Let me start here:  Lake Creek is not actually a creek, per-se.  Lake Creek is widely known as one of the foremost playruns in the US.  It had always baffled me how a so-called "creek" could be such an amazing playrun.  Over Winter Break 2005-06, I was home in Eugene, OR, during one of the heaviest rain periods in 10 years.  Lake Creek, which normally runs 3-5 times per year, ran for weeks on end.  All totaled, I got to hit it 14 times at levels ranging from 11.5 feet to 23.5 feet.  It is, in a word, epic.

The small town of Mapleton usually floods when it rains hard enough for Lake Creek to go over 20 feet.  Picture taken at 21 feet.

Lake Creek is named as such because it flows out of Triangle Lake.  By the time it reaches you at the put-in, it is a huge flow.  The river is roughly 100 feet wide and runs very fast at flows above 18 feet.  Most of the days I went out, we did at least 2 if not up to 4 runs.  The put in is at a parking lot with outhouse and dumpster a few miles past Swisshome on US36.

Once on Lake Creek, there are some good waves and then an awesome set of 3 waves right above the first cable bridge.  At flows between 11-14 these are shallow ledges for flat spins.  At flows 16-20 there is one wave with okay eddy service that is good for blunting right on the shoulder.  Above 20 feet it washes out.

Below here the river bends left and goes around a small tree bar/ island.  The right side is deeper if flows are below 14 feet, and above that it doesn't matter.

A short while down the river bends hard right signaling the entrance to Ledges Rapid.  This is a series of bedrock ledges that make amazing surf waves.  There are at least 10 ledges with 50 foot wide hydraulics.  At flows below 15, the ledges are all pretty friendly, but the right to middle right side is the friendliest.  At flows above 18 feet, some of the ledges can form huge holes.  None of the holes are terminal, but you could get a good working.

The parking lot and graffiti rock on the right signal the entrance to The Horn, the most well known rapid on the run.  You can scout this from the road on the way up, but basically its a huge rock in the middle of the river and you can go right or left.  Right or left will work at any flow, but the waves and holes on the left are enormous above 20 feet.  Above 18 feet the rock in the middle goes underwater and has a messy wave/hole thing that you should stay out of.  Scout from the road if its your first run.

The hole in the middle of the Horn at 21 feet.  You can go left or right.

Below the horn is The Little Horn followed by Bus Stop.  The first of these is around the sharp bend right after The Horn.  At flows above 18 feet, its best to go hard right and miss the entire rapid.  When it is above 21 feet, you can gaze into the river wide hole from the mercy channel on the right... a very humbling experience.  The line on the left has two great play holes between 14-17 feet.

Bus Stop is the name of the hole below The Little Horn.  Below 16 feet, it is a pretty sticky hole that has swum many a hapless boater who got sucked in by accident.  16-20 feet it is a larger rolling wave, awesome for kick flips and wave wheels.  Around 22-24 feet this becomes an amazing surging surf wave that has huge potential, if you can catch it.

The Grassy Lawn Hole is on the left as the next bridge comes into sight downstream.  This is a really good one between 13-18 feet.  Good eddy service.

Jonathan Blum goes big on the Grassy Lawn at 15 feet.

The wave that made Lake Creek famous is Mill Wave which is recognizable from the old Mill on the right side.  This comes in around 14-16 feet and washes out above 18.

The next notable feature is the Red Hill Wave which is recognizable because of the large red hill.  This wave forms best between 14-20 feet and has eddy service next to the rock bank on the left.  There is a short wave train, and then another rapid where you can see the road on your right.  This wave train has two amazing surf waves above 18 feet.  There is one far left and one center, take your pick because you can only catch one.

Jonathan Blum surfs the middle wave in the last rapid set.  HUGE wave.  Dove Miller photo.

The takeout is about a mile down at the town of Tide.

At 21 feet, the boat ramp at Tide is very short, and the eye level warning posters on the tree are at water level.

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