So someone was telling me that there were some white water rapids on the Brazos River in the Hearne area...I find this hard to believe..but does anyone know of this? Or any rapids in the B/CS area?

I have heard that the brazos river is extremely dangerous to swim in. I wouldn't mess around in there...

well I don't intend to swim in there...I meant it for kayaking use....

Look at the picture of the Brazos River in the other thread- I would NOT advise swimming in THAT...

Oh Kayaking- might be ok but not in rapids - if the kayak overturns and you end up in that filth..well just dont do it except in calm waters


[This message has been edited by 1984Consol (edited 3/22/2009 11:30p).]

in that case, this might be helpful to you

http://southwestpaddler.com/docs/brazos9.html

Looked up some pics on the net. I had no idea we had anything like this in the area!





More on Flickr...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/scottcoultas/461077681/in/set-72157600081479928/

I did not know about Hidalgo Falls either. I guess it would be ok- people seem to be capsizing all the time down there LOL!

Texas A&M Philosophy professor Steve Daniel provides detailed info on Hidalgo Falls and other Texas whitewater on his website.

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Oh Kayaking- might be ok but not in rapids - if the kayak overturns and you end up in that filth..well just dont do it except in calm waters

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Newsflash...most rivers are going to be muddy at some point in the flow.

We went on a whitewater run on the Snake River this summer. Thousands of people take that trip. It's just as muddy.

There is a whitewater spot on the Brazos called "The Rocks." There used to be a place were you could pay to play on the rocks. We put in at Koppe Bridge and get out at F.M. 105. You will have a blast!

We went looking for that place many years ago. We finally found it but it was locked and fenced. Like most good places, its probably been purchased by some entity who limits and restricts its use to a certain group of card carrying members. I won't go in to details about how we fished it anyway, but i don't recommend it.

The Texas Rivers Protection Association owns 13 acres adjacent to Hidalgo Falls on the Brazos just west of Navasota. The Falls is a class II rapid where whitewater paddlers hone their skills and canoeists and kayakers access the river for float trips. For years "The Rocks" was a hangout for local students and fishermen and the site of almost annual drownings. By the time the owner, Tanie Orlando, died in 2000, it had become a drug-dealing hotspot where discarded beer cans, fishing lines, and other trash marred the natural beauty of the place. Tanie's family closed the fish camp permanently, but a year later TRPA bought several acres, with the stipulation that the property would never again be an access point for fishing, swimmers, or sunbathers. It is now open only to TRPA members and their guests.

Anyone who is interested in supporting TRPA efforts to protect this resource for paddlers is encouraged to join the organization and help maintain the property. For information, go to http://philosophy.tamu.edu/%7Esdaniel/hidalgo.html

BTW, the rapid near Hearne is near where Port Sullivan used to be. Part of the rapid is visible from FM 485 west of Hearne and used to be accessible through a pasture on the west side of the river. For years that access has been closed, so the only way to reach it now is to paddle upstream from the bridge. Information about that rapid, Hidalgo, and other places to paddle can be found in my *Texas Whitewater* (2nd. ed., Texas A&M U. Press, 2004). The information about Hidalgo given at the Southwest Paddler website referenced in an earlier comment is more than 20 years out-of-date.

Steve Daniel

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There is a whitewater spot on the Brazos called "The Rocks." There used to be a place were you could pay to play on the rocks. We put in at Koppe Bridge and get out at F.M. 105. You will have a blast!

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I'm not positive, but I'm thinking The Rocks and Hidalgo Falls might be one and the same, but the locals in that area call it "The Rocks". I'm sure someone will correct me if I am wrong.

In any case, check out the link Jabberwocky posted and click on the link that shows how to get to Hidalgo Falls. It's been a long time since I was there, but that is the general area where we went to "The Rocks". There were some very old, primative cabins, no locked gates or fee's at that time, but that was close to twentyish years ago. I think someone mentioned that there was a fee to rent a cabin, but that was it. We just made a day of it. Was lots of fun!


I guess kayakprof confirmed my suspicions!

[This message has been edited by Kattx07 (edited 3/23/2009 10:57a).]

dude....I don't know...anytime I think of canoeing down a river or rapids, I start thinking I may run into those banjo guys from Deliverance!


I don't want to hear this....."I bet you can squeal like a pig"

Yikes...think happy thoughts, think happy thoughts.....