Lewis County Part 7- Lewis County and the waterfalls on the tributaries to Fish Creek and the Deer River

Lewis County Part 7- Lewis County and the waterfalls on the tributaries to Fish Creek and the Deer River

By Bobbieswaterfalls

Continues from Part 3- Lewis County and the waterfalls on Fish Creek and the Deer River

Towns that are within the Tug Hill Region
Denmark, Harrisburg, Lewis, Leyden, Lowville, Martinsburg, Montague, Osceola, Pinckney, Turin, West Turin
Region: Northern Region
NYS Tourism Region: Adirondack Mountains
NYDEC Region: Western Adirondacks/Eastern Lake Ontario

Did I mention several times, How Much I Love Lewis County and its Waterfalls! We are covering A LOT of territory in this write up! I tried to refrain myself in adding to many photos.

Coverage of the waterfalls on tributaries within the Tug Hill Region
Tributaries to Fish Creek and Deer River

Cobb Creek, Deer Creek, tributary to
McNeil Creek, Worth Center, Deer Creek, West Branch, tributary to
Mud Creek, New Boston, Deer River, tributary to
Perrigo Creek, Worth Center, Deer Creek, West Branch, tributary to
Silver Brook, New Boston, Deer River, tributary to
West Branch Deer River, Montague Twn

Deer River tributary to the Black River
The Deer River is a 27-mile long tributary of the Black River, in Lewis County. The river originates in the Tug Hill and flows generally north, past Copenhagen, to join the Black River about 5 miles above Carthage.

The following information is obtained from the American Whitewater
The Deer River is a remote and seasonal waterway on the northern slope of the Tug Hill Plateau that drains into the Black River. The Gorge is a Class: III section about 7 miles long. This is quoted: Countless surf waves in a beautiful shale gorge and a myriad of cascades falling over the walls. I counted more than 50 individual falls coming into the gorge.
On the Deer River and Within The Tug Hill Region
Copenhagen Falls aka Deer River Falls, Copenhagen, Denmark, Deer River
Copenhagen Falls #1 Deer River Falls, Denmark Twn, Deer River

Copenhagen Falls #2 Deer River Falls, Denmark Twn, Deer River

Deer River Falls, Frenchs Mills and Myers Mills, Denmark Twn (Formerly called Frenchs Mills), Deer River

High Falls, inundated/hydro plant, Denmark, Copenhagen, (formerly called “Munger Mills), Deer River

Kings Falls, Denmark Twn, Deer River (Now Posted and Private)

Fish Creek, Brantingham, Black River, tributary to, Subwatersheds of the Black River Watershed
Fish Creek, Soft Maple Reservoir, Subwatersheds of the Black River Watershed
North Branch Fish Creek, West Turin Twn
The East Branch Fish Creek originates in southern Lewis County, at the confluence of Sixmile and Sevenmile Creeks about 10 miles west of Lyons Falls. It flows generally south, receiving Sucker Brook from the east and entering a narrow gorge, where it is impounded in the small City of Rome Reservoir.
Geography
Although the main stem is short, the East Branch stretches 42 miles, and the West Branch is 28 miles long. Measured to its furthest headwaters along the East Branch in Lewis County, Fish Creek is 53 miles long, draining parts of Oneida, Lewis and Oswego Counties. Excepting the east and west branches, the only major tributary that joins Fish Creek proper is Wood Creek, which enters from the east via the Erie Canal. Nearly all of the watershed is rural, with the only significant towns being (from roughly north-to-south) Florence, Williamstown, Camden, Annsville, and Vienna. The East Branch contributes about 46% of the total flow in Fish Creek; the West Branch 42%; and Wood Creek, about 12%.

Waterfalls on the East Branch Fish Creek and Within The Tug Hill Region
East Branch Fish Creek, small falls on, Lewis Twn, Freeman Mill, Fish Creek, East Branch
East Branch Fish Creek, Swancott Mill Dam, Lewis Twn, Fish Creek, East Branch

Waterfalls on the Fish Creek and Are NOT within the Tug Hill Region
Fish Creek falls on (Greig), Greig Twn, Fish Creek
Fish Creek Falls on #2, Upper, Lyons Falls, Greig Twn Fish Creek

Singing Waters Falls, Lyons Falls, Greig, Fish Creek

Black River, tributary to (Subwatersheds of the Black River Watershed)
Elijah Creek, Remington Corners, Fish Creek, tributary to
Emerson Creek, Copper Lake, Fish Creek, tributary to
Mink Creek, Oswegatchie SW, Fish Creek, tributary to
Roaring Brook, High Market, Fish Creek, tributary to
Silver Dawn Creek, Oswegatchie SW, Fish Creek, tributary to
Cold Brook, Black River, tributary to
Crystal Creek, Black River, tributary to, Subwatersheds of the Black River Watershed
Cummings Creek, Subwatersheds of the Black River Watershed

Fall Brook, Black River, tributary to
Sand Flats State Park, Waterfalls in, Lyonsdale, Moose River Twn, Fall Brook

Harvey Creek, Lowville, Black River, tributary to
Waterfalls on Harvey Creek and Are NOT within the Tug Hill Region
Harvey Creek, Small Falls on, Lowville, Watson, Pine Grove, Harvey Creek

Hodge Creek, Lowville, Black River, tributary to
House Creek, Glenfield, Black River, tributary to
House Creek Falls, Houseville Creek Falls, Glenfield, Turin, House Creek

Independence River, Glenfield, Black River, tributary to, Subwatersheds of the Black River Watershed
Waterfalls on the Independence River and Are NOT within the Tug Hill Region
Waterfalls on the Independence River
Glenfield, Greig, Chase Lake
Boof III Rapids,
Bridge Boof Rapids, Rudd Road Falls, Hidden Falls

Fat Lady Rapids,

The Wall Rapids,

Powerline III Rapids,
Independence River, Falls on, Pine Grove Rd

Gleasmans Falls, Watson, Brantingham Twn

Little Otter Creek, Brantingham, Black River, tributary to

Mile Creek, Black River, tributary to
Mile Creek falls on, Lyonsdale Twn, Mile Creek

Mill Creek, Brantingham, Black River, tributary to

Mill Creek, Lowville, Black River, tributary to
Turin Twn, Mill Creek
Mill Creek Falls on #1 (Gomer Hill Rd)

Mill Creek Falls on #2 (Gomer Hill Rd)

Mill Creek Falls on #3 (Gomer Hill Rd), Turin Twn, Mill Creek

Mill Creek small fallls on, Cemetery Rd, Lowville Twn, Mill Creek (Silver Creek)

Moore’s Falls, Silver Creek Falls, Silvermine Falls, Lowville (Private)
Silver Creek Falls, Silver Creek Falls, Silvermine Falls, Lowville (Private)

Miller Brook, Port Leyden, Black River, tributary to

Moose River, Port Leyden, Black River, tributary to, Subwatersheds of the Black River Watershed
Moose River, Middle Branch, Subwatersheds of the Black River Watershed
Moose River, South Branch, Subwatersheds of the Black River Watershed

Please take note: Information is courtesy of the American Whitewater

The Moose River is a mountain waterway in Upstate New York which consists of three branches: the North Branch, the Middle Branch and the South Branch. The outlet of Big Moose Lake forms the North Branch in northern Herkimer County. The Middle Branch originates at the Fulton Chain Lakes in Old Forge. And the Southern Branch has its headwaters in Little Moose Lake in Hamilton County. The Middle and South branches merge in Mckeever, and become just Moose River. It flows generally westward through Herkimer County into Lewis County, reaching its confluence with the Black River in Lyons Falls. There are three whitewater sections below McKeever. The Middle Moose is a Class II-III section of river from the gaging station in McKeever to Rock Island. The Lower is a Class III-V section from Rock Island to just above Fowlerville Falls, and includes drops such as Tannery, Froth Hole, Mixmaster and Miller’s Falls. The Bottom Moose is a Class V+ section from Fowlerville on. Also because of its high gradient, there are several hydropower projects along the Moose river.

The waterfalls on the Moose River Are NOT within the Tug Hill Region
1. Middle: McKeever to Rock Island
There are 4 named rapids on this section of the river.
1-Initiation is a Class: III This is a 2 part rapid, 3 ft drop on river right
2-House Rock is a Class: III look for an enormous rock in the center of the river
3-Dogleg is a Class: III Described as: Dogleg wraps hard right and then back to the left around a big rock.
4-Rock Island is a Class: II+

Lower: Rock Island to Fowlersville
1-Iron Bridge
2-Tannery Rapids is a Class: III+

3-Rooster Tail is a Class: III+ series of ledges and holes is a twisting, 6 ft drop on the right.

4-Froth Hole is a class Class: III+
5-Mixmaster is a Class: IV
6-Elevator Shaft is a Class: III+

Bottom: Fowlersville to Lyons Falls
Summer time on the Moose is a local favorite. The river becomes more like a traditional creek at low water. The run stops after Double Drop without the releases once the river is below 4-4.5 feet. Once the river drops below traditional levels the power company is unable to produce power and the river is low but runnable from below Agers Falls to Magilla.
Lyonsdale, Moose River

1-At the Put In Fowlersville Bridge Rapids,

2-Fowlersville Falls is a Class: IV+ Waterfall / Large Drop, This is a huge slide
Fowlersville Falls, South side,

Fowlerville Falls, Lower North side,

3-Funnel Rapid is a Class: III+
4-Knife’s Edge is a Class: V
5-Double Drop Rapid is a Class: IV

Portage Area
T-Bone Falls,

Lyonsdale Falls,

6-Ager’s Falls is a Class: III Waterfall / Large Drop 18 ft
Agers Lower Falls
Agers Lower Falls #1
Agers Lower Falls #2

7-Shurform Rapid is a Class: IV+

Shurform Upper,
8-Powerline Rapid is a Class: III+

9-Crystal Falls is a Class: 5.1 HazardWaterfall / Large Drop
Description: From a rock at the bottom of the rapid, you can see it snake around for a quarter mile. It begins with a horseshoe hole which can mess with you, your boat, and your plans for the future. Typical, at normal levels, is to boof it left. Then, deal with the squirrel water to line up for the final drop, a fifteen-footer with a spanky hole at the bottom.

10-Magilla Falls is a Class: 5.1 Waterfall / Large Drop
11-Spine Compressor: Located below the next dam pond is a dam on the right under a green bridge. This is the top of Spine Compressor.

Goulds Mills (Partial Dam) aka Gouldtown Mill # 5 Dam, Spine Compressor

Negro Creek, Carthage, Black River, tributary to

The waterfalls on the Otter Creek Are NOT within the Tug Hill Region
Otter Creek, Glenfield, Black River, tributary to, Subwatersheds of the Black River Watershed

Otter Creek Falls, Greig, Brantingham, Otter Creek
Otter Creek Partridgeville Road to Pine Grove Rd.
1-First Rapid Class: IV The first rapid is a 15 ft slide at a thirty degree angle that ends in a deep, but flushy, hole.The run-out went over some small ledges and ran straight into the next significant drop, a broken 5 ft ledge with multiple routes available. The main flow was over the left side where the water dropped over a steep 4 ft sluice onto a rock slide and then into a big hole.
Eatonville Falls aka First Rapid IV,

2-Bridge Rapid is a Class: IV The slide starts under the bridge.

3-Boof Rapid is a Class: III dropping a couple of feet

4-Ledge Rapid is a Class: III The next horizon line presented a 5 ft ledge
5-Birdbath Rapid is a Class: III+ Hazard Description: drops over yet another bedrock slide. The flow then necks down to10 ft in width and drops over the first part of the slide. The water pushes up against the left wall, forming a pillowed flume that turns back to the center of the river into the pool below. The total drop is 15-20 ft.
6-Eagle’s Talons is a Class: 5.1 Hazard Dam Portage
7-Crumbly Dam Class: IV+ Hazard Waterfall / Large Drop
Description
The drop is the remains of a horseshoe-shaped dam. The initial drop is 8 ft. Below the initial drop is a bedrock slide that runs for 30 ft directly into a 10 ft ledge with a nasty looking hole on the right and a sluice on the left. The rapid then splits into 2 channels; the right was not scouted, but disappeared over a 10 ft wide horizon line. The left was yet another bedrock slide. The whole rapid drops about 30 ft in the span of 50 yards.

Additional waterfalls on Otter Creek and Are NOT within the Tug Hill Region
Otter Creek falls on, Partridgeville Rd, Greig Twn, Otter Creek
Shingle Mill Falls #1, Southeast of, Glenfield, Greig, Brantingham
Shingle Mill Falls #2, Southeast of, Glenfield, Greig, Brantingham
Shingle Mills Falls, Glenfield, Greig, Brantingham

Potash Creek, Carthage, Black River, tributary to
Rainbow Creek, Lowville, Black River, tributary to

Roaring Brook, Glenfield, Black River, tributary to
Within the Tug Hill Region
Waterfalls on the Roaring Brook in an area called “Brokeback Gorge”
Many, Many thanks to Eric Adsit for providing me the gps locations, permissions, and access information The land is private, but the owners have been friendly to respectful paddlers.
River Description: Some information has been removed.
Brokeback Gorge is a very committing stretch of Roaring Brook that emerges from a crack in the earth. The first mile is one of the most committing and rewarding sections of whitewater in the state, the last mile and three quarters is a cobbly, strainer filled mess. With a big slide, vertical drops, and an unscoutable, unportageable 45 ft waterfall, all set in a beautiful and narrow gorge, the first mile is definitely worth it.
After crossing a small bridge (Don’t bother with this tributary, it ends in an 80+ ft death drop.). The river meanders through Class II-III rock gardens and slides for about half a mile. A sharp S-turn leads to the lip of the ~25 ft first drop. If this drop looks like more than you bargained for, hike out now. The vertical right side lands on rocks, so drive left down the banking slide. A U-shaped ledge follows. One or two ledges lead to the next horizon, a double drop which narrows in an hourglass shape between the two ledges. The first ledge is ~15 ft with a broken lip and relatively shallow landing. The second is roughly 5 ft. Several small ledges and slides lead around corners and along vertical walls. A low angle, zig-zagging slide marks the last possible egress point from the gorge before 45 ft One Whistle Falls.There is a small pool below the slide, at the bottom is the horizon of a ~16 foot double drop. A narrow chute follows, This is the last stop before One Whistle Falls. A 2 ft ledge is followed by a left turn in the river, and the lip of 45 ft One Whistle Falls. The lip is less than 5 feet wide. About 15 ft down, a kicker flake transitions the drop from a nearly vertical slide to freefall. Immediately after landing, a final 12 ft falls. The rest of the river is bumpy II-III with strainers. When a tributary on the right comes in, you can hike up to see the 80 ft death drop.

First run by Eric Adsit and Taylor Krammen on October 23, 2010. Eric’s description: Thanks again!

The first 10 minutes was a very low-volume boulder bash through class 2 boulder garden. The river flows around a few bends and then drops over a large slide in the 20 ft range. We scouted this and the next 3 drops from the river left. The slide, known as Engraved Invitation, is best run down river left. Shortly after this is a 4-5 ft ledge that would develop a sticky hole in the center. Immediately after this is Make Your Vows, a V-shaped drop that has a very small shallow landing. We chose to portage this on the river left and seal-launched into the boil before dropping over Unavowed, a U-shaped drop that was bigger than we expected. After that the gradient mellowed for a while until we came around another bend and found a slide with a small pool that fed into a low angle rapid with lots of reactionary waves coming off the left wall as it swept around a right hand bend. At our low flows, we were able to walk down around the bend and discover a pool before the next rapid, Cold Feet. Cold Feet is so named, because if you get ‘cold feet’ and decide you don’t want to commit to running a 30 ft waterfall, this is your last chance to get out. After paddling down to the pool above Cold Feet, we worked our way upstream on the river left and climbed out of the canyon to scout the next series of drops. The scout here can be confusing. Once you climb to the rim of the gorge, walk downstream until you reach a thick stand of short pine trees. To your right, you can see that the wall slopes down and flattens out before dropping out of sight. I recommend using a rope to climb down to the flat area to scout Cold Feet and Balls Deep, the ledge after it.
Cold Feet is about 12 ft and most fluid on the river right, but runnable anywhere. After you climb back to the thick stand of pines, continue downstream for about 5 minutes. I believe we crossed 2 tiny tributaries before we could actually see the big waterfall. Watch out for barbed wire, too. When you see a thin plume of water pouring between the cliff faces and pine trees, you’ll get your first glimpse at One Whistle Falls. Between Cold Feet and One Whistle Falls, the gorge walls are vertical with no hand holds. There is absolutely no way that I can see for you to escape without extensive climbing gear. Cold Feet is most fluid on the right, but runnable anywhere. Balls Deep is also runnable anywhere. One 2-3 foot ledge remains between Balls Deep and One Whistle Falls. At our flows we were able to get out below Balls Deep and traverse along the river right wall to scout the entrance slide to One Whistle. This would be impossible with more water. Although it appears that you could hit the left wall while running this drop, neither I nor Taylor had any issue with it. I landed in a very flat boof that tweaked my back a little, and Taylor landed at a 45 degree angle, disappeared underwater, and surfaced without touching rock. Immediately below One Whistle Falls is a 6-foot double ledge runnable anywhere. From here, the river is class 2 or 3 with boulder gardens and cobble bottom. Keep an eye out for strainers here, as well as in the upper canyon. When we ran this, the lower portion of the river was a scrapy mess.
Martinsburg Twn, Roaring Brook
Brokeback Gorge – Roaring Brook Falls
Brokeback Gorge Falls #01 #1 80′ drop

Brokeback Gorge Falls #02
Brokeback Gorge Falls #03
Brokeback Gorge Falls #04
Brokeback Gorge Falls #05 aka One Whistle Falls

Brokeback Gorge Falls #06

Waterfalls on the Roaring Brook in Whittaker Falls State Park
Martinsburg Twn
Roaring Brook, Falls on (Glendale Rd),

Whittaker Falls, Lower
Whittaker Falls, Middle
Whittaker Falls, Upper
Roaring Brook Lower Falls #1,
Roaring Brook Lower Falls #2,
Roaring Brook Lower Falls #3,
Roaring Brook Lower Falls #4,
Roaring Brook Lower Falls #5,

Additional Waterfalls on the Roaring Brook, Martinsburg
Roaring Brook Falls #1 Martinsburg,
Roaring Brook Falls #2 Martinsburg,
Martinsburg Falls,

Stony Creek, Carthage ,Denmark Twn, Black River, tributary to
Sugar River, Black River, tributary to, Subwatersheds of the Black River Watershed
Talcottville Falls aka Sugar River Falls, Leyden Twn, Sugar River
Swiss Creek, Carthage, Black River, tributary to
Stillwater Reservoir, Subwatersheds of the Black River Watershed

Whetstone Creek, Glenfield, Black River, tributary to
Swans Falls
Whetstone Creek Falls, Martinsburg Twn, Whetstone Creek
Whetstone Gulf Falls, Martinsburg Twn, Whetstone Brook

Unnamed Stream, falls on (Port Leyden)RR, Leyden Twn, Unnamed Stream, tributary to Black River

This additional section is to pretty much wrap of Lewis County
The following locations Are NOT within the Tug Hill Region

Croghan/New Bremen Twn Beaver River
Beaver Falls and Dam Croghan aka Upper Falls, Boise Cascade Upper Dam
Beaver Falls and Dam #2, Croghan aka Lower Falls, Boise Cascade Lower Dam River
Beaver Falls #3, Croghan

Croghan Twn, Beaver River
Belfort Dam and Falls
Belfort Falls