Bailey's Section of the North Fork of the South Platte River Scouting Report

Bailey's Section Background:

This Colorado run can be found on the North Fork of the South Platte River. It is a scenic and narrow class iv and v run with a little bit of everything for the advanced paddler. There is an old railroad grade that runs alongside of the river that makes it easy to view the river and scout from above.

On a personal note, this was one of the most fun runs I've ever done in Colorado. The mile stretch of class iv "boogie water" rivals anything I've done in the East when it comes to continuous thrills. It is absolutely essential that you have a bomb-proof roll while on this river as the rapids are long and peppered with holes and random undercuts.

Bailey's Section Paddling Information:

• Section: The Town of Bailey to the Town of Pine
• Trip Length: 10 miles
• Difficulty: Advanced
• Classification: Class III, Class IV, & Class V
• Gauge: North Fork of South Platte River at Bailey
• Levels: 160 - 600+ cfs

Shuttle Information:

• Take Out: Pine Valley Open Space (town of Pine)

• Put In: Highway 85 in the town of Bailey

Bailey Section Scouting and Rapids:

1. Class II / III Warm-Up: This is a rather uneventful 4 mile stretch of river. You will pass a series of homes that you wished were yours.

2. Four Falls: After about 4 miles you will spot a cliff on river left. Get out on river-right well in advance of the actual drop. Scouting this drop is a must. There is no shame in portaging this first intimidating drop. If your ego bruises easily at the idea of walking a rapid, fear not, you can always seal launch in just after this first drop to regain a portion of your pride. Go ahead and scout the whole rapid at once though. The lines will be obvious and there are plenty of options. Scouting the remaining 3 drops is not only done for safety reasons but also to find the best lines to set yourself up for an impending boof move or to ride a chute perfectly down the tongue.

3. The Steeps or the "Boogie Water": This class iv stretch is my favorite part of the river. It is a little over 1 mile of "boogie water." If you don't know what that is, you will after you boogie all the way down this rapid. It would take all day to scout this continuous stretch of waves, boulders, and pour-overs. You will rely mainly on read-and-run tactics to get yourself through this. If you have any concern for your ability to roll, you'd be better off walking this mile because swimming it would be extremely dangerous. Your best bet is to follow a Bailey veteran down through this section.

4. Super Max: This class v set of drops makes an awesome picture from below. Eddy out river-left. It is difficult to anticipate where this rapid is which is another reason why it is a good idea to go with someone who has run this before. There are 3 parts to this rapid and you'll want to scout them well. At low levels you'll see an undercut rock that you'll want to steer clear of and at high levels the hole at the bottom can be really nasty.

5. Random Class III and Class IV For the next mile or so watch out for various hazards to include pushy water, holes, and a dangerous undercut wall. Keep your wits about you and you should be fine. Don't hesitate to eddy-out to survey the situation.

6. Deer Creek Rapid This class v rapid is long and requires some maneuvering. Eddy-out on river-left behind a huge boulder. There are a few lines through this rapid. Pick the one that makes the most sense for you safety and your fun, you are after all a class v boater. Whatever you do, don't flip in this shallow and rocky stretch.

7. More Class III and IV Deer Creek Rapid was the last major one but there is still plenty more waves, holes, boofs and fun to be had for almost 2 more miles. Just because you're through the toughest stuff, don't underestimate this stretch. There are plenty of hazards to worry about. I'll leave it up to you to decide if you should scout or not.

8. Class II Stretch Enjoy the scenery and recount the day as this section isn't much of anything. At low levels, watch out for rocks that can pin you. I paddled with a guy once who got complacent in this section and got caught on a rock. It took a rope thrown from shore to pull him off, if you can believe that. Needless to say, he wasn't happy with himself.