South Fork Kentucky River

Kentucky River Kayak Trek

July 18, 2008

South Fork

It was the South Fork today. I made it to the third shoal last year - I wondered how far I would make it this time around. Once again, I began about noon and as I started paddling downriver (from the ramp in Beattyville on the converged North/Middle Forks) the bridge for KY52 came almost immediately into view. Just downriver from it there’s a picnic area and playground on the right, and I knew from last year that this was behind the Beattyville City Hall building.

Paddling on, you’ll reach the point where the 3 forks technically come together. I took a moment to take this in. This is mile 254.8, and after today the miles will start counting down as this river meanders towards its end where it drains into the Ohio River near Carrollton, Kentucky. What an adventure this should be!

Ah, but the South Fork awaited today! As you begin you’ll shortly come to another bridge about the same distance up this fork as the bridge for KY52 was up the North/Middle Fork. This particular one is for KY11, the same road I drove in on from the north through Natural Bridge Park. It goes through Beattyville, crosses this bridge, and then continues on to the city of Booneville (which, river permitting, I hoped to make today). The community of Proctor, Kentucky is back on the right bank.

On the charts the river next takes the shape on an “M”, the legs of which are sliding out from underneath it as if it’s doing the splits. Long Shoal Branch comes in around mile 1, but it was only 2-3 feet wide at its mouth. I spotted a bird in here that I hadn’t seen before and I thought I’d taken 3 pretty good pictures of it, but looking through them now I don’t see any sign of this bird! Speaking of birds, I almost always spot at least one blue heron every time I go out on the river - at any point - and I saw another in this very area but I’ve given up trying to get pictures of these. They’re way too shy! When I paddled part of the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. though, one of my buddies must have gotten to within 10 feet of one!

At mile 2 you’ll come to the last curve of this “M” and emerge into a straight section of the river which continues through mile 3. It was in this section that I noticed an oily substance on the water. In places it was clear and in others it had a green hue, and as I paddled through I was essentially paddling through a kind of brown film (yeah…yum!). I noticed this last year here too. Things hadn’t changed. The stuff could be harmless, but this trip was a lot warmer than those on the other forks and I sure wanted to dip my towel in the water to help cool me off at this point. I’d have to wait until later. You see, not only do I wear a cap, but I also drape and hand towel over my head as well when it’s hot. This is both to block some sun and to dip into the water to cool me off. It usually works pretty well.

There’s a “C” bend after mile 3 and then another mile long straight stretch. By this point it was getting more peaceful with only the sound of farm equipment to interrupt the sounds of nature. This doesn’t bother me. Hearing the machinery lets me know that I’m in a rural area and to me that’s a pleasant feeling. I’ve always been interested in farming and I do have some relatives who still make their living in this manner down in Southern Illinois.

After another “C” bend to the right I spotted the shoal for the Pawpaw Creek. This shoal stretches almost all the way across the water and it covers quite a bit of area in width as well. This had been my first portage last year but this year with a little effort I was able to paddle up through it. The name Pawpaw Creek reminded me of a song which my grandparents used to sing to me. It was going through my head as I paddled although I couldn’t remember all the words. Now that I’ve had a chance to look it up, here’s they are (you can substitute names):

Where, oh where, oh where is little Johnny?
Where, oh where, oh where is little Johnny?
Where, oh where, of where is little Johnny?
Way down yonder in the paw-paw patch.

Chorus:
Pickin' up paw-paws; put 'em in a basket.
Pickin' up paw-paws; put 'em in a basket.
Pickin' up paw-paws; put 'em in a basket.
Way down yonder in the paw-paw patch.

Come along, boys, and let's go find him.
Come along, boys, and let's go find him.
Come along, boys, and let's go find him.
Way down yonder in the paw-paw patch.

At mile 5.5 there’s another very large shoal. This one is for the Lower Buffalo Creek which comes in on the left (actually there’s a large shoal on both sides here, making it a really picturesque spot). Ultimately I was not able to paddle through this area - portage needed.

After mile 6 I was off the map. I hope that the reader will bear with me because I’ll have to guess at mileage from here on out. Please note, however, that this writer is quite fallible, has a propensity for being absent minded and doesn’t always use the best judgment. Speaking of which, I noticed around this point that I’d lost another towel!

It was just past mile 6 that a very old bridge crossed over the fork. I saw it last year too and was quite intrigued. I still am. Was this a rail bridge? A vehicle bridge? It’s of a different construction style than others I’ve seen on the river, and as I look at all the maps I’m stumped. They all indicate that Pine Grove Road crosses the river at about this point but I don’t believe it does anymore. This span is clearly no longer in use and even if it was it doesn't look strong enough to have supported vehicles. Still, it's the only bridge anywhere near here. What gives?

Anyway, there were quite a few gar fish in this area today and there was another small shoal past the bridge that was pretty level. It looked like you could even drive a vehicle down onto it. I thought this might have been point “J” in the Canoeing and Kayaking Guide to Kentucky.

At about mile 7 I came to a third shoal which I needed to port around. This was the point at which I had ended my South Fork trip last year. I kept going this time...

A fourth shoal comes quickly after this, and I was able to paddle up and through it but with a good deal more effort than I used to get past the first one back at Pawpaw Creek. The water was starting to get noticeably shallower too.

Near mile 8 I came to a fifth shoal (I know you must be sick of hearing about shoals)! Hopefully I’m not boring the reader, but I mention these because they really are all quite pleasant spots. Even if you have to get out of your boat, these are ideal places to rest and have a snack. To me, this fifth one was the most interesting too. I noticed a couple different kinds of water plants growing here, you see, and I’d not seen such plants except very rarely. To have 2 kinds in one spot was very interesting to see.

It was in the midst of porting this shoal that I either made a new friend or…a mortal enemy (deep voice). There in the flowing water between a couple rocks I saw a little box turtle. The current didn’t seem that strong to me, but I thought that maybe it might be for this little guy (or gal) and he (or she) couldn’t get out. I thus found myself in somewhat of a quandary. The fact that this turtle was in a spot where it couldn’t easily avoid potential predators made me wonder whether I should help it - or maybe I should just let nature run its course? Maybe there was a reason it was in such a position and I’d be doing this turtle a disservice in some way if I moved it? At first I decided to move on, but then I changed my mind and moved it to a shaded spot along the shore. Hope I did the right thing... It was gone on my return.

I’d say I went another mile (mile 9?) before I hit a dead end. Halfway into this last mile there was a 90 degree curve right and roughly 1/4 mile further down was a deadfall all the way across the water. The majority of this was a very large tree which looked to have been newly toppled. To port around it would have been a challenge with the steep bank and I wasn’t going to do this out of concern over ticks which I’ve had problems with this year. I headed back.

It was only around 4 at this point, and when trips like this end early I coast part of the way back to more passively check out the sights and sounds. I did that again today, and in doing so I was able to navigate back down through 4 of the 5 shoals, getting stuck only at the second. Wriggling my way through this I made it back to the ramp a little after 8:30.

I’d venture to say at this point that, having paddled all 3 forks a couple times now, I’ve formed some opinions. The North Fork is the best for a long trip (if you don’t mind little portages). I paddled 10 miles up this and could have gone further. It’s the one I’d definitely like to try again just to see how far I could get. It runs mainly through forested hills with some farmland in the stretch I was able to do.

The Middle Fork seems to be the smallest. I wasn’t able to get as far up this one. The main challenge on it will be the deadfalls, and being the smallest, you will run into more shallow water. This fork runs primarily through farmland in the stretch I did with some forested hills.

The South Fork looked roughly the same size to me as the North Fork. If it weren’t for the strange film on the water within the first couple miles, I believe this fork would be the most scenic. The shoals are what make it nice (remembering, of course, that beauty is in the eye of the beholder). This fork runs primarily through farmland and forested hills in equal measure.

My next trip will be on the main river.

DIRECTIONS:

At the junction of KY 11 and KY 52 in Beattyville turn East on East Main Street. Go to the second street (the aptly named Water Street) and take a right. The street dead ends at the boat ramp. There’s plenty of room for many vehicles. There’s no fee to use the ramp.