B-Side Streams: Suburban Creeking

-I think we all would prefer to live near a mountainous environment with access to a wide variety of rivers and creeks, but I am a father and husband first, which means I am often grounded in suburbia. Instead of large boulders and waterfalls, I get strip malls and endless streets of similar houses as far as the eye can see. I am by no means complaining since I am very satisfied with where my life is. However, I do wish I had access to some of the great places I see people paddling online. Because of my responsibility to family, much of my time is spent going on little adventures with my children.  We hike locally or at places a short drive from our home in Holly Springs, NC. These outings are focused on their entertainment, but occasionally I find a little nugget that interests me, a waterway where I can take my boat later. This is the case with the following suburban spots that I found while exploring with my children.

The Upper New Hope Creek is a good add-on if you’re already paddling the traditional New Hope run: Turkey Farm Rd to Erwin Rd.  This is assuming you’re lucky enough to catch New Hope with good water.  The several Holly Springs “pop-ups” I discuss here are only worthwhile for local boaters.  I am happy to show them to anyone interested.  With this in mind, let’s look at several suburban streams.

When I first started feeling the itch to run New Hope Creek, I did what I always do and looked at the satellite images to see if I could mentally make the trip prior to running it in real life. It appeared there was something of interest further upstream of the traditional put in on Turkey Farm Rd. Since I’m always curious what else a run has to offer, I figured I’d check it out sometime. More online research of the upstream portion revealed a class III drop in the Falls of New Hope neighborhood. I knew this would be a great opportunity to explore with my kids since the creek is usually just pebbles and dry riverbed. We parked at the Triangle Land Conservancy managed area off Mt. Sinai Rd and ventured upstream with mostly dry feet. What we found was riverbed that looked very promising. Farther up there looked to be a significant drop, near the neighborhood’s community park area.

Although New Hope Creek is rarely running, I finally had the chance to paddle this section at a level I felt would not result in a swim and lost boat. We parked on Hideaway Drive, the next road on the left after you pass over New Hope going north on Hwy 86. I think it’s a decent spot to park.

Heading upstream from the put in gave me a chance to scratch a niche that I’ve had for a while– paddling under an interstate highway. There is a rare tunnel going under I-40 rather than a standard bridge. I can’t recommend doing this just to go under the interstate, but for other weirdos like me, this is a fun side adventure.

Downstream at the Hwy 86 bridge is a class II- rapid that is three-quarters of an S-Turn. This is followed by mostly class I, maybe II- boogie water till you reach a railroad bridge where it picks up a hair. Next, you’ll get some mellow flat water ending with a natural rock dam that spans the whole creek. Here, you’ll want to get out river right and scout.

The Falls of New Hope rapid begins with a small ledge drop at the natural dam, then slopes down about 4 ft. with a hole at the bottom, followed by a narrow slot of powerful water ending with another small hole. I would consider this drop class III due to the potential consequences if you were to end up in the swirly hole in the middle. This hole is easily avoided by boofing off a rock from the right side. The next hundred yards or so is class II+ boogie with some areas requiring boat scouting to find a safe line between trees.

Shortly after Mt. Sinai Road, we encountered a tree that spanned the creek in a place that could be difficult to portage with a higher flow than we had.

Below Mt Sinai Rd, only one rapid, by some power lines, is noteworthy. The Powerline rapid is a class II drop, but the approach is blind. Consider scouting, with the understanding that the payoff isn’t as great as that of many other rapids requiring such care. It is still a fun rapid.

Upon reaching the next bridge, at Turkey Farm Rd, you’re at the traditionally run part of the creek. For Upper New Hope, just like the next section, consider 100 cfs on the Cane Creek gage to be good. It can be scraped as low as 50 cfs. There were more strainer trees to portage in the Upper section than further downstream. Overall, I’d consider this worth the paddle only if you are including it as part of a trip down the American Whitewater-listed section of New Hope. In my opinion, it is not worth paddling as a standalone run.

Suburban Kayaking around Holly Springs

One might not expect that the town of Holly Springs would have anything to offer for the whitewater paddler. Since this is where I live and I cannot always travel far to a proper river, I set out to find places near me for a quick “lunch time” paddle. I have written before about the drop over the Rollins Mill busted dam on Buckhorn Creek.  I’ve since found a few more opportunities. When I first began paddling, I was easing into places nearby to explore, and one obvious choice was Middle Creek.  It passes through my neighborhood and winds its way from the border of Apex and Holly Springs through several towns before dumping into the Neuse River many miles later. Unfortunately, Middle Creek has only a couple of ripples that I’ve run with my kids on a paddle board, but nothing worth paddling.

The following streams would only be of interest if you live close to Holly Springs.

This ford rapid is one of my all-time favorite surf waves and often turns into a good side surf. I wouldn’t recommend this however, unless you have a good roll. There are often strainers downstream of here.

Basal Creek –6 feet of drop, 400 feet of rapids

Basal Creek is a stream flowing out of the backside of the Bass Lake Dam and winding its way through a neighborhood before reaching Sunset Lake. Basal has a history of flooding onto Bass Lake Road during heavy rains. It has covered the bridge there several times since I’ve lived in Holly Springs. After a recent rain, I didn’t have time to run any real rapids since I was babysitting our two older kids. Instead, I decided to load up my boat and the kids and see what I could find locally in Holly Springs.

I should say Basal Creek is an awkward place to launch a boat and is not likely a place the town would want to be paddled regularly. Because I felt silly putting in here, I asked a park employee if he would mind me running the little rapids after the dam. His response was that he hadn’t heard whether it was allowed or not, and he wouldn’t be watching either way (wink, wink, nod, nod.)

The best part of the creek is just after the dam, but unfortunately steep rip rap and a fence keeps access to these drops from being worth the effort. Instead, go just downstream of the fence and use the steep bank to put in above the first rapid. From here, there are five or six one-foot drops, most of which provide easy surfing after running the drop.

While I can’t recommend this creek as a serious place to boat, if you live within five minutes and are willing to look ridiculous for some mild fun, check it out after a rain. The play waves are an excellent starter size for someone who isn’t quite comfortable surfing bigger river waves. They are just strong enough to keep you in place but unlikely to flip even someone not used to surfing. In the event of a flip and swim, the hazards downstream are minimal.

River left is smaller and would need to be run by accessing the small cliff above on river right. Maybe possible for someone with class V skills who was willing to start from the lake above and boof the small dam before running the slide. I’d love to see someone hit it, but I don’t think I’ll ever run it.

Further downriver, the stream, Middle Creek, enters the back side of a neighborhood and a power company ford built of rip rap creates a small rapid. If you live in the Creekside at Sunset Lake neighborhood, adjacent to the stream, this would be a fun place to briefly play after a rain, but otherwise is not worth the effort. Once I realized this wasn’t the rare gem I expected to find, I opted for a few rolls. At least I know what is there and despite living five minutes away, I don’t plan on going back.

To sum up the suburban streams, the key take away is… if one is willing to look for spots nearby, sometimes it works out. I feel there is value in knowing what we have around us. In my case, I now have a pop-up place literally connected to my neighborhood to paddle if I am low on time. I usually have the luxury of working from home so I can just pop on over to Bridgewater Falls if we experience a sudden downpour in Holly Springs. No need to travel further away.

Regarding New Hope Creek, the Turkey Farm Rd. to Erwin section is already a beautiful, challenging forest run.  Adding the Upper can provide an extended trip for those who feel the traditional section goes by too quickly.

I would be curious to hear from others on their suburban destinations.