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Niagara rapid at this level was a III+ by our book, although from everything I read it turns into a V at high water. Be careful, as there are two trees right in the flow before you get to the main rapid at the corner, and keep in mind the rapid funnels into a slot barely 5 feet wide (and supposedly 90 feet deep). There are a couple big holes in it which made it fun, even at this flow. For the biggest and fastest line, run from the top of the gorge all the way down on the far right (just be careful bcoz that line takes you directly into a couple vertical logs, so you have to maneuver quickly!).
We got out at Niagara and I was enthusiastically sliding down the slippery little falls (seen further below in the sunset picture of Docta P) on my belly. It would be an absolutely stunning waterfall area with a lot more water, like during March floods or something. Docta P got the crazy idea of going down the higher Seven Mile Creek waterfall, saying it would be like “krazy karpeting”, which he used to do a ton in Canada in the snow on a slick sheet of plastic. He used the RMR board bcoz it has a much thicker plastic bottom, and the rocks were really slick so he hauled, caught massive air off the little bump, and landed in the pool, skimming across. It’s a lot more fun than it looks!
Due to the close proximity to Portland and easy access we’ll probably get to know this stretch and the several miles past it pretty well. While not a huge run, at higher water it would be mostly class III with two V’s, so it is a fun and challenging run regardless of your riding level. Both V’s can be portaged fairly easily as well. I rated this an overall 9 bcoz we had so much fun just messing around on the gorgeous river and sliding down the waterfall - it's not that extreme (though you can run the extreme parts over and over easily) but it's fun and beautiful...and that earns anything a high rating in my book! ;-) Put in at Big Cliff Dam, easily seen on the right hand side of the road as you drive east toward Detroit lake on HWY 22. We took out at Niagara park, but now know that the actual takeout is Packsaddle, a few miles west of there.
~Ice~
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