Big Creek (Tributary of St. Joe River), Idaho, US

Along Road plus Hike to MF put in (Big Creek)

Usual Difficulty	III-IV (for normal flows)
Length	9 Miles
Avg. Gradient	50 fpm
Max Gradient	60 fpm

Gauge Information

Name	Range	Difficulty	Updated	Level
ST JOE RIVER AT CALDER ID
usgs-12414500	5000 - 25000 cfs	III-IV	30d00h36m	254 cfs (rc= -0.2 )

River Description

Description:

The creek can be divided up into 3 sections:


Middle Fork Big Creek put into Upper Big Creek to the end of the road
Difficulty: Class III-IV
Distance: 2 miles
Gradient: 160 ft/mile
level on St Joe gage: 5000 cfs for a low water run
Put in: Hike from the end of the road up the pack trail. Some switch backs and 600 vertical feet total. Can see much of the creek during the hike, but it comes back down to the Middle Fork Big Creek.
Note: My estimate is the water level can quicky change the difficulty of this run because of the narrow creek bed and constaint gradient. Use your own judgement and watch out for the one river wide log jam 15 mins into the run.

Upper Big Creek (road side) (known section)
Difficulty: Class III (IV)
Distance: 2 miles
level on St Joe Gage: 5000 cfs for a low water run
Definitly combine these two sections for a great day exploring.

Lower Big Creek section is a beautiful fast class I-II for 5 miles to the next bridge. Put in at first bridge 5 miles up from the St Joe. 5000 cfs for a nice easy float.