Pine Creek was where the most difficult class V water was in the early years of kayaking. Now you can book a commercial trip on this section and be back in your 5 star hotel before dark. Even though the hardcore boaters are running Lake Creek and other steep creeks around, the Pine Creek section of the Arkansas still shouldn't be taken lightly if you decide to run this.
This run is harder at low water and really high water. At medium flows this run can be a blast and relatively safe. This is mainly a class III run overall with the class IV pine creek drops and a class IV dam drop.
Take out at the Numbers put in (info found here) or continue down the Numbers for more fun.
Flow info: Put-in is the Arkansas at Granite gauge. This flow holds through the dam drop, including Maytag and Little Pine Creek and then Clear Creek comes in. This flow holds through the S-Turn rapids and the first half of Pine Creek rapid. The only other notable tributary is Pine Creek, which comes in halfway through Pine Creek rapid, just above the big hole, Moonpie. The Arkasas below Granite gauge is the one at the official Numbers put-in, and is accurate for lower Pine Creek rapid and Triple Drop.
Class | III+ to V- |
Current Flow |
295.0 CFS 09-07-2024 19:00 |
Alternative Flow ([ARKANSAS RIVER AT GRANITE]) |
1640.0 CFS 09-08-2024 01:11 |
Recommended Flow |
Minimum: 250.0 Average: 1200.0 Maximum: 5000.0 |
Typical Season |
Begins: April Ends: September |
Recommended Use |
Kayaking: Yes Rafting: Yes Canoeing: No SUP: No Packrafting: No Fishing: Yes |
Primary Gauge | ARKANSAS RIVER BELOW GRANITE, CO |
Length | 6.0 Mile(s) |
Gradient | FPM |