SUMMARY: An adventurous five mile steep creek run that passes through a very scenic and isolated granite gorge.

LOCATION: San Bernardino National Forest.

MAPS: : San Bernardino National Forest; USGS 7.5'- Big Bear Lake, Keller Peak

PUT-IN: Bridge on Seven Oaks Rd., about one-quarter mile beyond the "Weesha Club," just past the start of Forest Service road 1N09 (4740'). An alternate put-in can be accessed from a narrow turnout with two large pine trees, located approximately 1.2 miles down F.S. road 1N09. An easy ten minute hike on a fisherman's trail leads from here to the river, near an area named Filaree Flats. The trail looks improbable at the start, but after passing through a band of brush, works into the open. If you have to bushwhack you're in the wrong place! This put-in cuts about a mile off the run, and may be a preferable if the water level at the bridge looks a little too low.

TAKEOUT: Diversion dam near the confluence with the Bear Creek (3440'). An alternate take-out is possible at the confluence with Deer Creek, which enters from the right.. A steep fisherman's trail leads from here to a bulldozed turnout on F.S. road 1N09. Initially the trail follows the creek, but shortly after passing through a narrow area in a small granite gorge and then a deadfall area, the trail leaves the creek and ascends the steep hillside on the left, as you work upstream. A small arrow is blazed on a tree at this point. This escape shortens the run by about a mile. The turnout is about a mile and a half past the point where F.S. road 1N09 crosses Deer Creek and 4.4 miles from Seven Oaks Rd. It is the last turnout that accesses the Deer Creek drainage. If you reach the junction with F.S. road 1N64 you've gone too far. Poison oak is very common along the creek.

SHUTTLE: From the put-in, backtrack a short distance to the start of F.S. road 1N09. Follow this about 4.5 miles to the junction with F.S. road 1N64. The left fork is F.S. road 1N09. Follow this down to the takeout at the water management area at the confluence with Bear Creek. The total length of the shuttle is about six miles. If the weather and road is dry a 2WD vehicle with good clearance should be able to make it. If the weather is rainy even a 4WD vehicle could have problems. The segment of F.S. road 1N09 between the junction with 1N64 and the takeout is subject to mud-slides.

DIFFICULTY: This is an adventurous, isolated, and strenuous run with many hazards. Rocky Contos and Winston Offil, the first boaters other than us to do the run, found many more logs, many more portages, and a "disturbing lack of eddies," and rated the run "Class VI."

HAZARDS: There are many logs, debris jams, sieves, undercuts, pin and broaching opportunities, and other hazards. While many of these hazards are "manageable" at low water levels, at medium to high flows the danger is much greater.. When putting on please keep in mind that it would be extremely difficult to hike out from the middle section of this run. After passing the alternate put-in and entering the Gorge, there is no conventional way out until the Deer Creek confluence.

FLOW: Just enough to paddle the lower gradient sections is ideal; especially if you are unfamiliar with the run. With the steep gradients, things get out of hand very quickly as the flow goes up. If there are no eddies, it is way too high!

PORTAGES: Most portages were due to logs and debris jams. The first mile, the "Weesha Wood Factory," had approximately five (mostly short) carries due to wood. The middle three miles had about five carries, and the final mile about four. On our runs, the portages have been short and relatively easy. One rapid, "Log-On, Log-Off," might be an awkward portage, especially at higher water. There would likely be many more carries at higher flows.

TIME: Very long day. No kidding. If you're doing the run for the first time, be prepared to bivi, or to use the Deer Creek escape route.

DISTANCE and GRADIENT:1) 220 2) 160 3) 280 4) 360 5) 280 5.3) takeout Average:260

DESCRIPTION:

When someone used to mention the "Santa Ana River," I would think of freeways and flood control. Not any more. Near its headwaters, on the northern slopes of San Bernardino Peak and Mt. San Gorgonio, the Santa Ana River is a small, steep creek in a wild mountain setting.

After passing the rustic community of Seven Oaks, the river struggles for several miles to escape the clutches of a final few cabins and homes. Eventually, it prevails and plunges into an isolated gorge that is "wild and scenic" in the most literal sense. Due primarily to the efforts of the Friends of the River, the Santa Ana River from its source to the Bear Creek confluence has been determined by the Forest Service to be eligible for National Wild & Scenic River status . The upper segment from its source to Filaree Flat is considered a Recreational River. The segment from Filaree Flat to the Bear Creek confluence is considered eligible for "Wild" designation.

The isolated character of the middle segment of this run, and a mile with an average gradient of 360 fpm, caused us to approach it with some trepidation. In addition, the topography is unusual. Viewed from the Deer Creek overlook on F.S. road 1N09, river left is bounded by the steep, pine forested slopes of San Bernardino Peak. On river right, is a mile and a half long, several hundred foot high, up-thrust block of fractured and faulted granite. Adding to our concern was a tight S-turn, ever so faithfully recorded on the topographic map. Here, the river had worked for millennia to find a way through a resistant ridge of granite. Wherever water has had problems finding a course, boaters will almost always find difficulty.

A few weeks before we had run another creek of similar gradient and difficulty, Mill Creek in the San Gabriel Mountains. In the middle of this run, after running two large drops that appeared to be difficult to portage or reverse, we encountered a spectacular 50 foot waterfall that was not obvious on the topographic map. With just a slight change in terrain, we might still be there trying to figure out a way around this obstacle! (To assist in such situations we carry extra Spectra cord, webbing, slings, a few carabiners, and if the topography warrants, additional climbing gear. Our rationale is that this extra equipment, thorough pre-run research, careful scouting, throw-bags, Z-drag kits, and years of rock climbing experience will get us through most impasses. But you just don't know…)

Prior to doing the gorge, cold weather, short days, and a certain amount of anxiety, prompted us to do an exploratory paddle of the last mile of the run. Because of the water added by Deer Creek, this segment would have a little more water than the gorge, and we hoped paddling it would give us an idea of what to expect in the steep mile above. But first we had to find a way down to the Deer Creek confluence. Surveying the thick chaparral some bushwhacking seemed inevitable, but fortuitous route-finding led us to a steep fisherman's trail. En route we even got to run a couple of bedrock drops on the minuscule creek.

Once at the confluence, we headed up river, intending to scout at least a part of the 360 fpm segment. Within a few hundred yards, thickets of poison oak and the irresistible urge to head downstream, rather than up, had us in the water and running our first rapid-a tight, boulder choked, tiered drop with a log in it. Not far below was a passable log jam, leading to a fun zigzagging chute, and the Deer Creek confluence. This would be the character of much of the long bottom mile. Two hours, and many drops later, a tubular steel housing on river left signaled the abrupt end of the run. The 280 fpm mile had been fun (in the creeking sense) and relatively straight forward, with just a few short carries-mostly due to wood. Encouraged and excited, we knew we would be back soon to do the Gorge.

Two weeks later we returned to the Santa Ana; hopeful of doing the Gorge. Still concerned about possible difficulties, we opted to put on at the alternate put-in near Filaree Flat and take out at Deer Creek. This three mile segment appeared to be the shortest run we could do, and still do the Gorge. From Filaree Flat things started slowly, but after about a half-mile the creek steepened and the drops larger and more complex.

There are so many rapids it's difficult to remember all the major drops, much less the many minor drops. Here are some that were especially memorable:

WEESHA CASCADE - We took one look at this multi-tiered, sparkling white, bedrock rapid and said, "We gotta run it!" But there was a problem. At the very end of the series of drops, the creek was funneled into a deep boiling slot, slightly larger than the width of a boat. We thought a boat would probably fit through the slot OK, but if it didn't, the strong current might make extraction difficult.

But we really wanted to run this rapid. Just upstream of the slot was a head-high log across the bottom of a shallow, pothole eddy. We reasoned that if we could not run up onto some rocks at the head of the eddy, or stop in the eddy, this log could be used as a stopper. We each ran the rapid in turn, the other boater ready to assist at the "stopper" if required.

LOG-ON, LOG-OFF - This intimidating rapid would probably be awkward to portage. Steep, polished granite bounds the drop on both sides. At low flows it would probably be possible to slide a boat off the river left side of the final drop and jump in after it. At higher flows it may be hard to scout or portage. The crux of the rapid is a steep six foot high chute that funnels the current directly into a slot and headwall, forcing an abrupt turn to the left. In the Spring of 1997, a small diameter, but potentially very dangerous, log was firmly wedged at the bottom of the chute, aligned with the current, with its downstream end jammed on the bottom of the far wall.

WEESHA GORGE - This is one of the finest series of drops on the run, deep in the heart of Weesha Gorge. A beautiful series of bedrock rapids drops in four steps to a pool below. The third drop is bordered on the left by a huge log, and the fourth drop is a "V" with the left part of the "V" another huge log.

DINKEY DROP - A mirror image of a well known drop on Dinkey Creek, this series of two or three drops ends with an six foot drop down a left curving slot. A huge undercut boulder forms the left side of the drop.

DOS - A fun four foot ledge leads immediately to a fun five or six foot ledge.

BOUNCE & BURN - A six or seven foot drop against the wall on river left. The narrowness of the notch at the top of the drop makes it hard to boof properly. A rock near the bottom of the drop further complicates matters.

KILPECKER CLEAVER - A sharp, vertical cleaver of rock demarcates this rapid. At low water we passed through the notch on the blade's right side. This four or five foot drop leads to another notch and similar drop.

RIGHT SIDE SLIDE - This five foot drop is severely undercut on the bottom right side. This can be avoided by taking a right side line that goes over the boulder that's undercut.

Shortly after Deer Creek enters from the right, a large rockslide is encountered. This is the first of approximately four portages. Following this portage, a nice "read and run" section eventually leads to one of the larger drops on the lower mile, PLUNGE. The six or seven foot drop spills from the notch between two large boulders into a narrow slot. Precise boat handling is required to do it clean.

Downstream there are many interesting rapids; several appearing very improbable from above. Most had solutions, but a couple of the drops had hazards we could not avoid without a short carry.

The run ends suddenly at a 30 ft. diversion dam. A wooden catwalk is located on river right and leads to a ladder bolted onto the face of the dam.

Descent Dates: February 22, March 9, March 15, 1997.

Note from Steve Evans, FOR - Interested boaters should write a letter to the Forest Supervisor of the San Bernardino National Forest. His address is Forest Supervisor Gene Zimmerman, 1824 South Commercenter Circle, San Bernardino, CA 92408-3430. In your letter, urge him to complete the Wild & Scenic River suitability study for the Santa Ana River, as well as Deep Creek, Lytle Creek and the Whitewater River. Note that the Forest Service made a commitment to complete these suitability studies in its 1989 forest plan by 1994. Also be sure to include whatever personal comments you may have about the value of the Santa Ana River.