1st Saturday Paddle Series
Update: We will now be running Jet to Lilly on Clear Creek, Saturday. Looks like rain in the forecast, so it should be a fantastic run.
Meet at Lilly Bridge at 10 central/11 river time. Middle TN folks. If you'd like to carpool/join the caravan we will leave the Home Depot Parking lot on South Hartman Drive at 8:00am.
James had something come up. Jason has stepped up to lead us. Thank you Jason! Jason: 615-585-5480 Steph 615-812-9183
Cancelled: Weather depending, March's 1st Sat Paddle: New River Gorge above Big South Fork. American White Water link Here. Option to camp at the Confluence and continue on Sunday: Big South Fork to O&W Bridge.
Meet at the Confluence: 10am River Time. The take-out is the same as the put-in for the Big South Fork. Folks staying overnight can stage camping gear here and continue to BSF on Sunday.
Put in: New River Hwy 27 down to Confluence (Clear Fork).
New River: Class II/III
Big South Fork:II-IV
Questions: James Parnell (606) 402-0530
Every 1st Saturday of every month in 2024 you will find us paddling a whitewater river or creek somewhere in Tennessee. We welcome all to join us. We will keep it on natural flow as much as possible. When water gets scarce, we’ll resort to the dam releases at Hiwassee, Ocoee, and Pigeon. Some weekends are predetermined with the assumption there will be enough flow. These will correspond with other events such as Rendezvous (Clear Creek), Jack Lyle Memorial Paddle (Big South Fork), Canoe & Kayak School Follow-up Paddle (Hiwassee). Other trips we will try to predict water levels and update the location approximately 1 - 2 weeks out based off of present water levels and expected rainfall. Just like the water we’ve got to be fluid. Things can change pretty quick.
Expect Class II through Class IV. Don’t rule a paddle out though due to difficulty. Some ratings are based off of 1 or 2 rapids that in many cases can be portaged. If in doubt, ask us! Just a few rivers you are likely to see:
Ø Big South Fork (Confluence to Leatherwood Ford) II-IV
Ø Clear Creek (Jet to Lilly) II+(III)
Ø Clear Creek (Lilly to Nemo) II-IV
Ø Obey, West Fork II
Ø Tellico (Bridge below Jared's Knee to Ranger Station) II-III
We will occasionally make a weekend out of it and camp close to the river. Not a requirement to paddle but could be an option if you like. We’ll keep you posted when and where we plan to camp. Who knows, if we feel like it, we may do it again on Sunday.
TSRA membership is not required however there will be a $10 registration fee for nonmembers per trip. If you like us and think you will join us again, apply that $10 towards a membership and paddle next time with no registration fee.
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