(7.5 miles above Wilson River to Wilson River)

Jordan Creek is probably the most popular beginner creek in the coast range. Close to Portland, this is often the first introduction many boaters have to creek boating. The many small ledge drops and boulder gardens are perfect places to practice all the moves required for harder creek runs without severe consequences. The scenery is excellent throughout the run and the road is close by if the rapids get to be too much.

River Description(Kayak/Canoe)
From the uppermost put-in, boaters are immediately confronted with a sharp 5 ft. ledge in a small granite gorge. This ledge is very difficult to scout at river level, almost impossible to portage and develops a nasty hole at high water. Because of this, many boaters choose to put-in somewhere downstream of the gorge. Below the gorge, fun, technical ledge drops are interspersed with calmer sections of river. The last mile of the run cannot be seen from the road and contains several big rapids. Take out at the confluence with the Wilson, or continue down the Wilson for a few more good rapids.

Hazards
The biggest hazard is overhanging brush and logs. At flows over 5000 cfs on the Wilson, large holes develop and pools between rapids shrink. There always seems to be a lot of people that get in over their head at high water. Several of the biggest rapids can be seen from the road and are a good indication of the difficulty of the run. Try to judge your ability correctly before beginning.

How to get there
Take-out (GPS:45^o32.927'N, 123^o36.165'W)
Take out on Oregon 6 where Jordan Creek meets the Wilson River, or continue downstream along the Wilson a few miles. Jordan Creek enters the Wilson approximately 17 miles upstream of Tillamook.

Put-in
From Oregon 6, which runs along the Wilson River, proceed upstream along Jordan Creek on good gravel and dirt logging roads, crossing the creek several times and paralleling the entire run. The uppermost put-in is approximately 7.5 miles upstream from the Wilson River; just below a narrow, small waterfall in a granite gorge. If you don't want to run the difficult drop within the gorge, put-in anywhere along the road downstream.

Gauge
None. Generally can be estimated based on the Wilson at Tillamook gauge but can be heavily influenced by whether this gauge is rising or falling. Generally, 2500-6000 cfs indicates a runnable flow on Jordan Cr. Jordan Cr. tends to rise and fall quicker than the main Wilson. This generally will affect difficulty on the upper and lower end of the recommended flows.

Paddler Comments
2007-01-08
peteg

Currently there are many log portages and there is a log jam in the gorge in the last mile. Also, there is a road washout which prevents boaters from using the uppermost put-in.

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