Bailey Creek, Illinois, US

N2300 Rd to Vermilion River (0.5-1.5 miles) (Bailey Falls)

Running Bailey Falls

Running Bailey Falls
Photo of uncertain by John Meredith taken 03/29/07

Gauge Information

Name	Range	Difficulty	Updated	Level
VERMILION RIVER NEAR LEONORE, IL
usgs-05555300	8.50 - 12.00 ft	I(IV)	21h39m	~ 4.8 ft (rc= -0.5 )
	Probably too low. (Requires on-site confirmation.) Reference gauge is for Vermilion, and is only an indicator of possible runnability.

River Description

Quick Facts:

Location: 2 miles SouthEast from Oglesby, or 5 miles SouthEast from LaSalle.
Shuttle Length: usually carry-up, 2/3 of a mile. (See details in description below.)
Character: A steep (not quite vertical) waterfall, and runout.

Put-in is approximately 539' elevation.
Take-out is approximately 469' elevation.
Thus total elevation change is approximately 70'.

General Overview

Bailey Creek is a tributary of the Vermilion. While it can be done on its own (using the put-in listed on this description name), the section above the falls is nothing but strainers with knee deep mud portages (I know from experience.) Thus, more often it is done as a side-trip while doing the run on the Vermilion.

Look for the mouth of Bailey Creek on river left, a third of a mile downstream of Wildcat Rapid. The hike up is about two-thirds of a mile on decent trail. The land is on Lonestar Cement Company property. They generally don't mind non-motorized use of their land, but please be respectful of it. From a gravel beach just past the mouth of the creek, go up the hill about seventy-five feet to a dirt road. Turn right (yes, away from the creek) and go another eighty feet to a small path ascending to the left. After 150 yards this path encounters a dirt road. Double back to the left on this, and hike a quarter-mile to a fork in the path. The left fork here leads down to a large culvert in the river (referred to in the river description below), therefore bear right at this fork and continue another quarter-mile to the falls. (Partway along this stretch, a path/road heads off to your right and sharply uphill. You do not want to go that way.)

There is about a hundred yards of whitewater leading up to the falls. Unless the creek is quite high, I wouldn't bother with it, it's just too scrapy.

Bailey Falls drops about twenty feet total, in a horse shoe waterfall. It is not quite vertical, perhaps 70 degrees or so. Before running it, take a good look at the landing zone. It is inches deep at best. Running it means trusting a small roostertail to cushion your impact. DO NOT pencil in on this one. A small, steep trail leads back to the top on river right for anyone wanting to carry up to run it again. Oh, and . . . there is not any easy or convenient way (on river-left, where you'll be) to get to the base of the falls. There are sheer walls surrounding the 'pool'. So, if you have carried your boat up to here and decide not to run the falls, you have to decide if you are comfortable lowering or tossing your gear into the pool below and either attempting to climb down or jump in after it. Otherwise, you will have to hike about 250 yards back downriver before the bluff diminishes enough that you can reach the river from river-left. Unfortunately, this gives you a very brief swift paddle before the serious hazard downstream at the culvert.

From the pool below the falls, there is a few hundred yards of ducking strainers and sweepers before the culvert. An ugly log jam completely blocks any reasonable possibility of running the culvert. No good eddy exists, so you must be very good and very careful to avoid the current pushing you hard and fast into the log jam. Generally this is portaged on river-right. Putting in below the culvert, at some flows there is a nice play hole in its outflow.

Downstream, several hundred yards of easy riffles lead to Pickup Rapid and the confluence with the Vermilion. There is a narrow channel between a river right rock and a rusted, jagged old vehicle laying in the creek bed. Stay as far right as possible, or portage this one, before continuing downstream on the Vermilion.