Piney Branch, Illinois, US

Piney Creek Ravine (2 miles)

Piney Branch - Dry

Piney Branch - Dry
Photo of Piney Branch - Piney Creek Ravine by Chad E. Walter @ No CFS!

River Description

Piney Creek may be the premier "creek run" of Southern Illinois, but as of 2011 the Superintendent of State Nature Preserves asserted that the river is closed to boating. The whitewater section is two miles long, but the middle half-mile is where the whitewater is. The creek rounds a bend and enters a micro gorge. The creek bottom turns to bedrock and the walls close in. The first rapid is an 8 foot ledge. The pool is shallow (only 2-4 ft deep). The whitewater section continues across a half dozen more slides and ledges (ranging from 4-6 feet) for the next half-mile. A few drops would be blind and challenging.  All drops are overhanging and undercut. The last ledge drop has significant vertical pin potential on river right.

The regulations for Illinois Nature Preserves state that it is illegal "for any person to engage in any sporting or athletic activity, including swimming, within the boundaries of any dedicated nature preserve or nature preserve buffer unless provided for in an approved master plan."  With that said, hiking is allowed and recreational use is likewise supported in their General Management Provisions which state: "Nature preserves are open to the public unless closed by the owner. For those preserves that are open to the public, visitor use may occur to the degree that it will not impair natural conditions or threaten the natural features of the preserve. Where trails exist within a preserve, visitors are encouraged to stay on the trails. The owner may require that visitors to the preserve restrict their movement to the trails. Persons wishing to traverse areas of a nature preserve closed to visitation may obtain permission from the custodian or owner." 

The agency charged with implementing these regulations has asserted that the river is closed to paddling.  Paddlers wishing to paddle the river are encouraged to contact the owner and/or managers prior to any descent.