Bilyeu Creek (Lower)

*A paddlers face has been disguised in this report by request.

Pronounced "Blue Creek", this small creek enters Thomas Creek at the Hannah Covered Bridge.  Talking to a local farmer, there are apparently still some people from the Bilyeu family living in the area.  There is also a Blue Creek that flows into Bilyeu Creek (the French spelling of that word).

It's been on my radar for awhile, and some other boaters have looked at it, Pete and Jason from Oregonkayaking had run it.   Like me, everyone familiar with the creek was a little apprehensive about being forced onto private property while scouting or portaging during a descent.

Creek level, with a grass seed field in the background.

It's March 2017 and the first week of daylight savings.  Priscilla and I are planning to take advantage of the light, good flows and sunny weather to do some laps on the Jordan Dam after work.  While at work I remember that driving by on our way to another creek earlier in the month Bilyeu looked like it had enough water to float.  With the Thomas Creek gauge at just over 2,000 cfs and dropping I think it might be a good flow for checking out some of Bilyeu Creek.  With the advances in satellite imagery available to the public, I am pretty confident the run won't be very difficult and wood issues look minimal.   We pick a bridge 1.5 miles above the confluence with Thomas Creek to start our trip from, and decide if it's too low or high we will still be able to divert to the last couple miles of Lower Thomas Creek.

The flows appear perfect and we drive up to the Bilyeu Creek Rd bridge and put in quickly, we are not doing anything illegal but still don't want to draw attention from locals.  Most of the time interactions are positive, but often enough the interaction between kayaker and muggle on not-commonly paddled streams is time consuming and unpleasant enough that we don't want to risk it today and get geared up at the take out, ready to jump out of the cars and into the creek in as little time as possible at the put in.

We are pulling our spraydecks on 40 minutes before sunset.  I think that is plenty of time to go 1.5 miles if we don't have a slew of wood portages, Priscilla is pretty sure we are going to be hiking out through a field in the dark.  I noted the day before it looked like there is currently about half an hour  buffer past sunset where enough light remains that it would be possible to paddle, so with some encouragement she leaves her concerns at the put in and we push off.

--------------------

A month later I return with another guy to run the section Priscilla and I checked out, along with an additional 1.5 miles upstream.  Now it's getting dark around 8:30 so we are not as concerned with daylight, but plan on moving fast regardless.

Getting ready at the take out (Hannah Bridge).

630pm

Again we gear up at the take out, ready to make an inconspicuous put in.  We make note of the level at the put in, and ponder the installment of a foot gauge here some day.

Just below this put in are two log issues, we squeak by both.  We drift downstream, enjoying the small bedrock rapids that poke up here and there between the cruisy stuff.  Brush is present along both banks, and short bedrock walls pop up very now and then, giving the stream an intimate feel.

Typical Bilyeu Creek

Every now and then the brush closes in and impedes the downstream view.  Fortunately it never caused a problem and eddies were always available (however small some of them were) where we needed them.

There were two ledges in the first half of the run that stood out, both were worth a quick look as they had hazards if the line was missed.  The first one (Goulet) might be tough to look at if the flow was high.  We got out on the right and waded along the right bank to check it out.  There was an out-building from a nearby residence so we were sure to stay below the high water mark.  Right down the middle worked for us, just make sure not to get pushed into the overhangs on the right or left.

Right on line in Goulet.

Goulet is a French word for "bottleneck". When capitalized it is a guy who lives by a river constriction.

Both definitions work here.

A private bridge over the creek signals the other significant ledge.  We were able to stop easily above it, but the situation was not ideal for getting out of our boats.  I was able to grab an eddy under some limbs on the right and scouted.  Walking along the bank was easy and I was able to pick out the line.  If the flows were higher I might plan on just running the drop without a scout, the line is to

"Run the easy lead in center, then go off the horizon line just left of center with a right stroke.  Error to the left".

While easily avoided with the above beta, the right side of the river does push into a rock that would be painful to collide with.  If you are too far left you risk a piton.  It's easy to keep your nose up off the 5' ledge, but if you were to really whiff it appeared possible to get stuck in the left side of the hole which would not be enjoyable as it might be a bit of a pothole.  A class IV move, but missing the line would not feel class IV.

Moving downstream it was smooth sailing, lots of read n' run and while the whitewater was easy it moved along quickly and semi-blind corners kept our attention (again, there were eddies where we needed them).

The creek is pretty consistent in nature.  Looking downstream it is either busy class II-III between walls of vegetation or small bedrock horizon lines, and the occasional log to deal with (we had no wood portages on either trip).

We were having a good time and when we reached the bridge Priscilla and I had used as a put in a couple months before we relaxed and enjoyed the remaining 1.5 miles down to Thomas Creek.

---------------------

Back to the trip with Priscilla

---------------------

The parts I had scouted in the summer seemed like pretty easy bedrock on a brushy creek with a couple notable rapids sprinkled in the section above where we are putting on.

The first rapid below where Priscilla and I put in is a nice set of small bedrock ledges, then not far downstream another small bedrock ledge.  There are eddies where we want them, but the banks look unpleasantly brushy so we are hoping we don't have to portage anything.  The stream is boat-scoutable so far, with some fun class III/IV ledgey rapids and a couple plucky holes.  There is more bedrock than I had expected and we have a good time cruising through the splashy rapids.

A ledge just below where Priscilla and I put in on our first trip.

We slide over a log, then deliberate about another one just above a bridge from our boats before Priscilla decides it goes and slides over the middle, it ended up being more straight forward than it looked from above.
Burmester Creek comes in from the left shortly below another bridge and the stream opens up a bit.

Below the confluence on a later trip.

One notable hazard was a line across the creek right at head level downstream of here.  It's hard to see from above and clotheslined Matt on our second trip.

Half a mile and a few more small rapids later we float into Thomas Creek (being sure to drive right into the upstream eddy) and paddle up the eddy to the Hannah Covered Bridge where our car is waiting.  We had expected there to be some whitewater, but were surprised by the quantity and decide that as long as the run remains wood free we both hope to return.  The sun is still up at this point so we practice ferrying for half hour or so and have gear loaded just before darkness takes hold.

Floating in Thomas Creek, with Bilyeu entering just behind.

Rundown:

This is a fun, if oddball run, that I plan to return to given its proximity to my house in Albany. Take note though that with the brushy banks, wood presence and the couple more serious rapids it requires more of boaters than other class III-IV runs in the area like the Clackamas, Butte Creek or Molalla Rivers.

Also, while trespassing is not required to do this run, I implore any potential paddlers to be very aware that they are close to people's back yards and this is not the place to draw attention to oneself.  Gear up at the take out, put in quickly, and don't piss anyone off or infringe on their land.  

Difficulty:  III-IV  with wood potential and brushy banks.


Levels:  From the take out at the Hannah Bridge, walk to the confluence and look upstream.  This is a good barometer for flows.

Medium Flows

 7pm on March 16, 2017

Low, enjoyable flows.

7pm on May 17, 2017

A loose correlation to the gauge on Thomas Creek.

1,000 = Low, enjoyable.
2,000 = Medium
3,000 = High

Take Out:  Hannah Covered Bridge  44.7122, -122.7186
Put In:  Where E Bilyeu Creek Dr crosses Bilyeu Creek: 44.7041, -122.6669

The depicted on the map is 3.2 miles.

----------------------------

The further upstream you go on the creek, the more challenging the stream becomes until you get to a couple mile, 300 fpm stretch and above that a waterfall.  All of the access points are bridges, but the challenges on the water are substantial near the headwaters.

Thomas: from the top

I met Emile at the standard Thomas Creek take out around 9:15 and followed him up into the woods to one of the bridges above Thomas Creek Falls.  We left my vehicle and headed upstream, dropping off the scooter at a bridge part way through the run in case the trip ran too long and the light too short.  After a quick deliberation we decided to do all 7.5 miles we were interested in exploring, instead of the shorter and guaranteed to finish before dark lower 3 miles.  It was a lot of new stream to get through in one day, especially since we figured there would be wood but we are used to this type of boating and felt good about moving quickly in the low volume stream.

The shuttle takes some time but we eventually make it to our desired location and get down to stream level around 10am.   There are many tributaries downstream and despite healthy flows in the standard section, up this high Thomas is barely floatable.

We get to it and are pleased when we reach the first horizon line before the first log portage.  It ended up being one of the better drops, a fun ten foot ledge.

More twists, a few turns and we are at the next bedrock horizon.  Still no portages.

After our third bedrock rapid we reach our first portage, a quick one on the left.  Then more twists, more turns, more rapids.

We portage one rapid that would go better with water, we figure we have gone more than 2 miles and it's not noon yet, giving us hope we will make it through all 7.5 miles before dark.  Another portage, then half hour of read and run.  We decided to take a lunch break at the next log portage or scout, reaching noon before finding either of those we stop at that time.  We eat burritos and look for mushrooms.

We continue downstream, more of the same with one more portage and a neat class IV bedrock gorge.  We reach a bridge marking three miles to the take out, a small tributary enters on the left via a friendly looking double drop.  We hike up and plop off that, heading downstream with a couple smiles, wondering if the wood will pick up as the gradient dissipates.  More intermediate whitewater; Thomas Creek is getting larger now, definitely standard "creek size" at this point.  We reach another bridge and encounter a long stretch of easy floating with a couple tunnels of brush, yet avoid having to get out of our boats.

We both are glad we put in so high up as it's looking like we will get through this lower 3 miles in less than an hour.  We are on the lookout for a rapid Pete Giordano had showed me a picture of a number of years ago, a ten footer and a boulder garden.  Would it be runnable?  A sediment laden tributary enters Thomas Creek, turning the clear stream brown and makes the whitewater slightly harder to read.  The price of paper, wood houses and a strong Oregon economy I suppose, I'm just glad to be in a place I don't have access to most of the year.

Eventually we reach an island and go right, we wished we would have gone left but don't have to get out of our boats.  Just below the island is a boulder garden leading to a blind right turn.  We hop out at the top of the boulder garden and scan for the next eddy, finding it on the bottom left, guarded by a pile of boulders in the center of the river with a thin, but low consequence line to the left.

Arriving in that eddy we see that downstream the creek pinches off between two boulders, it looks like there is a boiling eddy on the left before another significant rapid that heads off around a blind corner to the left.  Should we spend time walking down the hummocky left bank?  No, having made many decisions like this together over the years we feel confident the pinch will be manageable and the eddy reachable.

Regrouping in the eddy below the pinch I scout left, Emile right.  He signals there are a couple small eddies along the left after the rapid bends left, I am already out of my boat so walk down to the eddy he plans to catch.

The eddy is not as easy to catch as we had thought and he slips out of the first one, I reach for him but he wants to try for the next one, slipping out of that one (barely an eddy at all) I decide it's time to intervene and grab his nose.  I head back to my boat, we switch rolls and he spots me while I take my turn getting into the eddy.

Video showing the exit from the eddy below the pinch, then turning the corner to the next eddy above what is now known as Pumpkin Spice.

Below us the stream funnels down into a narrow alleyway and over a small horizon line, could this be the drop Pete told me about?  It is, and it's enticing.  Both of us are in exploratory mode though (focused on downstream progress and a bit tired) and neither wants to probe.  Optimistic yet unsure about the landing zone, we take the high route along river left, confident the rapid will get run the next time someone does this stretch.

It is more challenging getting in our boats and exiting the pool below than we had anticipated, we must be getting tired.  A boof below rewards our efforts.

The challenge of the last few hundred yards is gone and another type of challenge awaits, an island with wood.  We follow the channel with more water and are able to duck under a couple logs without getting out of our boats, next time I will go right (actually next time I forget and go left again).

Just downstream we reach our take out bridge, it feels somehow wrong finishing a 7.5 mile exploratory trip at 2:30, we didn't even get an early start.

We run shuttle, happy to satisfy our curiosity about what lay in the upper reaches of Thomas Creek.  We have lots of daylight left so Emile introduces me to mushroom collecting, which I learn is different than mushroom hunting.  We cherry pick, waiting until we see the distinct orange color of the type we are seeking from our vehicle, then scooping up as many as we can find in a 50' radius from the road.  By the end of the shuttle Emile claims he has enough for 4 pizza's, I don't like the taste or texture of mushrooms so he goes home with all 4 pizza's worth.

We take a look at Thomas Creek Falls on the way out.  Emile says "he will if I will", but having already run this particular drop before, we end up not having the fire to get back in our gear and a serious mindset.

I am back home before dinner, and plan to take the next day off from boating.  But by morning the drop we left un-run is calling to me, and I head back to Thomas with another group to place the last piece of the whitewater puzzle.  I think maybe some day I'd like to run the lower flat water portions of Thomas Creek through the farmland and down to the South Santiam, with the goal of having seen all that Thomas has to offer.

Flows for the day

At the Hwy 226 bridge over Thomas on the drive up.

Put in Emile and I used:   44.6519, -122.3577

          -jacob

Thomas Creek: Pumpkin Patch

Each October hunting season rolls around and access to Thomas Creek is allowed.  Like a pumpkin patch you can go in just a short way and get a worthwhile reward, but if you want the biggest and the best you gotta go just a little further.

BETA

Stream: Walk down the short nose of land and put on to a Thomas Creek that has noticeably less water than where you left the take out vehicle.  A short warm up ends at an island, while most of the water goes right I suggest taking the left channel.  Immediately after the channels merge back together the whitewater gets rolling in the form of manky (if you are not on line) class IV whitewater that can and should be scouted.  There is an eddy on the left before the creek turns right and pinches down to half its size between a couple boulders.   It is important you catch an eddy right or left just below this pinch to scout the rest of the rapid, which makes a bend to the left and over "Pumpkin Spice".

Pumpkin Spice has a narrow hallway leading to a ten foot ramp that must be run right (without hitting the right wall) to avoid an atomic piton middle and left.  The line is straight forward, but don't mess it up.  Scout/portage the lead in and Pumpkin Spice on the left, safety can be thoroughly set below.

                                                   Ross George enjoying this seasonal treat.

A nice boof and a short bit of easy water lead to another island that is best run in the right channel (ducking a couple logs at the top in 2016).  Shortly below this island is a bridge, then some easy floating through some island and boulder bar style rapids before the whitewater builds again as the creek approaches and then passes under another bridge.  This second bridge signals that you are VERY close to Thomas Creek Falls, separated by only two short class III-IV rapids.  There are small eddies just above the plunge, that should be caught one boater at a time.   If you are feeling cautious or the water is high you can chose to walk down to the falls from this bridge along the road and then down a short trail.

The line on the 30-40' Thomas Creek falls is obvious along the right side and away from the log in the center.  The lead in is straight forward, the landing soft and the pool friendly.  The log is intimidating and would likely be disastrous to collide with.  Boaters around here typically assume if there is a runnable drop in the area it was likely run back in the day by Eric Brown or Dan Coyle.  Yet not knowing for sure, this drop did not see a descent for many years (the log was cited as the concern).  In 2010 Matt King demonstrated to our generation of boaters that the line is manageable for skilled paddlers.  Since his run, numerous others have followed.

                                                    Kory Kellum staring down the barrel. 

Thomas Creek Falls can be portaged via a thrown and go from the lip on river-right, or a sloppy up and around route on the same side.

Patrick Beville sans boat

Below the falls are a couple more III-IV rapids in a gorge before the stream flattens out for awhile.  Somewhere amongst these boulder bars you enter the Standard Stretch, and about 4 miles of beautiful and classic class III-IV whitewater later the take out.

Vaclav out front

  
Flows: We had ~1,000 cfs and dropping slow.  I'd guess 900-1500 cfs is a reasonable range on the USGS Guage @ Scio (and it's probably ok if the gauge is reading a bit higher so long as the flow is dropping).    If levels are lower you can still put in at and run the falls (down to 400 or so cfs).

Access: The take out is located less than 15 miles East of Scio, OR.  Take Hwy 226 to Thomas Creek Dr, following until it turns to gravel which is where the gate is.  If it is Cascade Deer or Elk hunting season, the gate has historically been open (call this number to be sure 888-741-5403).  If not, it will be closed and your only option is to find access through the Santiam State Forest via the Rock Creek drainage out of Mill City or hike a long way.

Assuming the gate is open, continue along Thomas Creek Drive 2.2 miles (past the Sheriff's posse) and make a right turn down to the take out bridge.

To get to the put in return to Thomas Creek drive and continue the way you were going 3.8 miles (stay right at 2 and 2.9 miles) where you will meet up with a more heavily travelled road, merge right.  2.9 miles past this merge (stay straight at 1 mile, drive through a yellow gate shortly after, then pass the road leading down to Thomas Creek Falls at 1.8 miles) you will cross over Thomas Creek, there will be notably less water than at the take out. Stay left on the road along the creek, 3/4 of a mile past this bridge you will reach another bridge over a tributary with an obvious parking area.  Walk down the nose of land to the creek to put in.

A mileage map starting at the take out.
It is worth cache-ing this area on your phone before leaving reception and using the GPS if you have that function.

click to enlarge

Notes:   My friend Jarred voiced concern about the right wall below the falls appearing undercut on a trip he took to Thomas, and thus chose to portage the falls.  I have been there at low flows and it was not an issue.  At the flow the pictures for this page were taken we had about 1,000 cfs and the wall proved to still be a benign obstacle.  Anything that flowed towards it was stopped short of the wall by the water rebounding off the wall short of collision, and subsequently pushed quickly downstream into the pool.  We were even comfortable jumping off the falls and swimming past the wall.  The clips below were put together to showcase how the wall can be...

A) avoided
B) a non-issue if you are pushed toward it

That said, analyze the situation for yourself when you are there.  Especially if the flows are up.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Trip Report
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The day before Emile and I had checked out Thomas Creek from the top, exploring 7.5 miles of stream I knew nothing about aside from what I had seen on maps and a tantalizing picture Pete Giordano had sent me.

It was a fun day of adventure, though we had portaged the rapid Pete sent the photo of.

The next day a group of boaters wanted to go to Thomas so we planned on giving the rapid a better look before continuing through the falls and Standard Stretch.

A couple boaters in the group were uncomfortable putting on this high so planned to meet us at a bridge above Thomas Creek Falls.  We walked down to Thomas Creek near a confluence and quickly worked our way down to where the whitewater picked up.  The scouting and safety setting took some time, but eventually Priscilla decided to go first.  We felt that because she was in an IK on this trip it gave her more margin for error with the padding those craft provide.  She ended up getting spun at the lip and dropping over backwards but came out upright and unscathed.

Ross went next with a perfect line, with Kory and I following not long after.

  It took us a little while to get down to the bridge to meet the rest of the team who were pretty worried it had taken us 1.5 hours to run that section.  They decided that since it was now 2pm and it would be dark by 7pm they were not comfortable continuing on for fear of running out of light, we wished them well and continued on downstream.

There was a section of easy floating before the whitewater picked back up as we reached another bridge.  This signaled we were near the falls so we proceeded cautiously down the next couple of short rapids.   We caught the eddy on the right above the falls one at a time and set about scouting or portaging Thomas Creek Falls.

Kory went first, followed by Nick, Ross and myself.  The others chose to save this one for another day.

Nick hopped in the IK for this one.

We continued on through the classic Standard Stretch, having a blast and arriving back in Albany before the sun faded.   Aside from Ross getting lost on the shuttle the day went very smoothly.

  -jacob

Thomas Creek: Upper

Photo: Lucas Rietmann


BETA

Stream: A fantastic intermediate trip in the mid-Willamette Valley that is only accessible during hunting season unless you are navigationally savvy and willing to put in a long day.  Keep an eye out for wood the whole day, but in Fall 2016 there were no portages.

There is some easy floating through boulder bars to warm up in before the Runaway, the first rapid.  In Runaway the current is forced against the right wall creating a rapid that ends in a short plunge into a powerful hydraulic.  Run this final plunge on the left side of the right channel with a strong right stroke, staying away from the right wall.  You can scout/portage this rapid on the left, but it's also easy to find yourself past the eddies before you realize you are in the rapid.

Runaway

                                                              Photo: Lucas Rietmann

More easy floating is below here before this section of Thomas really reaches its prime as bedrock begins to line the stream and the green walls are in stark contrast to what is turbid water if the flows are not low.

Sustained and enjoyable pool and drop class III begins to become the norm.  

As flows rise past 1,000 cfs the difficulty creeps up, never reaching class V (even at 8,300 cfs) but as flows approach 2,000 cfs the eddy situation gets loose and people have reported floating downstream alongside flotsam in a class IV environment.

                                    Photo: Lucas Rietmann

The last three rapids are the most exciting, and come in quick succession.  The first (Firebox) comes after a right hand turn, and is rowdy at flows upwards of 1,000 cfs.  I like to start right, working back to center and hold steady through a violent but forgiving bottom hydraulic that empties into a large pool.  At some flows you can sneak more center/left, and scouting is always possible from either side.

Firebox

Shoo Fly is next and pushes into the left wall if you run left, but has a line to the right of a folding hydraulic that allows for easy passage.  It can be scouted from an island just upstream of the rapid.

Shoo Fly

After another pool the creek enters the final set of ledges at Caboose Juice which make for a terrific finale and can be run right down the tongue, just keep that nose up.  

Caboose Juice

If you are looking for more action, put in a little higher to tack on the Pumkpin Patch, which has some IV (V) and a beautiful 30-40' runnable waterfall.
  
Flows:  This stretch can be run as low as 400 cfs, but ideally look for 800-1,500 cfs for a class III-IV trip.   USGS Gauge Thomas Creek @ Scio.

Access:  Directions from Anthony Boesen.  

If it is Cascade Deer or Elk hunting season, the gate has historically been open (call this number to be sure 888-741-5403).  If not, it will be closed and your only option is to find access through the Santiam State Forest via the Rock Creek drainage out of Mill City or hike a long way.

Ducky Fun

A couple more videos involving the IK.


Pat and I visited our friend in Rainier for a weekend. I decided to poke around on the maps and internet to see if there was anything worthy of exploration. I came up with this backyard adventure involving a 2.5 mile hike into a forgotten park. A short but rewarding gorge was the ticket for the day.



A seven and a half mile hike into Thomas Creek was the perfect adventure for last weekend. The next day I found out how to drive all the way to the falls though!




Map to drive to the falls.



Happy viewing,

-Jacob

Thomas creek falls

Matt King probes Thomas Creek Falls.


First known descent; Thomas Creek Falls from Jacob Cruser on Vimeo.


-Jacob