I first heard about the Table Rock Fork back in the nineties, when Dan Coyle and John Cliff ventured up very high on the river and ran the whole thing down through Table Rock Gorge (actually, I think Dan was the only one to run the gorge, and at pretty high water, if I remember correctly).
Dan and John reported several significant class IV-V rapids up high, then the middle class III(IV) section described in this report, then the gorge at the end. Most people run the middle section, avoiding the claustrophobic gorge downstream and the wood-filled big drops upstream. At the recommended flows this run is very busy, with nearly non-stop splashy drops all the way to the take out. There is only one rapid which is in the class four range in my opinion, but there is plenty of fun stuff in between when the water is up.
The biggest rapid on the run is known as 'The Pinch' and is located about halfway through the run. This drop is easily recognized from above, and paddlers are advised to approach with caution. There is a big eddy on the river-right side immediately above the drop, so it is pretty easy to scout on that side. Anyone swimming above The Pinch should make an extra effort to get out of the river; this drop has several features that would be quite dangerous for a swimmer.
The top part of The Pinch requires a strong move into an eddy behind a boulder on the river-right side to avoid a couple of pesky logs on the left, then stay right through the middle and catch a generous eddy on the left to scout the final drop.
The final drop in The Pinch is a uniform hole that is surprisingly sticky at higher flows. In fact, the line at higher water pretty much involves side-surfing the hole over to the river-left side, then paddling out over there. Pretty fun stuff!
Note: The far river-right side of the bottom drop pours onto a boulder with severe pinning potential (see photo below). Because of this, tentative class four boaters will want to scout carefully before attempting this drop.
Below The Pinch the river resumes it's class III, playful nature as it winds its way down to the take-out.
I highly recommend this run paddlers looking for something new in the Mollala drainage. It is much more continuous than the Three Bears run just downstream, though the little gorges on the Three Bears run probably make it a little more scenic overall.
FLOWS and ACCESS: This river is best after a heavy rain storm. The only gauge that we use currently for this run is the mollala River at Canby, which provides a fairly strong correlation for this run. The Table Rock Fork usually contains about 10% of the water of the mollala River at Canby.
Note: The short gorge just downstream of the take-out is class IV-V and should be approached with caution. It is easy to locate the gorge, you can stop on the shuttle when the road peaks out and peer down inside, but be advised: the biggest drop is hidden just downstream.
To reach the take-out, drive 4.4 miles upstream from Turner Bridge and then take a left. The road will go up a hill, then top out. You can scout the gorge from here, if you want to. Continue upstream to a campground on the right, next to the river. To reach the put-in, drive about five miles upstream, crossing a bridge along the way, to where a gated bridge crosses the river on a side road. Be sure to park far enough away from the bridge so you don't block the road and create access problems for those who come later.
