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Free Flow vs Dammed Rivers

FREE FLOWS ARE DANGEROUS, FREQUENTLY ISOLATED, AND OFTEN HARD TO SCOUT. RISING CREEKS ARE DEADLY.
Here is a note from a TVCC member after a paddler's death on the Tellico Ledges:

"…He had only been paddling for a year. Our group met the ambulance coming down the road and were unaware of what was transpiring upriver. By the time we got to the (Jared's) Knee it was obvious that the river was outrunning the gage. The last reading we had was 2.5 a very doable level. It was quite clear that the river was much angrier than 2.5 and we would not be putting on.
I don't care how many wave wheels, enders, hand rolls, double pumps, phoenix monkeys, cartwheels, and loops you can do, reading water and learning to make good decisions takes time. It is painfully obvious to me that he, like many of our newer boaters, was brought along too quickly. Paddling flood is like having a car that will only do 70 MPH. You may get by for a little while, on tame stretches of interstate, (rivers) for a little while. Taking this car on country roads (creeks) is another story. You are going to crash. If you are VERY LUCKY you will lose some gear, get the shit scared out of you, and perhaps spend some quality time in a trauma center but you are going to crash.
In my Humble opinion, with very few exceptions, it takes a lot more than a year of experience to attempt to challenge a creek in flood such as the Tellico…"

See also TVCC member Allen Pogue's essays on portaging and "The Rules of Free Flow".

To check gages, see the USGS National Water Dashboard.

Some access is affected by hunting closures, usually in the Fall for deer and Spring for turkey hunts on public lands.

Regional Rivers  (Consult American Whitewater River Info for more details)

Hiwassee River:   

Ocoee River (Upper)

Ocoee River (Middle)

Tellico River - Upper ("Ledges")

  • Class III-IV
  • Tellico Plains, TN I Free Flow

Tellico River - Middle

  • Class II-III
  • Tellico Plains, TN I Free Flow

Pigeon River

  • Class II+-III 
  • Hartford, TN | Dammed | TVA (Waterville Dam)
  • Note: The Pigeon put in and access were destroyed in Hurricane Helene in late September 2024.
  • Scheduled releases from CP&L's Big Pigeon Waterville Dam, historically from Memorial to Labor Day on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, & Saturday, from noon – 6:00 pm. Even with releases, water levels are highly variable.

Nolichucky

  • Class III-IV
  • Erwin, TN I Free Flow

Clear Creek Gorge

  • Class II-IV
  • Lancing, TN | Free Flow  - Flow Data
  • See American Whitewater/USGS pages for flow data.

Big South Fork (of the Cumberland)

  • Class II-IV (Confluence to Leatherwood Ford)
  • Oneida, TN I Free Flow
  • Many sections of varying difficulty.  See the Cumberland River (Big South Fork) in the American Whitewater, Tennessee rivers page.

Cartecay River

  • Class I-II
  • Ellijay, GA | Free Flow | Gage
  • Be aware that access to the Lower Cartecay run—below Blackberry Falls/covered bridge to the take out at the GA Dept. of Natural Resources (DNR) reserve — is shut down at certain times, usually in the Fall, to allow hunting on DNR land. The gate will be shut—you may want to check the DNR closure schedule before planning on this longer run.

Toccoa River

  • Class I-II+
  • Dial, GA I Free Flow

Chattooga River (Section 3.5)

  • Class II/III+
  • Clayton, GA | Free Flow
  • There are multiple section on this river, some extremely difficult and quite dangerous. This river holds water for a long time and can often be run when little else is possible. There are multiple gauges on this river; go to the Savannah River Basin section for the most relevant information on this section.

Nantahala River

  • Class II-III
  • Bryson City, NC | Dammed | Duke Energy

Tuckasegee River

  • Class I-II
  • Dillsboro, NC | Dammed | Duke Energy

French Broad River (Section 9)

  • Class II/III
  • Hot Springs, NC | Free Flow
  • Many sections to this long river, with the most paddled probably being the French Broad Section 9 (FB9). There is one CLASS IV below the Stackhouse (and long flatwater section called "Windy Flats") on river right of an island, which can be bypassed by going to the left of the island. See American Whitewater, NC rivers. This river holds water for a long time and remains runnable at very low levels.

Green River (Upper)

  • Class II-III+
  • Saluda, NC | Dammed

Cheoah River

  • Class II-IV 
  • Tapoco, NC I Dammed

Little River (four sections)

  • Lower Canyon (Class III); Upper Sections (Class IV, to Class IV-V)
  • Fort Payne, Alabama I Free Flow

Locust Fork of the Warrior River

  • Class II-III+
  • Cleveland, AL I Free Flow