By Chuck McHenry
This creek is actually a very playful class III run. It is fairly busy and has a large 8 foot drop which gets your attention. This was done, I assume the one and only time, by Slim, JohnT and myself. Personally I enjoyed it. The problem is the shuttle, which is long. The take-out is at a bridge on MM which is a road that goes off of M near Johnson Shut-Ins. Then because of impassable low water bridges, you have to go all the way back to Arcadia on M, then 21 to Belleview, then on “O” highway, which will go along Ottery Creek (which has a fair shut-in on it, along with some barbed wire.) Look for county road 2228, turn rt. Then road 2359 which will peter out on the edge of the ravine in Bell Mountain wilderness that has Shut-in Creek.
Drag kayaks in a westerly route down an easy ravine and try to hit the creek just down from a farm clearing. This is where the action starts. If you are lucky you will also see an old mine, and marvel at the work these guys must have done!
You will be at the mouth of the creek shut-ins at this point and for the next mile the creek drops about 80 feet. The next 2 miles are 10’ft/mile to the take out. I don’t remember any wood or obstacles on the entire creek- but as I’ve often pointed out, everything seems to have gotten quite a bit brushier in the last 20 years so Caveat Emptor! There were no major, pulse-pounding rapids other than the eight-footer, but I really enjoyed being on a fast-flowing and busy adventure. Basically it is an easy 3 mile run with a Godzilla awful shuttle.
The plus side is you are kayaking through the beautiful bell mountain wilderness.
Difficulty
Class II-III
Put-in/Take-Out
The take-out is at a bridge on MM which is a road that goes off of M near Johnson Shut-Ins.
To get to the put-in, take 21 to Belleview, then on “O” highway, which will go along Ottery Creek. Look for county road 2228, turn rt. Then road 2359 which will peter out on the edge of the ravine in Bell Mountain wilderness that has Shut-in Creek.