When does a 5.7 mile shuttle result in a 4+ hour adventure? When you're paddling the twisting, winding East Fork of the Cadron!
Paddling from the Highway 36 bridge (parked on SW corner) to Highway 107 bridge you'll enjoy the unique character of this waterway. During the middle third of the run the river flows through a large tupelo forest. The river rushes by trees 3-4 feet thick for 2-3 miles giving you the feeling that you are paddling through the woods. Normally when there are a lot of trees mid-stream you're in slack water or bayous. Here you fly by on a continuous cascade of Class I-II whitewater with hardly a pause in the action as you dodge trees and plunge over numerous cascades. In fact the river has a near continuous gradient. Holes are few and far between.
You may encounter an occasional log jam requiring portage. There was a possibility of dire consequences for a mistake (like leaving your boat wedged in a logjam). You'll need to be a good judge of what moves you can and can't make so that you don't get swept into a logjam. At lower levels (2.75 to 3.5 feet), this would be a safe run for beginning boaters, but at higher levels (above 4 feet) you might want to call upon an experienced paddler to run lead (scout ahead).
Landmarks:
At 1.2 miles the run curves back on itself and approaches Highway 107 (river right).
At 6.2 miles Clear Creek enters from river right.
At 7.2 miles you'll see Mansfield Bluff (>100 feet) on river right; Rainbow Falls is just downstream on river right.
At 8.0 miles Cedar Creek enters on river left.
Difficulty: Although its a Class I-II stream at higher levels I'd move its rating up to Class II-III and recommend that anyone paddling this stretch be able to ferry and back-paddle quickly and with authority to safely negotiate blind turns, strainers, and tricky drops.
Shuttle: From put-in, go south 1.1 miles on Highway 36. Go west on Tanyard road 4.7 miles to bridge on Highway 107.