B. Upper Gorge [Sheraton Section] Portage Trail to Front St

Now that the former Mill Dam has been removed, the barrier to this section has been lifted.  This means that the issue with running the dam is no longer but it also means that wood will have a greater chance of moving into the drops below. This stretch of river consists mainly of two distinct drops.  After passing through the former the dam, work your way left and surf the wave adjacent to the diversion dam which is just below the cantilevered restaurant.  Make sure to wave at the diners while surfing this spot!  After the wave you drop over a small ledge and follow the main flow toward river right which sets you up for the first waterfall.  The lead in to Rookie Drop has a pourover which likes to backender the unwary.  As you head down the shallow channel, aim for the roostertail and set up to boof the 8-footer at Rookie Drop.  Next up is the Second Drop (10-footer) with two options, a River Right Boof Line or the River Left Staircase Line. The lead in takes you through a riverwide hole where a flip will make for a very bad day!  After the hole, for the Left Staircase, follow the tongue toward river left and stay tight to the wall.  Staircase is a 15-foot narrow slide into a hole right above a narrowing of the river. The bottom drops out as you go over the lip, and the water accelerates you down. It's kind of a hoot.  Make sure you stay left at the bottom of the drop as the right side is sieved out and contains wood!  After you bang you way down the narrow left channel below the Staircase is Ankle Buster, an ender spot which has a rock inconveniently placed. Still, it's one of the few spots in NE Ohoho that'll turn you vert, even in old-school boats...so, you gotta take what you can get.  For those interested in seeing a compilation of the 2008 trips, check out the short video www.youtube.com/watch. Here's another nice video from November, 2012. While your adrenaline is still pumping from dropping ~60 feet in the last 0.13 miles, it's hard to image that you are in Ohio, let alone an urbanized area along the Cuyahoga. Savor this view because few others will experience the same perspective from the water level. Below Ankle Buster, it is just boogie water and 2 small drops before the flatwater. Now if we could only get the downstream Ohio Edison dam removed, paddlers could enjoy another 60 feet of drops over the next 1.3 miles! So while you are paddling the flatwater to the takeout think about the juicy drops below the pool and remember to visit the Friends of the Crooked River website and read about plans for dam removal in the Cuyahoga. Other related nearby streams: Lower Cuyahoga (Class I-II) Lower Gorge (Class III) Tinker's Creek (Class IV) Conservation Organization: check out the Friends of the Crooked River, who've been working on cleaning up the Cuyahoga and educating the public for 20 years.