BETA
0.3 miles
Stream: Upon arriving at the bridge over the creek, cross over it and use the parking spot on the right. They give tickets
here if people are parked in the road and many areas are signed "no parking". While this area requires a parking pass in the summer and they vigilantly patrol that time of year, the enforcement is pretty lax during the boating season.
Next, take a look upstream and downstream from the bridge to gauge flows and scout the line through this section as you don't get another good opportunity once on the creek. If this section looks fun, flows are good.
Photo: Emile Elliott
If you are unfamiliar with the creek, I recommend you scout from the areas marked by yellow circles in the following graphic before putting on. If you do that you will see all the rapids of note before putting on. It is also possible to hike down the trail to scout the take out above Triple Falls.
After scouting, hike your boat up the moss covered rock slab in the following photo until the terrain flattens out, walk parallel to Henline Creek for a hundred yards or so until the terrain sends you down to creek level, this is the put in.
Photo taken from bridge over Henline Creek.
The first series of drops ends in a clean, narrow ten footer and can be scouted on the right before getting in your boat.
Nick Chambers
Photo: Emile Elliott
The next set of drops around the corner are the rapids visible from the bridge. You can take a look at the beginning of this series from river level on the left, but the best look was at the beginning of the day from the bridge. Hopefully you looked both up, and downstream.
Photo: Christine Moon
Some people do laps on the top section by taking out on river right immediately below the series of drops ending just downstream of the bridge. There is a use-path that goes steeply up to the road there.
After a short straight away below the bridge, the river bends left and enters the series of rapids visible from the trail scout, the lead in can be re-scouted from river-level. If in doubt below the bridge, go middle.
Photo: Emile Elliott
Below this series of drops the creek gives boaters a few seconds of bouldery class III before one last 5-10' horizon line that can be scouted from river level for the cleanest transition, usually run right. Below this last ledge is a small bouldery island, the take out is on the right just above this island. Not far downstream is Triple Falls, a large unrunnable falls landing in Opal Gorge.
The trail is right next to the creek here, so either hike it back up to the road, or if you left a car at Salmon falls use the trail to portage Triple Falls into Opal Gorge.
Henline Creek is short, so while the first lap might consume a couple hours including all the pre-scouting, second and third laps can be done in just a few minutes. Emile paddles Henline Creek in the video below.
**If you continue into Opal Gorge**
Scout Sierra Slot from the trail on the right before putting back on, it becomes a clean river-wide ledge.
I haven't seen the rest at high flows, but here is what I have heard:
Fishladder
becomes a big pillowy flume ride down the right side at 3,000 cfs. I have heard from others that at 5,000 cfs a line even opens up to the left where the portage route usually is. The rest of the run is big waves except for a drop shortly above Fishladder which Dan mentioned was big (He didn't describe it but if Dan mentions a rapid is big it definitely grabs my attention).
Flows: A visual check is needed to determine if Henline is running. You can see 25% of the run from the bridge when you get there, so if that section looks like fun, flows are good. It's a small creek and needs lots of rain.
To determine whether it's worth a visual check, people look at the
Little North Santiam @ Mehama gauge.
My experience has been that even if flows drop below this threshold during the day, I like to see at least 3k the morning or night before I try for Henline, though sometimes it comes in at 2.5k. I am not sure what maximum flows are, but 5k usually still equates to a medium flow.
Access: Take I5 to Salem and head East on Highway 22 towards Detroit Reservoir. In about 22 miles turn left at a flashing yellow light onto N Fork Rd just past the town of Mehama. 14 miles after turning off Hwy 22 you pass Salmon Falls, which can be used as a take out for those adding on the second half of the Opal Gorge run.
To get to the bridge over Henline Creek, continue upstream on N Fork Rd, after a few miles the road turns to gravel. Less than a mile after the road becomes gravel you will cross the bridge over Henline Creek. There is a parking spot just past the bridge on the right.
Hike up the moss covered rock slab in the following photo until the terrain flattens out, walk parallel to Henline Creek for a hundred yards or so until the terrain sends you down to creek level, this is the put in. (photo taken from the bridge over Henline Creek).
Downstream of the last drop below the bridge there is an actual trail on river-right next to the creek that can be used to return to the cars, or to portage Henline Falls and continue through the bottom of the Opal Gorge run down to Salmon Falls.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Notes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is a neat run that is the next half step up from
Sweet Creek. A first time trip here for someone stepping up to the run often results in some wide eyes and just one lap. Once you get a second lap in, you realize it's pretty manageable and knowing the lines and what's coming up makes it less of a stimulation overload.
2019 update: The creek is as clean as it's ever been, no wood blockages.
2018 Update: The wood above the bridge has shifted, and you can get by to the right of it.
2016 Update: There is some wood just above the bridge, it's in a bummer of a spot. I personally won't bother running the creek until it has moved.
2011 Update: Jan 15 we had 3,000 cfs in the
LNF@Mehama dropping to 2500 by midday, it rained all day and by midnight it had spiked to 8,000 and hit 20,000 cfs the next day. Flows were medium in Henline while we were there. There was wood visible upstream of the bridge. I decided not to run the creek in my kayak, I felt this one wood portage made the work:reward ratio beyond my interest for the day. Jeff and Dan were able to blast over the log in their raft. They were able to run everything, the ten footer near the top was a little weird though
so Jeff R1'ed it. The rafters portaged Triple Falls and continued through the lower half of the Opal Gorge run. They reported Fishladder was more runnable at these flows than when water is lower and the rest of the run was big waves except for a drop shortly above Fishladder which Dan mentioned was big (He didn't describe it but if Dan mentions a rapid is big it definitely grabs my attention). Dan R1'ed the center line at Salmon Falls, really burly. He had a good line.
2010 Update: Jan 2 I ran Henline creek with Chris Arnold and Ryan Cole.
LNF@Mehama was ~3300 dropping to ~2900. This was a good level, more water would have been fine. Bringing a small handsaw to this run is never a bad idea. We scouted everything before putting on.
Other resources with photos:
Nate Pfiefer
James Bagley/EJ Etherington
