# Arizona predicted to run or flood Friday 1/22



## Cutch (Nov 4, 2003)

Deepsouth and mania already pointed this out on the snowpack thread. Since the predicted level of the Salt has since tripled from yesterday's prediction, I figured it was worthy of starting a new thread for those interested. 

Arizona is about to run huge. As of this morning, Friday's peak predicted flows are as follows:
Salt River peaking between 50-106k.
http://www.cbrfc.noaa.gov/station/flowplot/flowplot.cgi?rsva3
Tonto (Hellsgate) near 50k.
East Verde river near 20k.
Agua Fria near 55k.
Santa Maria near 25k.

Anyone know the highest water descent of the Salt River in a kayak or raft? Anyone know highest water descents for some of the other runs? Thinking the backside of these spikes might be at about 10-20% of the peak, which may lead to some beautiful water levels, and some stuff that is still way too high. 

Thoughts?


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## tango (Feb 1, 2006)

damn. i might quit my job.


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## bobbuilds (May 12, 2007)

I have a raft, I need to bring it back home, but I have a raft.................


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## scooby450 (Dec 4, 2008)

I plan on getting some. Maybe at peak. Friends did it in rafts last year at 28k. Obviously pushy. Some need to get to lines or trouble. I don't trust the quick drop they forecast....


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## cadster (May 1, 2005)

To get an idea of what's possible watch this:

YouTube - USGS Historic Flood Measurement on the Verde River


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## CanyonEJ (Jul 28, 2008)

At Camp Verde, the forcast is saying close to 76kcfs. Have fun out there!


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## fdon (Jul 23, 2008)

If you plan to boat the rise, the peak flows or the early drop, be prepared to share the river with trees, fence wire, cars, cows and any and everything else that gets swept in the drainages. The eddies will be chocked full of timber and working like meat-grinders. Angry water. The best rides will be post flood.


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## lmyers (Jun 10, 2008)

Oh shit, I don't really have any work this week...I think it may be time to head to AZ...anyone else game?


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## D. Hippie (Feb 18, 2008)

I'd like to hit something this weekend. Agua Fria maybe, or the Santa Maria. Give me a call if your paddling in AZ this weekend. (970)987-1507

Scott


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## TakemetotheRiver (Oct 4, 2007)

Kyle- check this gauge for Salt prediction, too- still awesome, but not 100k.
SALT - CHRYSOTILE, NR (SLCA3)


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## Cutch (Nov 4, 2003)

Yeah, only 75k on Saturday morning at Chrysotile. haha.


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## CanyonEJ (Jul 28, 2008)

Camp Verde - Damn!


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## Bornwithatail (Mar 2, 2008)

*Yay!*

Wango Tango, quit yer job; work's for jerks! Hello from the Basin.


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## relikpaul (Feb 20, 2008)

everything is flooded or going to flood 
roads could be bad I-17 is closed and Flg could get socked in. 
any pics out there?


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## twmartin (Apr 3, 2007)

What's going on? Is this just the next couple of days? I haven't been watchng the weather, is it rainig or hot and melting the snow?


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## cadster (May 1, 2005)

twmartin said:


> What's going on? Is this just the next couple of days? I haven't been watchng the weather, is it rainig or hot and melting the snow?


 
See
http://forecast.weather.gov/wwamap/wwatxtget.php?cwa=fgz&wwa=flood%20watch


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## bobbuilds (May 12, 2007)

Well, I'd say it's on then............


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## tango (Feb 1, 2006)

tonto creek just went over 21,000 cfs today.

and agua fria is over 5,000.


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## deepsouthpaddler (Apr 14, 2004)

Wish I could get out there. Sounds awesome. Post some pics if you get on some action!


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## whitewaterjunkie (Feb 8, 2006)

*Who's done it at 90k?*

I'm hitting refresh every few hours and watching the Salt blow up: 300 to 3k to 5k to 15k and now 22k. Someone out there must have run it at some serious levels in the past. Tell us what it's like. What can you compare it to? Curious minds want to know.


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## moabmic (Apr 13, 2004)

Looking like it just peaked at 106,000! Wonder what sort of rearrangement will have occurred?


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## sealion (Oct 13, 2008)

I posted over on Salt "trip planner" forum- me and a friend are heading down from Moab Saturday morning. If we can get through Flagstaff, we will be there for a few days.


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## JCKeck1 (Oct 28, 2003)

YEAH BOYS! Git sum!

Joe


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## WyoPadlr1 (May 5, 2005)

8pm Sat eve: Salt is already back down to ~ 2,500 at put-in, ~7,000 at take-out. 

We ran it in '93 and it was 8,000 at put-in, 13,000 at take-out the day we launched, rising the whole 5 days on the river. Was 28,000 the day we took off. Had 4 self-bailers and 7 kayakers. One flip early on, and everybody was busy the whole time. Finding good beaches that weren't getting flooded while we unloaded was the challenge. It was impossible to camp at Cherry Creek confluence. 

Have heard it's been done self-support at 56,000. The big problem is sharing the river with saguaro cactus. Nasty. Rafts would be a liability, especially in the event of a flip in Corkscrew where the runout goes on forever at high flow.


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## steven (Apr 2, 2004)

anyone run anything?


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## Nathan (Aug 7, 2004)

Nice drive, lots of snow. Should be a report or two up eventually for Poland Creek.


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## yakkeranna (Jul 8, 2009)

A buddy and I headed down from co to run Fossil Creek and the Salt Daily. Unfortunately, the road to the fossil creek put-in was too snowy and we couldn't get there in my vehicle.

The Salt daily was good, we ran it at about 1,200 cfs (Sunday morning), which wasn't the massive flow we had hoped for but was still a good time. The road to the take out had a lot of fallen rocks on it which made for a slow shuttle. There were also a lot of gravel bars that we kind of bounced down, we were wondering if those are normal for that run or had maybe been put there during the flood... does anyone know? Neither of us had run the daily before and weren't sure if these were new features or not...

Driving through the snow kind of sucked, but still worth it to boat in the middle of January.


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## scooby450 (Dec 4, 2008)

At 1200 there should not have been too much to bounce down. Must have been from the flood. I am going this Friday. Projections are for about 3-4000. Did you cross any side creeks? (Cibecue Creek) river right? The actual take out for the day run is further down, Hoodoo, but Cibecue usually floods and washes out the road. The tribe doesn't fix it until into March. With that storm I am sure it washed out but hope not.


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## whitewaterjunkie (Feb 8, 2006)

1,200? 1,200?! Really? That might be the most disappointing trip report ever. Everyone and their mom has run it at 1,200.


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## WW Lush (Dec 26, 2003)

Disappointing ...slightly...but HUGE props to Yakkeranna for getting after it and making the drive for the mere possibility of running it at a huge level!!! That is a true kayaker. See Craporadon's post.


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## sealion (Oct 13, 2008)

*Disappointing trip report?*

Well, whitewater junkie, I hope you at least got to watch the Saints beat the Vikings while WE were merely running the Salt at 1500cfs. No TV down there in the sunny canyon on Sundays. 

It was fun meeting yakkeranna at the top as evil Kenny and I drove up and they said "are you here to boat?" and Kenny says "If you're here to shuttle we are!" and the boating was on with no hiking required. Salt was fun- had my first swim in three years, easy clean up after my keeper hole let me out after somewhere between 30 seconds and an hour. And for some reason the roll didn't work after 4 trys-excuses are- water too cold, tired from unplanned side surf, first time in boat since Dec2nd, didn't drink enough the night before, etc. New rocks(like 2' size small boulder rocks) had fallen about 150' from where we parked the truck at the bottom of the shuttle while we were boating. That place is falling apart.

That afternoon Kenny and I went over to the Tonto and the next day(yesterday the 25th) did the lower box section. It was running somewhere around 700 to 1000 , the gauge does a weird jump from 248cfs to 1070 during the time we were there but I think something jammed it because at that time the Tonto was just dropping from the 12,700 cfs peak from the day before, from the 60k peak on the 22nd.

In any case, it was thoroughly enjoyable, and we were able to catch a local at the mailboxes at Jakes corner to run our shuttle for a slight fee. From shuttle to shuttle was 3 and a half hours. Weather was sunny, low 50's, One unintentional roll, and we never did see any of the trailers the local told me had washed down the canyon with the flood- or maybe the styrofoam panels and sleeping bag in the Rye creek drainage were trailer remnants. Definitely worth the trip.


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## yakkeranna (Jul 8, 2009)

I agree, Sealion! We were definitely stoked to see you two pull up at the put-in, and good on you for hitting up the Tonto. It was definitely worth the drive for me to get down there and run something. Maybe we'll see you again on the river somewhere.


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