Ship Creek -- Lower Canyon

If you are among those who find Ship’s lower canyon fun and not terrifying, then you may, like me, find it superb right now.

It’s likely running at 5.01–5.1 feet on the NOAAA website (http://aprfc.arh.noaa.gov/ahps2/hydrograph.php?wfo=pafc&gage=shia2&view=1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1) and it is essentially totally clear of wood.

Judge, Jury, and Executioner are full enough of water so as to be not so bumpy as in bump-you-off-line. The Two by Fours are super fun drops, Pin-Ball Wall is the crux, and the last series of drops not sticky nor pushy. Commando went without a brace or even a paddle stroke, just a good set up on the right side.

After putting in at 4:16 PM, I took out at 4:27 PM, no portages, no swims, and solo – an eleven minute run, best ever. I had heard that shoutdiggity boofs instead of pirouetting so I did a lot of shooting right over rocks and holes and so things went by fast. My line down Rolling Papers looked more like a pregnant joint than a zig zag. It’s sort of brutish boating that way, but I thought I’d give it a try.

All that wood clearing work last Fall (I hadn’t run it since December) with Brad et al. made it worthwhile today.

The US Army informed Shoutdiggity and me yesterday that Ship Creek is closed to boating. “Too dangerous,” said the Conservation Officer, “but call the ‘ICE’ and let them know that you want it open.”

Anybody else know anything about the closure or what we can do to get it open again?

Funny, but that creek is the cleanest I’ve seen it in five years, including the steep boulder garden run above the canyon which is not scary anymore, just fun and very clean of wood.

As mentioned in an earlier post, the lower canyon is a clean no-portage-needed run. There may be a log in the final Commando drop, however.

Three drops from Ingram Creek, some upper Ship boulder gardens, but mostly Ship Creek Canyon (4 & 1/2 minutes of modest mouse boating).

Sad to see Ship’s been closed…it’s so clean and fun and I really hate to be an outlaw.

Thanks to Jeff Conaway and Shoutdiggity for shooting the red boat. They got some really neat stuff. It should be a Media Feliz production. I sorta feel like a pirate…



Go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwkRu4CsQFU and click the blue “watch in high quality”

From Timmy Johnson’s Alaska Whitewater website:

Ship Creek Access
Submitted by tim on Thu, 08/14/2008 - 01:00
I RECEIVED THIS MESSAGE FROM MARK REGARDING SHIP CREEK… THIS ALREADY TABOO RUN JUST BECAME MORE TABOO:

"While making an attempt to run Ship Creek up Arctic Valley Road on Wednesday this week, I was stopped by Fort Richardson MP. They informed me that the entire Ship Creek if currently off limits to paddling.

The MP was very polite and informative. He said this closure comes from the base commander and is a result of folks running the dam spillway, as it sets off alarms via pressure sensors on the spillway. This dam provides an impoundment for Fort Richardson’s drinking water (and is a backup water supply for Anchorage), so there is sensitivity to allowing any access to the impoundment, along with the liability factor of allowing folks to run the spilllway.

Fortunately, a number of ranking military officers are also whitewater boaters, so they are working to reopen the stretch of river from the Arctic Valley put-in to just above the dam. The takeout will be different than now, which is currently the bridge over Snow Hawk Cabin Road. Instead, the take out will start where the dam is now portaged, and will require a hike up the Biathalon Range Road to where it intersects Arctic Valley Road. It is a long uphill hike to Arctic Valley Road from here, but it is on a road. Small price to pay for being able to paddle this stretch.

Anyway, the MP stated that it would help to have paddler support to provide backup for opening this stretch of whitewater(ie. Prove there is a community of boaters that would use this stretch of whitewater).

They also stated people need to get a recreation permit from Fort Richardson before boating this stretch (assuming and hoping they open it up again). This is just like the recreation permit needed to paddle lower Eagle River thru Fort Rich. Very east to get, takes 15 minutes(assuming no line), good for two years, and you get a rec pass and a vehicle pass, and you’ll never need to stop at the shack again to get a day pass (while the passes are still current anyway). To get the rec pass at the guard shack, you just need license, veh registration and insurance. They want people to use and recreate on military land, they just want it done in a responsible manner.

I have the MP’s contact info, and I plan on calling him and asking what specifically he needs for boater support (a signed petition from us?, etc). Once I find out, I’ll repost and let folks know how they can help. In the meantime, do NOT run Ship Creek until this issue is resolved, or else we could jeapordize future access to the stretch of river, and spread the word to other boaters that don’t use this forum. Those that have boated this stretch know it is way too valuable a stretch of river to lose (high quality class IV and very close to Anchorage, convenient when gas prices are so high). Also, if you have any interest in helping in this effort, get in touch with me.

Attached are the online river descriptions that will need to be changed for takeout directions.

http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/River_detail_id_4131_
http://www.eddyflower.com/RunDetail.aspx?RunId=29

And finally, he mentioned the stretch of Ship Creek below the dam and through military base is also off limits, and will likely remain so. He did state that if folks feel this is a stretch of river people would like open, they can ask. However, a private drowned on this stretch 2 years ago, and it has been closed since. Lots off wood in bad places on this stretch, and it goes past two golf courses, there are a couple of dangerous structures on this stretch, etc. I’m not inclinded to fight for this stretch. Once Ship Creek leaves Elmendorf at the Fish Hatchery, it is open to boating again, so the playspot downtown is not affected by this closure.

Mark Corsentino