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- Big Walnut creek
A self-supported trip created by
paddler821854
Trip Overview
Paddled the big walnut creek on a beautiful sunny 90 deg day. Its a very wide creek through the neighborhoods of Columbus, Ohio. The ONLY downside was that about 3/4 of the way through there is a large culvert pipe running across the river, which if you're in drought conditions like we are you will run into the pipe and have to climb over it. A guy that I'm assuming own the adjoining property told us to go left of the pipe 5secs before we collided. I wish there was a sign for paddlers or if its an old pipe, I wish the city would remove it. Its essentially damming up the river and a hazard for anyone paddling or canoeing. But overall the paddle was beautiful, shallow most of the way through and we saw plenty of birds including great blue herons! Definitely recommend just look out for a pipe directly below power lines.Safety Notes
During drought conditions, the water is very shallow, so July and August are probably the best times for people that aren't strong swimmers. Always check the gauge height on USGS. The pipe/culvert is a hazard in very shallow water because you will crash into it, ideally, the water conditions are shallow enough to stand up and portage it or deep enough that you glide over it.Gear Notes
Standard gear needed: life vest, water, water shoes that can handle bedrock and lots of water.Conditions
Beautiful, day paddle we completed this in 3hours on a Saturday afternoon.Portage Notes
That stupid pipe/culvert cutting across the creek. I was with two other people and we all collided into the pipe and one another because the velocity was too intense to paddle against. Luckily it was shallow enough to stand up and move our kayaks around but it is quite easily a dangerous situation.Trip Details
- Trip Dates: 7/11/2020
- Sport/Activity: Kayaking
- Skill Level: Beginner
- Water Type: River/Creek (Up to Class II)
- Number of Portages: 1