Paint Rock Canoe - 14 Mile Upper Trip

Here is my trip with Paint Rock Canoe & Kayak on their 14-mile Upper Trip. This is a beautiful, remote and easy trip that everyone should try. Music by Epidemic Sound.
Note: had a couple of comments about dragging and low levels. Check the USGS gauge or call the PRC&K office before this long trip. If the flow is 130cfs or lower you probably don't want to do it (I'm not sure what the recommended flow or gauge height would be).

[@ghannah7553]

Awesome video man! Just made the whole trip from Estill Fork to 72 fishing and camping on the river. 29 miles. It was awesome! Water was lower so I had to drag quite a bit. So cool seeing your video and recognizing all the scenery. Great job! Been buddies with Jay for years. Good guy and a great business.

[@SouthernPaddler]

That's so awesome! I really want to start at Estill Fork sometime and come down (and camp along the way). Yes, Jay is a good guy. I been going to PRCK since the first year he opened. Great folks and great service! Thanks, bro!!

[@angryjohn0017]

We did this about 3 weeks after you and the water was at normal levels. We put in at 8 a.m., went fishing all day, and then at 5:30 p.m. we went to see how far we had to go, and we’d just hit 7 miles. I would not suggest this run to anyone who wants to take there time, or don’t go when the water is at normal height unless you plan to paddle hard all day. Very pretty River though, and great video!

[@SouthernPaddler]

Thank you very much! Yes, it is a beautiful river. I keep telling myself to take note of the flow rates and put them in the videos so people can compare it to current conditions. My brother fishes on our trips and it definitely extends the time! But I'll try to remember to talk about checking flow rates, taking into consideration fishing (or lunch/swim stops) as well as how many is in your group as larger groups move a little slower. Sounds like you had a good trip other than it taking a while to finish!

[@cleamilner6894]

There's a put-in in Estillfork at Freedom Baptist church for the upper section of the Paint Rock. I want to float from there all the way down to Paint Rock Canoe, but that's a looooonnng trip and would definitely take a weekend. The water would need to be right too. You look like you had really good water last year. I did the lower run 3 weeks ago and it was sad looking. The rain has sucked this summer. Good video!

[@SouthernPaddler]

Thank you, Clea! Yes, I've heard a few people talk about Estill Fork. I'd like to try that one day, too. And yes, the water on this trip was up just slightly due to recent rain- I caught it just right! You definitely want to check the level (or talk to the folks at PRCK) before starting this upper! The early summer lack of rain was pretty tough, for sure!

[@teeball6950]

I just did this trip for memorial day. I have been canoeing rivers for over 15 years now and this is hands down the worst trip I have ever been on. I thought this was going to be an easier river based on your video and that maybe this river leaned more towards beginners. We got there and were put in at 9:15 am and did not get off the water until 8pm. Every rapid we went through was to shallow and required us to walk our boats through them. Not that there were many rapids, I think this video showed the only ones that they have. We pulled off for lunch for maybe 30 minutes or so and the rest was non stop paddling. I had people with me that never been kayaking on any river and were having full blown panic attacks. On top of all this. This place has a rule set in place that for every 15 minutes you are late past 5pm(closing time), it cost you $15 more. If you are looking for a trip that requires paddling still water for 13ish miles, this is the trip for you. I honestly can't believe you would recommend and say such great things about this river. I have NEVER been on a river ran so unprofessionally. I am still in shock at how bad this river was. I thought something was up when we were the only people there to float this river on Memorial day. I will never be back, nor will I ever recommend this river to anyone.

[@SouthernPaddler]

Man, I hate y'all had such a rough trip. I'm sure if the water was low it would not be any fun. I don't know what the flow rate was when I did it, but I do know that it was up a little from recent rains and I never dragged and I had current most of the way. The USGS gauge for Paint Rock is located near the takeout spot. I checked it just now and it showed 125cfs on Monday when you went. I did their 5-mile trip 2 days earlier (Saturday) and it was only 130cfs. It was low, but that section doesn't have the shoals like the upper part does. I'm really sorry y'all had such a bad experience on this trip.

[@SouthernPaddler]

@Jo Wh Thanks. Yes, several have commented about not-so-good experiences on this particular trip. I'll have to stress checking the water level more if I do another video on this trip.

[@SouthernPaddler]

@Jo Wh It is a beauty of a river!! Preciate it, bro! 👍

[@LloydMayes]

Me and a few friends and family floated there in flat bottom boats all day and camped at night and finished up the next morning , a few years ago. But when we went the water was way down and we had to tote our boats a lot hardly any current

[@SouthernPaddler]

I bet camping on this river was awesome. I need to add that to my list. Yes, I've done this trip twice and fortunately had decent current both times. I've been on trips at other places where I had to drag and it's no fun.

[@LloydMayes]

Yea it was fun. Lots of small mouth bass fishing is what we did

[@GlennaRedcliffe]

Great video! Thanks for taking us along!

[@SouthernPaddler]

Thank you very much, Glenna!!! :-)

[@MySUPRunnethOver]

That was an absolutely beautiful paddle Dan! Don’t know if I could make it 15 miles but possibly willing to give it a try if Jon is up for it. Really enjoyed the scenery! Lovely vid!

[@SouthernPaddler]

Thanks, LM! It's so peaceful and relaxing! Y'all would love it!! I would definitely bring your chairs...lol! 😅

[@mackjenkins7721]

Man that was awesome video. Man that float was so nice man. It's good that everything worked in your favor. It works so well you was able to kick up your feet on the kayak and put it on cruise control. Sorry to hear about your paddle breaking on you. Dan I have a question? Your GPS what kind is it and where did you get it from? I don't have one and I'm looking for one. I've been getting my information off an app that I was using but it stopped working on my phone for some reason. Does the GPS work real well & have you had any problems with it. I really need to get me one. Thank you for awesome video man i enjoy watch that.

[@SouthernPaddler]

Thanks, Mack! It was a fantastic trip. I use a Garmin eTrex 20. You can load maps on it, but I don't. Garmin overcharges for maps and the process is a little clunky. I just use it to track my distance and it does a good job of that. 👍

[@mackjenkins7721]

@@SouthernPaddler oh okay it's a Garmin eTrex 20. Okay you can download Maps on it. That's what I'm looking for like distance , maps , speeds , and all that type of good stuff. Thank you Dan I really appreciate that help man. I am going to order one.

[@shadowpuppet8007]

can you bring your own kayak and just use their shuttle service?

[@SouthernPaddler]

Yes, you can bring your own boat and it's cheaper than renting one. Most outfitters call it a "shuttle fee". That's what I usually do. This is a fantastic float, but just make sure it's not too low (mainly happens in the summer).

[@clint4420]

At the 13:07 make, that rock bank was part of a restoration project to prevent the eroding of the river bank. Here is the link to that video. kzbin.info/www/bejne/fmTFgpyYedhgbM0

[@SouthernPaddler]

That's so cool- I had no idea! And at the 8:07 mark of the video you posted I saw another spot where improvements had been made. Sadly, it was starting to erode again even with the riprap they placed. Hunter Nichols makes incredible videos. I'm subscribed to him already.