South Fork Little River
| River: | Little |
| Skill: | Intermediate |
| Trip Date: | 12/28/2023 |
I ran Little River, but started on the South Fork. I had scoped this area out beforehand to get an idea of what I’d be up against at low water about a year ago. Start was at Guess Rd and take out at 501 after the gorge section. Parking is minimal, but possibly better than the AW recommend put in on the North Fork at S Lowell Rd. Flat water for the first quarter mile, then a start of class I-II boulder gardens when the river cuts hard right at an island. About 50 yards later was a two step drop, class II with medium sized waves. Flat continued for a bit before a large 5 ft boof drop. I was able to boat scout prior to running, but the drop went smooth and I didn’t notice a significant hydraulic at the base. It looked like river left had a smooth slot, but this looked nasty at lower water, so I went where I had tested the depth of the water when there was no water flowing previously. Class II boogie followed before it mellowed out at the S Lowell Rd bridge. One more set of easy rapids followed the bridge before the confluence with the north fork and hitting the Little River proper. From here there was one river wide strainer that I was barely able to float over and very much flat with the occasional class II to II+ rapid before reaching Johnson Mill Rd for the gorge. The gorge was a notable difference in difficulty with several spots I needed to brace before reaching swimming hole rapid. From here, I generally stayed river right where there was the smoothest path. At fossil rapid, I got surfed in a hole and flipped, but flushed out quickly and rolled right up. The rest of the way I boogied on down and took the left channel before reaching flat water at the takeout. Very fun trip, but I’d recommend taking out at Johnson Mill Rd if you do not have a solid roll.