Kayaking 29.5 miles on the Enitachopco & Hillabee Creek.

Here is a nice video by Shane Newsome on a float/overnighter on Enitachopco and Hillabee creek in Alabama.  I've wanted to do this run for years, maybe I'll get my chance sometime in the near future.  

Paint Rock River, Estill Fork Alabama

Members of the Birmingham Grotto paddled the Paint Rock River in Estill Fork, Alabama.  This is a nice, scenic float without any whitewater, but with plenty of good current. The level was low and we had to drag our boats across a few spots, but the trees were all passable with the exception of one across the bridge at the putin, which we cut out of the way with a hand-saw.  Photos of our trip are here:
https://dangerjudy.smugmug.com/Other/PADDLING/Paint-Rock-River-2019/

The only gauge for the Paint Rock river is many miles downstream at Woodville https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?site_no=03574500    and it read in the 350 cfs range.  It was enough but just enough for the float.
I am not certain of the usefulness of the Woodville gauge for judging flow for the section we paddled - but it is all we have.  The Birmingham Grotto paddled this section in July of 2013 and had over twice the cfs showing on the Woodville gauge, but I would not say the river was over twice as high.  Photos of that trip are here:https://dangerjudy.smugmug.com/Other/PADDLING/Paint-Rock-River-2013/

A map to a few different putin and takeout options for the Paint Rock River is here:  http://goo.gl/maps/BIeAe.  I believe that during our 2012 SERA event some B'ham Grotto members did the section above the one we did, but stout rains would be required to float it.  

We put in across from Freedom Baptist Church in Estill Fork, and took out at County Road 507 for a 5 hour trip.   There are two bridges we crossed under; the section after the second bridge is slackwater.  I believe we have not chosen to take out at the second bridge due to difficult access but I haven't checked to confirm this.  The third bridge on CR 507 has a trail just downstream on river right where you can carry boats easily, though there is a considerable amount of decaying logs and branches generously dotted with plastic bottles and other trash.  This takeout could use a clean-up. 

Still, the river itself has very little trash except for random tires embedded in the river bottom, visible below the very clear water,.  The amount of wildlife, especially different birds, is amazing.  A wild turkey flew across the river 20 yards in front of my kayak; we spooked great blue herons; There were ducks, one of which did a distressed/wounded act downstream to keep me away from her nest; a few hawks, and several turkey vultures.  Many different songbirds sang as we drifted down the river and I regretted not being able to identify them.  I saw a large softshell turtle on a bank with its neck extended, darting back into the water before I could get my camera focused. 


The section we paddled goes past the entrance to Henshaw Cove adjoining the Skyline Wildlife Management area.  This is a great place to visit for a hike, with a parking area, being mindful of hunting seasons.  If you do visit Henshaw Cove be prepared to cross the creek on foot.

UPDATE 4-11-21  We did the Paint Rock from Freedom Baptist Church to County Rd. 507 (Third bridge) at 900 cfs on the Woodville gauge.  Even though the creek looked low at the putin, and a drag over shallow rocks not far downstream, we had no other portages and plenty of water and current for the third bridge.  We stopped for lunch and had a leisurely 4-5 hour float. Photos here. 

Cahaba, Grants Mill to Overton

May 2nd I helped teach a class with the Birmingham Canoe Club on the Cahaba River, Grants Mill to Overton section.  The class was called, "Float the Lazy River" and had about 20 participants/instructors/assistants.  Photos from the trip are here.

The put-in is on Grant's Mill Rd. and has a nice parking area, with a concrete walk-way down to the riverside.

Click to see full size.

The take-out is on Old Overton Rd., and is a concrete slab with steps up to another nice parking area, including a shaded picnic table.

Our run was at approx. 190 cfs on the USGS gauge, and I think that is as low as I would run it.   *update: we did this same class in May 2017 at 118 cfs and we had plenty of water.   Using a flatwater kayak instead made a big difference.  I now have a Dagger Axis 10.5 for trips like this.* There was one strainer down, with a sandbar on the left for portaging, and a thin line on the right parallel to the tree.  Of course after every rain event there will be changes in the wood condition on this run. River water temp was cooler than I expected; air temp was in the 70's.

We were teaching a class to a large group, so the pace was very slow.  I believe we spent 6-7 hours on the river.  However, based on trips I've done here in times past I believe this trip would normally take about 4 hours. Some of this is river level dependent.  The last portion of the trip is without current at 190 cfs. which makes it a slog in a whitewater boat.  You will pass under two powerline cuts on the trip; the second powerline is interesting.  A person on the trip told me that the  towers date back to the 1930's or so. They were originally windmills bought from Sears and Roebuck, which the power company converted to hold powerlines, and they are still in use today.


                                                        SAFETY WARNING

Talladega Creek, Kymulga Mill to the lake

No whitewater, but good current.  Level on the gauge at http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?site_no=02406500 was in the 250 range.  The groundskeeper at the mill charges $3 per boat to park your car there (two of us in one canoe for $3, for instance).  He closes the gate at 5pm. 

He, and my friend Damon who lives nearby, predicted a 6 hour float due to the deadfall/strainers, but even with a couple of portages we did the trip in a leisurely 3.5 hours.
Photos by Tim Harris.

Put in below this covered bridge and dam, at the Kymulga Mill

Alabama Flatwater Outfitters

Here is a list of the flatwater outfitters I am familiar with; if you know of others please let me know and I will add them to the list:

On the Flint river near Huntsville:  http://www.nacktrips.com/
On Big Wills creek near Gadsden:  http://bigwillsoutfitters.com/
On Terrapin creek near Piedmont:  http://www.canoeshop.net/
Just over the border in Tennessee on Elk creek:  http://www.kelsocanoe.com/

Cahaba River Paddling Info

...as well as plenty of other information on hikes, etc. can be found here:

http://www.imrivers.com/cahaba

Awesome Alabama flatwater paddling resource

Check this out:

https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&t=h&oe=UTF8&msa=0&msid=214532327615695118283.0004932156580207f5780