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Texas whitewater - Rowlett Creek, Dallas County
Dallas
county,
Pleasant Valley Road in Garland TX section whitewater kayaking, rafting, and paddling information.
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CLASS II-III(IV) 2 miles
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We ran Rowlett Creek this past Memorial Day after a decent rain the Saturday evening prior. We put in above Firewheel Golf Course & One Eleven Ranch Park where Rowlett Creek crosses Campbell Rd. The bank where we put in was too steep to carry a kayak down but easy enough to get down there and have someone slide the kayak down to you. The stretch of creek that goes through the golf course and up to Lavon Dr./78 is probably the cleanest and most scenic with pleanty of tree coverage and rock formations on both sides that sort of remind me of parts of |
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the Guadalupe. We have put in where the creek crosses Ben Davis Rd. behind the Firewheel Mall before. The stretch between Lavon Dr./78 and Pleasant Valley Rd. is where you will find the ''whitewater'' including the 3-4 foot drop with optional ''easy way'' to the side. We continued
| | down past Rowlett Rd. and 66 and took out @ Miller Rd. where you usually see people fishing on either side of the street. This strech of river is still flowing but as far scenery it is only trees, cyclists on the bike trails, and an old railroad bridge. You do pass a gun range (right at Pleasant Valley) and the water treatment plant (right after 66) both with their own unique sounds and SMELLS. We have gone all the way to Lake Ray Hubbard before but the stretch between Miller Rd. and the Lake is pretty boring and there is not much flow in the creek | |
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at that point. Travel time for us from Campbell Rd. to Miller Rd. was about 6 hours but we took our time, stopped for a packed lunch, and fished some along the way. Travel time from Ben Davis Rd. all the way to Lake Ray Hubbard is anywhere from 5.5-6.5 hours. Says Matt
My son Joey (13 yrs) Dropped in Rowlett creek on 5/3/09 right after the heavy rainstorms. It was our first run on Rowlett Creek. Parked at the Garland Public Shooting Range on Pleasant Valley road. I am a member there and asked if they would be alright if I parked my truck there.
$3.00 charge which was very reasonable. Put in on the right side of the bridge. It was not the best launching spot but considering the flooded creek we got in ok - very muddy and slippery. The current was nice and quick. Creek was very high and full of debri as you could imagine
from all the heavy rains over the past several days. I wanted to drop in at Ben Davis road as the map here suggest, however that location is hard to find if you do not know the area because they have closed off the old access road shown to exit off HWY 78. We found the old Ben
Davis bridge over the creek had been burned and severely damaged. It is now a dead end road at the bridge and not a place I wanted to leave my truck for any length of time unattended. So, after we dropped in at the shooting range it was smooth sailing. We did not need to paddle
at all except for navigating around the low hanging branches. Again this was our first time on this creek and I expect the water was probably 8-10 feet higher than normal. I found this run to be very scenic and the creek is practically totally covered by trees. You really get a
feeling like you are out in the wilderness and not in the suburbs of Dallas. I was hoping for some white water but I guess the water was too high and flowed right over any obstacles that may exist at lower water levels. We cruised along fine at a quick pace all the way to the Rowlett
Road/Northeast Pkwy. overpass. This took less than 30 minutes, then about 200 yards south of the overpass we ran into a concrete covered pipe that spanned the creek. We had to portage around the pipe to continue. Getting out at this pipe was pretty treacherous. We pulled out on
the right side in the midst of thick brush and wicked mosquitos. I stepped out of my kayak into knee deep mud and slogged up the steep bank a couple of feet to pull the boat out. The area is also covered in briars so bring a machette with you. Getting in on the other side of this
pipe was easy. There was a nice log or root to step on and tree to balance on to get back into your kayak. I am guessing one would probably be able to go under this pipe at normal water levels. So we are off again on the second leg of this journey. This really is a beautiful scenic
creek. The water is muddy brown but overall a pleasant surprise.
I will post some pictures in my next message. We cruise along the creek which runs parallel to Centerville road. We end our journey at Springfield Park which is just before you get to Hwy 66. There was an
easy out on the left bank close to some picnic tables. Springfield Park has a baseball field and soccer fields which were completely flooded too so we put in again and paddled across the flooded fields nearly to the parking lot. That was funny end to this trip. We were in two Perception
Islander model Kayaks that we purchased at Dicks Sporting Goods last year.
This was a great first trip down Rowlett creek and I highly recommend it. We live in Rowlett, Texas and this is very close to us. We also like to paddle around Lake Ray Hubbard which is fun too but
nothing like white water. I hope the next time we Kayak Rowlett Creek we will see some. I hope this letter will be beneficial to those who are thinking about making the trip down Rowlett Creek. I am also interested to hear from those who ventured past Hwy. 66 to Lake Ray Hubbard.
What can you expect along that route? - Glenn Clegg, Rowlett, Texas. Says Glenn Clegg
Not a bad run. 3 good rapids. take out is tough, especially after a rain. Says John Webber
I been fishin' this here crik for 14 years. Grreat fur catfishin', and gar giggin'. Says
Rowlett Jack
Its great for Cottonmouths! Says Steve Irwin
wonderful fun, even has a 4 to 5 foot waterfall. Best when right after rain storm. Says jared
It's Golden! Says Dave
The sections for whitewater rafting and kayaking here in Texas are often
more forgiving than in other states, so better not forget that many of the rivers here are not very demanding. The natural beauty of Dallas County and the beautiful way the water current moves down the stream have people coming here. Lodging is available near the river, but if
you don’t have reservations you might end up sleeping in your car. This is a short paddling stretch so you'll have to walk back to the start over and over. A bit of exercise and spending some quality time in nature will make you glad you came. The put-in location is a reasonable
drive from Dallas -Fort Worth-Arlington, there's a road map further down the page with more info on that. Some people prefer whitewater rafting and some kayaking, either way around here you won't find a large number of other spots. The Pleasant Valley Road in Garland TX section
of Rowlett Creek in Texas is 2 miles long and is a class II-III(IV) section of whitewater according to American Whitewater. There are no other sections to paddle along Rowlett Creek than the Pleasant Valley Road in Garland TX section.
Briefly about the general area:
Rowlett Creek gets a common amount of annual rain; May is the month that gets the most rain, and December meanwhile is the driest month. The warmest time of the year at Rowlett Creek comes with high temperatures in the 90's. Summer overnight lows descend down to the 70's. Through the wintertime highs are frequently in the 50's, and winter nights come with lows in the 20's to Rowlett Creek.
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Rowlett Creek, Pleasant Valley Road in Garland TX road map
Printable road map with the put-in and take-out locations clearly marked.
QUICK STATS
AW Class:
II-III(IV)
Length:
2
miles
Average Gradient: 8 fpm
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Putin Location Coordinates:
Latitude: 32.9596
Longitude: -96.61128
Takeout Location Coordinates:
Latitude: 32.9459
Longitude: -96.59144
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Paddler input for Rowlett Creek, Texas:
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All Texas Whitewater
Complete list of all the whitewater paddling spots in Texas.
Books about whitewater paddling on Rowlett Creek, Texas
List of books from Amazon.com that cover whitewater paddling on Rowlett Creek, Texas.
Find a whitewater outfitter in Texas
Whitewater Basics
If you're new to whitewater paddling please take a look at this basic whitewater info.
Outdoors Recreation Near Dallas -Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas
Very comprehensive list of a variety of outdoors recreation in the vicinity of Dallas -Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas, the metro area neareast to Rowlett Creek. Find info on campgrounds, hiking trails, ski resorts, lakes, beaches, parks, whitewater and more.
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| These outdoors activities are available near Rowlett Creek. |
| | Whitewater Near Rowlett Creek:
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Duck Creek, Dallas
County
, 4 miles away, Class II-III - 5 miles long (Beltline Road to Miller Road) |
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Spring Creek River, Collin Dallas
County
, 7 miles away, Class II(III) - 3 miles long (Renner Road to Jupiter Road) |
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White Rock Creek, Dallas
County
, 13 miles away, Class II-III - 5.25 miles long (Belt Line Road to US 75) |
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Furneaux Creek, Denton
County
, 20 miles away, Class II-III - 2 miles long (Josey Lane to McCoy Road) |
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Ten Mile Creek, Dallas
County
, 27 miles away, Class II-III - 5 miles long (South Main St to Pleasant Run Road) |
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| | Hotels Near Rowlett Creek:
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Hyatt Place Dallas Garland, Garland
, 3 miles away |
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Homewood Suites by Hilton PlanoRichardson, Dallas
, 6 miles away |
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Days Inn Dallas Garland West, Garland
, 6 miles away |
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La Quinta Inn and Suites Garland Harbor Point, Garland
, 6 miles away |
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Candlewood Suites PLANO - EAST, Plano
, 6 miles away |
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| | Trails Near Rowlett Creek:
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Wylie Community Park Trail, Collin County
, 6 miles away |
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Bob Woodruff Trail, Collin County
, 7 miles away |
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Trinity Trail, Collin County
, 8 miles away |
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Sister Grove Park Trail, Collin County
, 17 miles away |
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Arbor Hills Nature Preserve Trail, Collin County
, 18 miles away |
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| | Golf Courses Near Rowlett Creek:
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Woodbridge Golf Club, Wylie
, 3 miles away |
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Waterview Golf Club, Rowlett
, 5 miles away |
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Pecan Hollow Municipal Golf Course, Plano
, 5 miles away |
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3 miles away
6 miles away
