fast steep slide.  We got in the current and ran the initial drop and then warp speed down to the bottom.  Watch for shallow ledge on left, hole in middle, and rock on right.

14.  There will be a few ledge and then you will be to the slide lead in to Mill Creek Falls (~25ft).  The sequence upstream is very nice.  At one foot you can catch the eddy below the last hole (watch this one) and prepare for the plunge. 

15.  Mill Creek Falls: the line is to the just to the left of the hump off the flake (see photo albums for tons of pictures or video).  The ELF line is on the right.  There is a notch but driving right to left is needed to avoid pitioning the rock below after landing.  It seems fairly deep. 

Bottom Mill Mile

There is a huge difference in the top and the bottom mile.  While the top has only a couple of spots to be concerned about you must be concerned about everything on the bottom.  So if you are continuing below the falls I recommend a good guide or take your time and scout it all.  Another thing there are several trees down on the bottom.  Don't take this as a complete guide! But here is some helpful info.

1.  Below the falls there is a fun boogie drop above Headless.  There is a fan rock in the middle of the drop.  If you go left you drop into a nice eddy and then ferry back to the right and then work back left to eddy out on the left above headless.  Case noticed a sieve on the right across from the fan rock.  At higher flows this probably washes out nice but probably leads into Headless quick.

2.  Headless Horseman - This looks like the shit and it is.  The move (at low water) is to drive up on to the right rock and then tuck your paddle over as you fly down at the rock that you will either take your head off or you will go under.  The bottom ledge is good anywhere.  Headless has a nice pool blocked by a rock.  You could portage left or right.

3.  Couple of shallow ledges

4.  You will then see a few trees down.  They can easily be portaged on the right.  There is one spot you can get under but it will have to be low water.  Plus there is a shitty little slot you have to run that has a nice piton waiting on you.

5.  Here there is slide into a hip boof on river right.  River left looks to be clogged with trees. 

6.  Dry Line Falls - It is nice to stand on the falls and check it out.  Most would say 6 inches on the put-in bridge is probably low as you can go.  I don't know how deep the pool is but you will most likely go fairly deep because of lack of boof at low water.  It looks like at a 12 inches you can get a great boof.

7.  Powder House - Clay Wright listed this as one of the most dangerous rapids in the Southeast on a BoaterTalk pole one time.  It is the location of a fatality in February 2001.  There is a terrible sieve in the left exit channel of the run-out.  Also the entrance should be checked for wood because it is quite narrow. Setting safety on this rapid is an excellent idea. 

8.  Portage – Rock Wall – does not look pretty and the best in the business walk it everytime.

9.  Next there is a manky boulder garden

10.  After the boulder garden there is a set of drops with good eddys to look at each drop from.  The last eddy is on creek left and from the you ferry out to creek right and pass a roaster tail to run a tight drop down the right into a deep pool. 

11.  Below here there is some more boulder-stuff and then you come to a sweet drop in the middle.  We cut the tree out so it is clean now.  There are good scouting spots on creek left above the drop.  Good fun.

12.  After another boulder field you come to an island.  The best line we found is down the creek left side.  After a 4 foot boof you head down a tight squeeze against a boulder down to the bottom. 

13.  The next big drop can be seen from the island drop.  There is a huge boulder on the right and a weird drop that needs good water (1.5 ft) by our guesses to make it sane.   It can be walked or scouted easily on the left. 

14.  There are two or three good boogie drops down to the new confluence. 

 

Mill Creek - MUWC's Favorite Creek

Aka -"The Sh@t"

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