Baron Creek Trip Report
Posted: Thu May 07, 2009 1:11 am
May 6, 2009
Today Greg Allen and I paddled a Class III-IV tributary to the Mulberry known as Baron (or Barron’s) Creek. It flows approximately five miles from the top of Barnes Mountain and empties on the Mulberry’s south side across from Redding. We parked on the national forest at the spot where the watershed crosses Barnes Road, and proceeded dragging our kayaks downhill until the creek gained enough water to jump in.
Immediately we encountered an 8-foot waterfall that’s runnable river wide. Greg and I hauled our boats back up and ran the drop several times. For fun we named it Red Baron Falls (as Baron Creek was first scouted via aircraft) and it could have been run in an inner tube at today’s level. However, with another foot of water the pour-over would become sticky, so we figure it’s Class III.
Next up was a quarter-mile rock slab serving as one accelerated Class II+ warm up with no eddies. After an exciting ride we got a break for a few minutes as the creek meandered through some trees and picked up a little more water from side drainages.
Another long slab section appeared and we were treated again to fast-paced decision making with no real way of putting on the brakes. For hundreds of yards Greg and I bumbled over various high-speed slots and diagonal 6-footers without any opportunity for scouting (next time we’ll pull over and scout the whole section before getting suckered). In the middle of this slabby paradise is a small gorge with considerable elevation loss and a table saw wave slicing through the center. Sticking with our Red Baron theme we called this Prop Wash and the largest drops above were titled Dogfight and Gun Barrel. The entire section was III-IV and would be more serious with another foot or two.
Again the river relaxes and gains additional side drainages. We traveled a mile or so through non-stop class II waves with no major hazards other than occasional downed trees. Various colorful plants are in bloom and interesting sandstone bluffs loom over the creek on both sides.
Eventually a rectangular boulder appears and the gradient drops out of sight between the walls of a tight gorge. We pulled over and scouted this one, with the boulder providing the perfect eddy on river right and a nearby cliff offering a great survey spot. The rapid consists of three back-to-back Class III ledges, with a final Class III-IV drop slipping into the gorge. Walled in at the bottom, a picturesque 40-foot waterfall rumbles off the left-side wall onto ledges. The spot is literally gorgeous and we didn’t know what to name it.
The final section of Baron Creek winds down with continuous Class II+ waves and holes before joining the swollen Mulberry on the river left side. A quick paddle over to Redding offers a convenient place to meet up with a take-out vehicle.
All in all Baron Creek is scenic and a lot of fun. The rapids are continuous with little opportunity for scouting once a section has been entered. There are some dangerous sieves to watch for in the slabs, and high water runs would be unstoppably fast and furious in some of the long sections. Downed trees would become particularly hazardous during high water, and many of the holes may become greedy. The run reminds me of the best sections of Spirits Creek and Little Mill Creek on the Lower Mulberry.
Today Greg Allen and I paddled a Class III-IV tributary to the Mulberry known as Baron (or Barron’s) Creek. It flows approximately five miles from the top of Barnes Mountain and empties on the Mulberry’s south side across from Redding. We parked on the national forest at the spot where the watershed crosses Barnes Road, and proceeded dragging our kayaks downhill until the creek gained enough water to jump in.
Immediately we encountered an 8-foot waterfall that’s runnable river wide. Greg and I hauled our boats back up and ran the drop several times. For fun we named it Red Baron Falls (as Baron Creek was first scouted via aircraft) and it could have been run in an inner tube at today’s level. However, with another foot of water the pour-over would become sticky, so we figure it’s Class III.
Next up was a quarter-mile rock slab serving as one accelerated Class II+ warm up with no eddies. After an exciting ride we got a break for a few minutes as the creek meandered through some trees and picked up a little more water from side drainages.
Another long slab section appeared and we were treated again to fast-paced decision making with no real way of putting on the brakes. For hundreds of yards Greg and I bumbled over various high-speed slots and diagonal 6-footers without any opportunity for scouting (next time we’ll pull over and scout the whole section before getting suckered). In the middle of this slabby paradise is a small gorge with considerable elevation loss and a table saw wave slicing through the center. Sticking with our Red Baron theme we called this Prop Wash and the largest drops above were titled Dogfight and Gun Barrel. The entire section was III-IV and would be more serious with another foot or two.
Again the river relaxes and gains additional side drainages. We traveled a mile or so through non-stop class II waves with no major hazards other than occasional downed trees. Various colorful plants are in bloom and interesting sandstone bluffs loom over the creek on both sides.
Eventually a rectangular boulder appears and the gradient drops out of sight between the walls of a tight gorge. We pulled over and scouted this one, with the boulder providing the perfect eddy on river right and a nearby cliff offering a great survey spot. The rapid consists of three back-to-back Class III ledges, with a final Class III-IV drop slipping into the gorge. Walled in at the bottom, a picturesque 40-foot waterfall rumbles off the left-side wall onto ledges. The spot is literally gorgeous and we didn’t know what to name it.
The final section of Baron Creek winds down with continuous Class II+ waves and holes before joining the swollen Mulberry on the river left side. A quick paddle over to Redding offers a convenient place to meet up with a take-out vehicle.
All in all Baron Creek is scenic and a lot of fun. The rapids are continuous with little opportunity for scouting once a section has been entered. There are some dangerous sieves to watch for in the slabs, and high water runs would be unstoppably fast and furious in some of the long sections. Downed trees would become particularly hazardous during high water, and many of the holes may become greedy. The run reminds me of the best sections of Spirits Creek and Little Mill Creek on the Lower Mulberry.
