Class V, 500 fpm, 0.5 miles
Click here to watch the video
trip report for this creek.
By James Bagley Jr. and EJ Etherington
Torture Factor: Low
Copyright 2006, Oregon
Kayaking, James Bagley Jr. and EJ Etherington. No part of this page may be
reproduced, linked, or copied without the express written permission of the
Oregon Kayaking webmaster, James Bagley Jr. and EJ Etherington.
Every fall, Oregon kayakers eagerly anticipate the winter rain storms and
spend their weekends paddling the same couple of rivers that still have water in
them. When a good rain finally comes we dust off our creekboats and go look for
some burly class V. Re-learning to creek this way, instead of slowly ramping up,
is less like a graduate course and more like a Pass/Fail exam which I always
thought was easier. Chris Korbulic lines up on a waterfall on Henline Creek
James and EJ
below one of the first waterfalls
Very few creeks in Oregon offer as much excitement in as short a run.
If you stop at every opportunity (all five of them), shoot video and take
photos your run will take less than two hours. We estimate that if you knew
the run it would take less than ten minutes.
Really a perfect way to get back into the feel of creekboating
in Oregon. Highly recommended.
James Bagley Jr. having a great time on Henline..
James and Chris enjoying the view at the end of the day..
Drive up the little North Santiam until you cross the bridge over Henline
Creek (shortly after the road turns to dirt). The bridge is where you park to
get to the put in. It's also a good place to leave your car to get to from the
take-out. Hike upstream on creek-right (calling it a river just doesn't seem
right) until it looks utterly unrunnable, which should be less than a quarter mile,
hike back down a bit then put-on. Your take-out is below the bridge above the
log choked mess and unrunnable sixty-foot waterfall. Should be less than a quarter mile.
Recommend scouting the entire run before putting on. Henline Creek needs a couple days of hard rain to bring it in. We have done
it as low as 2,500 cfs on the Little North Santiam gauge and as high as nearly 5,000 cfs.
There are only minor differences between these flows, but I wouldn't want it any
lower than 2,500 cfs. This creek can be done in conjunction with the classic Opal Creek section, as Henline actually empties into Opal Gorge, just downstream of Thor's Playroom.
Flows and Access: