This last weekend we kayaked the seldom run Green Point Creek, a small tributary of the West Fork of the Hood River. We’ve been paddling the West Fork a couple times a week and each time we pass by Green Point Creek we look up at the final rapid and consider paddling it. This Memorial Day, we had the perfect group of kayakers to check it out: J.R., Daren, Adam, and Charles – a fun group of adventurous guys in the mood to try something new and different.
Check out the photos for a rundown of the trip and scroll down to read the full report. Click on any of the photos to see the full set of pictures from our exploratory run down Green Point Creek.
JR paddling through some shallow yet fun whitewater. The water level was pretty low, but we still decided to run it.
We found a bridge that crossed the creek and even though the water level was low, we knew there was enough to make our way down. We expected a good amount of debris in the creek so we spaced ourselves out and carefully scouted our way through the rapids. We were actually surprised how runnable the creek was and how little wood we came across. There were a number of logs way above the creek and only 3 logs (and in one case a logjam) that required portaging.
This run definitely takes teamwork. We spread ourselves out in order to scout and effectively avoid obstacles. Here, Charles squeezes through a conveniently cut logjam as Adam watches from above
Adam and Zach portage a nasty, gnarly mess of a logjam. We expected quite a bit of debris but were surprised that there wasn't more.
After 3-4 miles of paddling, several scouts, and a few log portages, we made our way to the confluence with the West Fork. The last mile or so was especially fun with steep and surprisingly runnable rapids in a tight canyon. At the confluence I challenged J.R. to do a rock spin on the final drop of the creek and he did one of the most beautiful spins I’ve ever seen! Check out the Sundance Facebook page for an awesome play by play of J.R.’s rock spin mastery.
The end of Green Point Creek feeds right into one of our favorite runs, the West Fork of the Hood and together make the perfect day of Hood River kayaking
This is one of those kayaking days I’ll never forget because it reminds me why I love kayaking. We worked well as a team and it was nice to overcome challenges in a beautiful canyon with good friends. I wouldn’t recommend Green Point Creek to most kayakers, but if you’re looking for some low volume creeking, rock dodging, and tree portaging in a beautiful place it might be for you!
This run is not for the faint of heart, but despite the log jams and low water, Green Point Creek is highly rewarding. It's a challenging run that takes some teamwork and commitment, all while floating through a beautiful basalt gorge amid gorgeous Oregon scenery
