B-Side Streams: Buckhorn Creek and Falls, Upper Little River

B-Side Streams:  Buckhorn Creek and Falls, Upper Little River

A Novice’s Guide to Creek Exploring

A Carolina Paddler Article by Zach Schiada

I have been fascinated with exploring creeks since I started whitewater kayaking a couple of years ago. Most people would refer to what I do as exploratory creeking or micro-creeking. Whatever the correct term for this niche aspect of whitewater paddling, it is something I enjoy quite a lot. There are a few factors that need to be considered before taking on this type of paddling. As a note of caution, I am by no means an expert on this subject, but rather someone who enjoys exploring and learning through trial and error.

First, one needs to consider access to an unknown area and whether you can legally and courteously park at the put in and take out spots. Next, this is obvious but worth mentioning; small creeks and rivers have a higher likelihood of fallen trees that can create strainers above and below the surface and are hazards that can have serious consequences. It can be very difficult at times to portage these depending on surrounding terrain. Because of this, I often will pre-scout a creek on foot before committing to running it. This, however, should never be considered sufficient to blindly turning the corner without bank scouting since a tree can more recently have fallen before running the creek.

Water levels are another major consideration. Water levels are harder to predict for small streams due to a general lack of gauges and limited shared experiences by other boaters. Finally, paddling a creek on an exploratory cruise usually means giving up an established run elsewhere with only a small chance the new run will be any good.  There is a high chance of disappointment, as you will see below, but occasionally, one finds a gem worth revisiting.

In the coming months, I plan to share lesser-known streams that are, in my opinion, worth running.  I’ll also share the many failures I have encountered along the way. I believe most of these B-Side streams have been overlooked either due to logistical challenges, difficulty in gauging appropriate water level or simply due to “better” options being available nearby. Existing information about the micro-creeks can be limited or unreliable.  Some of the creeks I found by searching satellite images and determining large elevation changes from start to finish. I understand this is a niche aspect of paddling and many will not have an interest in running the flashing creeks, but I feel that some may benefit from what I’ve learned.

My hope is other paddlers will give their feedback on these micro-creeks, so we can build our network of runnable streams in our area. I think exploring and running these small streams gives a valuable option to the paddling community. We regularly see much excitement around a 10,000 cfs spike on the Haw River but very few paddlers have the skills for such a challenge. My creeks are within an hour to an hour and a half from my home in Holly Springs, North Carolina. I know for certain there are more undocumented streams to explore, especially the further west you travel. Feel free to contact me on Facebook Messenger or Discord if other creeks nearby are worth paddling or if you want someone to join you on one of these explorations.

To start the series on B-Side Streams, I’ll include two creeks that are part of the Cape Fear River Basin. One, Buckhorn Creek, is a toss-up as to whether people will find it worthwhile. I enjoy this stream for two reasons.  It is very close to my house, and it has a different feel than many other nearby rivers. It is clearly not intense enough for a class III rating but is more of a challenge than your typical class I-II run. It can also make a short run to the Buckhorn Falls on the Cape Fear worthwhile for those who aren’t on longer trips down to Raven Rock State Park.

I personally prefer Buckhorn Falls rapids on the Cape Fear over the more frequently paddled Lillington to Erwin run, but as you’ll see below, both come with logistical challenges. I have had success over the last two years running Buckhorn Creek in the month of April and had my highest water this past April at 320 CFS. At the high Creek level, rapids jumped to II+ and water moved very fast for this brief section of rapids. The Cape Fear River for the “Falls” is runnable year-round.

The second stream I will mention, and it is considered a river in name at least, is the Upper Little River. This has a page on American Whitewater, but it doesn’t include the little sliver closer to the headwaters in Sanford, North Carolina that I explored. You’ll see below why I consider the section I explored not even B-Side worthy.

Buckhorn Creek and Buckhorn Falls on the Cape Fear- Corinth, NC 

-1 mile, gradient 10ft/mile, Class II (II+)

-Buckhorn Road (at Cape Fear River Buckhorn Dam) to Cape Fear River

Buckhorn Creek is covered on American Whitewater, but not very accurately in my opinion. The AW site recommends beginning at Hwy 42, but there are no rapids for roughly 2.5 miles. The better option is to combine the Creek run with Buckhorn Falls on the Cape Fear River, which parallels the Creek and is class I-II.  The Falls can be class III at high water according to Paddling Eastern North Carolina. The higher class is due to rocks with high back sides that develop serious holes with flow over 4 ft (Lillington, NC gauge). To reach this section of Buckhorn Creek as well as Buckhorn Falls on the Cape Fear, head down Highway 42 towards Corinth, NC and turn on Buckhorn Rd. Take the gravel road, which is rough in many spots, down to the dead end at Buckhorn Dam.

If running Buckhorn Falls on the Cape Fear River before running the tributary, Buckhorn Creek, you can put in just below the dam. To reach Buckhorn Creek from here, you will need to work your way far left after the rapids on the river. The most fun rapids are river right, but there are plenty of opportunities to catch eddies before the island just below Buckhorn Falls on the Cape Fear. Start working your way right. You will see rocks either on the right side of the main channel or the far-right channel. If you are in the far-right channel, you will want to catch the river left flow when the narrow island ends, shortly after passing a house on river right. Work your way left till you reach the drop before the next island. Choose whichever route looks the most fun and free of wood. If you start river right of the main channel, you can stay far right and catch a double drop of about 2 ft followed by another 2 ft drop.  Or take another line just left of rocks here and catch a fast and fluffy ride down to the left.  Next, eddy behind the boulders below to have a look. If you go left, find your way following the primary flow. The better option is to go right and catch a couple of 2 ft drops with some holes at the bottom before you catch your last chance eddy to get left of the island. If you get to the right of the island, you’ll need to walk across the island and put in to cross the left channel to get to the Buckhorn Creek confluence. You can also paddle upstream after the island below the rapids to find the Creek opening.

 

When going up the Creek from the river, portage left up a trail that runs parallel to the river once you see the rapids. Follow the trail until it goes up a hill away from the creek. Put in at this spot since there are no interesting rapids upstream of here.

From here, easy rapids pour over ledges, most of which providing some surf opportunities at minimum flow until the creek curves right. This is the start of Class II rapids. If taking the line river right at the larger than expected horizon line, prepare for the flow to shoot you into a rock that has serious flipping potential. A better option, if free from wood, is to hug the left where there are two 2.5 ft drops with holes at the bottom. Between these two drops, another option is a rockslide down a sloped rock in the middle of the creek, but it’s not easy to catch the second drop river left if you do the slide.

Start for Buckhorn Creek only:   Buckhorn Dam parking area to Buckhorn Creek.

Although I prefer running the Cape Fear River rapids first, you may choose to only run the Buckhorn Creek rapids. If you choose to do the creek only, start at the pond that is directly beside the gravel road that you will park on that parallels the Cape Fear River. You can start with a 15 ft seal launch into the pond or walk down the bank if preferred. The seal launch will send you skipping a bit into the stagnant pond water. At the end of the pond, you’ll see a small opening to go down the creek. There is fast water to start, but no rapids for about three quarters of a mile. About half a mile in, there is a mandatory portage around a large tree that blocks the main channel. The right channel opens if the water is very high. It is an easy portage. Once you see a small set of rapids, you will begin with the modest action, about a quarter mile of fun that is explained above. Note that if water is high, this whole section becomes II+ with rapids merging into long wave trains followed by drops. There is no chance of portaging once started and very few eddies. It is not difficult, but there are not many opportunities to get a good look ahead and you will be running the fast rapids on the fly.

After running the rapids, exit river right and walk the 1 mile back to where you parked or do a mixture of hiking/paddling upstream. At multiple water levels, I have portaged the rapids and paddled upstream on both the Cape Fear as well as Buckhorn Creek back to my car without issue. If the water is very high, you can paddle all the way to your car by entering the same pond from the smaller creek that is right next to the parking area.

-Rollins Mill Dam.  Another option for Buckhorn Creek that would only be worth it if you live near the Holly Springs/Fuquay-Varina area. There is a busted dam just above Cass Holt Rd or Rollins Mill Rd, depending on which direction you are coming from. The busted dam once served Rollins Mill and has a 3.5 foot drop. There is a small trail about 50 yards from the road you can take to a steep put in. If it has rained enough there is a chance for some mildly entertaining side surfing here, but no additional whitewater.

Upper Little River (Sanford, NC)

I considered this as a potential park and play from the Lake Trace Dam to Cox Mill Rd in Sanford, NC. With a ton of water, there would be a good short series of class II rapids before dumping into a strainer filled mess about a tenth of a mile below the dam where the river turns left. However, the landowner adjacent to the river has the most aggressive No Trespassing signs I’ve ever seen, with some indicating you will be shot for stepping on their property. The only way I could find to reach the dam was to paddle upstream and then hike the property on the opposite side of the river from the landowner’s property. This could also be private property. Since the accessibility is unknown, I cannot recommend this spot on the Upper Little River for paddling.

As a side note, starting further downstream on the Upper Little River, close to Erwin, NC, offers a decent alternative to running the whole Cape Fear River from Lillington to Erwin. This is part of Paul Ferguson’s section 3 in Paddling Eastern North Carolina as well as on the American Whitewater website, but I would recommend starting at Titan Roberts Rd if you just want rapids and fast current. There are a few sets of rapids before the confluence and you land just upriver of Killing Falls, which is my favorite rapid on the Lillington to Erwin section of the Cape Fear. Juniper Creek, just after Killing Falls on the Cape Fear River, comes in from river left and offers a class II- drop.

Make sure you have a very good amount of rain for this section of the Upper Little River. Otherwise, you’ll hike this run like I did a couple of times. The best indication of sufficient water is to glance at the river at the Ross Rd bridge, which is one bridge upstream from Titan Roberts Road. If it looks full of water at this spot, there will be sufficient water for the run. Titan Roberts Rd is not a good indicator, because the river at this bridge will appear to have enough water even if it does not.

I plan to write about other creeks and streams in the coming months.  This type of exploring is something anyone can do and I would encourage the pursuit as long as it is done safely.  There are creeks I haven’t found, and some could have fun rapids or at least good scenery. You may find this an addicting part of whitewater paddling.  When a trip doesn’t work out and turns out to be disappointing in terms of river features, you will still have the satisfaction of knowing what lies beyond the bend, unseen from the road.  This has been my experience. There is a freedom felt when you blaze your own path rather than relying on a suggestion from someone else.

Sources:

AmericanWhitewater.org website, North Carolina, US River Lists

Ferguson, Paul  2018, Paddling Eastern North Carolina,  Third Edition, Pocosin Press.