| Description: The 16 Mile Hole is a
fun but challenging wave-hole that is conveniently located just over
an hour's drive from Portland. This hole seems to be in just about
every time Portland gets a couple of days of heavy rain.
The "16" as locals refer to it is a really
complex place to surf. This hole gives up a lot of moves but
none of them very easily. The 16 Mile hole rewards a mellow, zen
surfing style where you wait for the moves to come to you rather
then forcing them through. It seems that being aggressive here
doesn't really work out well. It is best just to spin and grind it
up until you are at the right place at the right time.
The 16 Mile Hole works at a wide range of
water levels. Though the best and most workable water level is
around 8.1 ft. At the low end it can be a great place for Beginners
and Intermediate paddlers. But as the water levels increase the "16"
is a place only for expert paddlers (high frustration level).
Just down stream from the hole is a rock wall
that the current pillows up against. This rock wall and the boils
below it in the next eddy give rookie paddlers fits. It is common to
see rookie pasted up against the rock wall by the current after
flushing off the wave, while the paddlers in eddy smile. Not the friendliest place to play. Though it
is fun place to for experts to play, it is quite a demanding and
tiring place to play. Most people tire pretty quickly here a LOT of
paddling is required.
When you are walking down to hole make sure
to use and established trail. The last thing this area needs is more
erosion. Watch your step! The trails down to the water are
notoriously slippery. The best trail down to the water is downstream
of the hole from the bigger of the two turn outs on the Highway 6 near
the hole. |
| Eddy Service: There is eddy service
from both sides of the river for the 16 Mile Hole. However it is
significantly easier to get on the hole from the small river-left
eddy. This river-left eddy ends at the rock wall that the current piles
up against before deflecting toward the river-right eddy. If you are
not directly on-line for the river left eddy save your energy and
ride the current down into the river-right eddy. The large river-right eddy extends at least a hundred yards below the hole however
the rock wall, the strong current and the abundant boils on the eddy
line and in the eddy combine to make this a rather taxing exercise. Most paddlers
chose to ferry across to the river-left eddy and get on the wave
from there rather than risk missing the hole on a strong ferry from
the shallow upstream edge of the river-right eddy. Using the eddy service here effectively
requires a paddler to have strong class III-IV paddling skills. |
| Water Levels:
7.4 - 7.8 ft: Starts as a green
wave and breaks progressively more before becoming a strong
wave-hole. The eddy service is a lot easier at this level and the
"16" is much easier to surf.
7.9 - 8.7ft:
These are the levels that the 16 Mile Hole is known for. The best
level is near 8.1ft when the hole seems a bit wide and less twitchy.
Above 8.8: The hole gets very flushy
before it greens out again.
|
| Gauge: Wilson River at Tillamook, OR.
Be aware the river levels on the Wilson change quickly, watch
for big spikes during periods of heavy rain. |
| Season: Rainy Season, October to May
during or after periods of heavy rain |
| Difficulty: Expert. No serious
hazards but having a strong, quick roll is essential to make the
eddies. Watch out for the rock wall just downstream from the hole.
The eddy service gets to be a lot more challenging as the water
levels increases. |
| Driving Directions: Located between
mile post 16 and 17 on Oregon Highway 6. It is easiest to spot the
hole when heading westbound on Highway 6. Once you pass mile post 17
keep your eyes open for the hole and park at the longer turn out a
couple of hundred yards below the hole. The easiest trail down to the
hole is from this lower turnout. |
| Closest Town: Tillamook, OR |
| Closest Services: If you need gas,
food or anything else Tillamook is twenty minutes away. |
| Other Local Attractions if the play isn't
in: Check out the Tillamook Cheese Factory or go on a hike or
mountain bike ride on the abundant trails in the Coast Range. |
| Closest Camping: There are
campgrounds up river from the 16 Mile Hole. Abundant opportunities
exist for camping at undeveloped sites along the river and off of
mountain roads near by. |
| Local's Tips: If the river is too low
for the 16 Mile Hole to be in, then head downstream to the 12 Mile
Waves or the MRI Hole. If the 16 Mile Hole is out then head up to
the Cedar Butte Bridge Wave or do the Jordan Creek to 12 mile bridge
play run but watch out for the Narrows above 8.0 ft. |
| Local Kayak Shops: Alder Creek and
Next Adventure are shops to hit in Portland. |
