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Canoeing Battle Creek |
| May 30, 2000. Spring Canoeing Run on
Battle Creek--Coleman Fish Hatchery to Jelly’s Ferry The Record Searchlight, Redding’s local paper, predicted that on Memorial Day there would be 20,000 people on Shasta Lake, a sizeable pond just to the north of us here in Redding. So naturally I decided to drift south a ways toward something a little quieter. For some folks big crowds create a sort of magnetism, a force that seems to gather strength as it sucks more and more people toward its vortex. But not for me. I must have my magnet turned the wrong way. When I get a chance to "get away from it all," I like to do just that. So it was that on Memorial Day, my grandson, Rob, and myself took our solo canoes and headed for Battle Creek. I had never canoed Battle Creek, but it was not a new destination for me. A few years back (quite a few) before I was old enough to drive a car, my mother would take me out to Battle Creek on a Saturday morning and deposit me and my fishing gear on the stream and then come back to get me about dark. I always thought that that was a remarkable gesture on the part of my mother, but looking back, it may be that it was just the simplest way to be rid of me for an entire day. At any rate, they were wonderful days and, as a result, Battle Creek has always held a special place in the memories of my youth. In my younger days I did some work for my father on the ranch and at his place of business, but the first "real" job that I had was doing seasonal work at the Coleman Fish Hatchery on Battle Creek. That was the summer after my junior year of high school. I would ride out to the hatchery each morning with my friend and classmate, Roger, for the morning "shape up" when the work for the day was mapped out. The ride from Anderson to the hatchery with Roger at the wheel was often the most exciting part of the day. You know how kids are. But we did some interesting work: storing frozen salmon in the big freezers, mixing fish food, feeding the fish, and (best of all) building the big salmon traps on the creek. So I guess it’s not surprising that I should think of Battle Creek as a retreat from the crowds and, perhaps, as a retreat into the past. Rob and I drove to the hatchery (changed a bit) and found a dirt road leading down to the water. There used to be a little camp there by the stream where I (and friends) would sometimes stay during trout season. All gone now. I wondered about that. Didn’t seem to be as inviting a place as in the old days. But there was a place to park the truck, so we unloaded the canoes and drifted off downstream. You know, there is always this internal conflict about telling someone else about your secret place. By sharing, will you destroy the things that make it special? Will crowds come swarming down on this tranquil place? In the case of Battle Creek I believe that the danger is small. The lower part of this beautiful stream has no large rapids, and so would not be a likely choice for kayakers or rafters. Or to open canoers, for that matter, who thrill only to the big stuff. But there are eddies to catch and small waves to surf and beauty all around you. So the audience for the type of information that I’m sharing is really rather small. Another canoe or two will be welcome. Rob enjoyed the trip very much and was glad that he came, and chafed only a little bit at the absence of some "big" water. We had done the Upper Sac the week before, but when you’re 18, last week’s thrills seem pretty far away. It’s probably important that I mention that even though there are no big rapids on the run, there are hazards that make this section of Battle Creek unsuitable for people who do not have basic canoeing skills. There are "sweepers" (overhanging limbs that have a tendency to "sweep" you out of your boat) and there are "strainers" (tangled masses of vegetation which the water will flow through, but which your body will not flow through). Boaters should know draw stokes and pry stokes and have absolute control of their canoes. Any outdoor activity can be exciting and generally involves an element of risk, but you don’t want the kind of excitement that can happen as the result of poor boating skills. Keep in mind, also, that a description of Battle Creek below the Coleman Fish Hatchery, has little relation to the stream above that point. Water level also plays an important in determining the difficulty of any run. On Memorial Day, 2000, the depth gauge at the hatchery read 1.70 which indicates 5 cubic feet per second. A good level, but up or down at little should not greatly change the nature of the stream. For all of its feeling of remoteness, Battle Creek is surprisingly accessible. Take Balls Ferry Road east from the town of Cottonwood on I-5 (or Anderson, 10 miles further north). In either case watch for signs to Coleman Fish Hatchery, about 12 miles from Anderson and less from Cottonwood. Once out of town, you’ll be mostly in ranch land, some ranches small, some large. You’ll leave Balls Ferry road and turn on to which takes you through the Buena Ventura Ranch, home base of the old Pearson B. Reading Spanish Land Grant. Very shortly you’ll cross the Sacramento River and turn right on This area was first settled by Major Sheldon who later sold part of his holdings to a Mr. Wilcox. I mention this because one of the most conspicuous and beautiful ranches in this area, the Gover Ranch, is owned and operated by descendents of Mr. Wilcox. At Gover’s Ranch turn left on road. It’s only a couple of miles to the hatchery from this point. You may want to go to the hatchery to see the fish, but don’t plan on launching there, for reasons which I will explain. Rob and I paddled on to the mouth of the creek, popularly known as the New Mouth of Battle Creek. Here we entered the Sacramento River. In less that half a mile you come to the Old Mouth of Battle Creek (things change), a popular fishing spot. You can take your canoe out here if you wish, but the dirt road leaving Jelly’s Ferry Road is a little rough and unmarked. It’s near a 25 mile an hour curve. We chose to leave our shuttle car at Jelly’s Ferry, a Bureau of Land Management river access about three miles further down the river. On returning to Coleman Fish Hatchery, we discovered the reason of the abandoned fish camp and also why you should not look to launch here for your boating adventure. A gate across the access road, which we had hardly noticed earlier, was now securely locked. Some folks have a warped sense of humor. Eventually, we found a Coleman employee, who lives on site, who gladly opened the gate for us so that we could retrieve our truck. He also explained that due to liability problems (what else?) the fishing and boating access had been closed to the public. However, there are two more accesses downstream, one at the Battle Creek Wildlife Reserve one mile from the hatchery and another on Jelly’s Ferry Road in front of the Gover Ranch. This section of Battle Creek flows almost entirely through private lands. However, from the creek you’ll see almost no sign of the agricultural development of the area. It’s special place, remarkably quiet and clean. Let’s all do our part to see that it stays that way. Neil Rucker, head instructor for Canoe West |
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