Putnam Road to Lake Erie

I've run this creek only twice so far and I would have to say it is one of my favorite runs of all time!  I have noted the location and description of rapids I could remember and find on Google Earth.  There are many other Class III's and Class III+'s that I have either forgotten about or are harder to find on Google Earth.  Most of these unmarked rapids are not as steep, but are just as intense.  Drop type rapids are easier to see on Google Earth than other rapids.  It is also difficult to see rapids in narrow sections surrounded by hemlocks from the satalite images.  In all there are at least 25 rapids of Class III or better! The new put in is now at Putman Road due to private property at Lyons Road. To my knowledge, the creek has not been run by anyone up this far, but there are probably many strainers. Please respect the landowner there and do not exit the creek in this area. The creek widens out as you go from here, but gets more water so if it looks good at the put-in, you should have a good trip. Chautauqua flows through a very romote gorge called "The Glug" by locals. Once you pass through the dead end Lyons Road, class II boogie water begins with good surfing. Then things become more interesting and several ledges on the creek come up with blind entries where the creek becomes very narrow and drops about 10 feet over stretches of about 30 yards. These short intense rapids are especially common near the beginning of the run but persist throughout much of the run. Basically, the whole run is at least constant Class II between rapids except for about two miles of Class I on the braided section between the two gorges. There is nothing on this reach to bore sane paddlers, so come prepared to have fun the whole run! Near Westfield there are several Class III ledges, one of which has a has a straight off drop of 7 feet in the center of the creek. Unfortunatly in the Spring of 05' a huge late season snowstorm wiped out half of the hemlocks in the gorge and they have become strainers and it is a real mess right now. By this time all the ice in Chautauqua was gone.  I hope it's gone by now, but I haven't been back since. Western New York Area Reaches Beaver Meadow Creek Canadaway Creek (1.) Canadaway Creek (2.) Canaseraga Creek Cattaraugus Creek Cattaraugus Creek, S. Branch Cazenovia Creek, W. Branch (1.)Cazenovia Creek, W. Branch (2.) Chautauqua Creek Clear Creek, N. Br. Conesus Creek Eighteenmile Creek Eighteenmile Creek, S. Br. Ellicott Creek Genesee (Letchworth) Honeoye Creek Keshequa Creek Little Chautauqua Creek Murder Creek Niagara Oak Orchard Creek Oatka Creek Rushford Lake Outlet Sugar Creek Twentymile Creek Google Map of New York Whitewater New York Whitewater Paddlers Facebook Group