On January 2, 2021, Kim, Jenny, Larry and I spent a beautiful day on Passage Creek, running at 425 cfs when we started and dropping to 395 cfs when we took off. This is an excellent level with good padding on most of the rapids, with a bit of push to make things interesting. There was plenty of wood in the braided sections below the dam, but nothing that resulted in a portage The Elizabeth Furnace parking lot at the put in was in overflow status and there were plenty of hikers, climbers and a few people fishing along the banks. A good start to 2021 for all of us.
The level was double the minimum and falling slowly. We saw about 15 inches on the painted gauges at the put in and at the 55 bridge. At the takeout, there was barely an inch of clearance beneath the low water bridge, but there were eddies on the left and right above the bridge allowing for easy and safe takeout. I feel the sweet spot on Passage is between 300 and 500 cfs, getting a tad pushy around 500. Still fun though between 200 and 300. I’ve paddled it up to 870 cfs, when it is quite pushy, with good sized waves and holes in the section above the dam.