Float Trip Ideas?

[MacGyver]

So about every three months or so, I get the urge to do a float trip - canoe, paddle board or really anything that floats. It's kind of like a treehouse - if you're a treehouse person, you look at any tree for its potential for hosting a treehouse. I drive over a creek or river on the interstate and think, "I wonder where that goes?"

Most of my paddling the last couple of years has been one day outings, as I have small kids, and it's simply hard to get away for longer. That said, my kids are getting old enough now that I think they could really enjoy riding along.

I was having a discussion with some friends this morning about overnight trips, and how difficult it is today to put one together due to land rights and other private property concerns. In a recent copy of Paddling Tennessee, there's not a single overnight outing.

I'd like to put together a two-day or even three-day trip. Something with some mileage and a place to camp. Ideally, we're looking at 20-30 miles total mileage with a good place to set up camp. I'm having trouble finding a place that meets these requirements.

For those of you who paddle, where are you going these days if you want to paddle and camp. I'm really pretty open to anything within several hours.

Suggestions?

[Guest WyattEarp]

friend of mine recently went to the Buffalo River and camped and canoed, he said it was great.

Buffalo River Camping & Canoeing - Tennessee Vacation

[UncleJak]

Have you gone on Caney Fork? I can't remember how long of a trip I took there, but it was cool.

[Guest nicemac]

Have you gone on Caney Fork? I can't remember how long of a trip I took there, but it was cool.

Cool, yes. The water is ice cold!

[MacGyver]

I've paddled Caney Fork plenty of times. Is there a place where you can camp?

[UncleJak]

theres the long branch campground...otherwise You have to ask the private landowners.

[MacGyver]

Any of you east Tennesse guys float any longer sections of the Hiwassee?

[Will Carry]

We do overnight camping on the French Broad River near Hot Springs NC and camp on islands along the way. It's a class II-III river with one class IV that can be sneaked. The fishing is excellent on the French Broad.

The Chattooga River in North Georgia has overnight camping on section II that is easy paddling.

The Sipsey River in North Alabama is a great overnighter in the winter and spring. Very rugged wilderness.

The best overnighter I have ever done was on Clear Creek near Wartburg. The most beautiful creek I have ever seen. They have what they call "Rock Houses" along the river. It's where the river undercut the rock walls of the canyon. Some of the Rock Houses are huge! Big enough to set up camp in. They only problem with Clear Creek is that it's almost never high enough.

This is me on Crooked Fork Creek in Tennessee.

Edited July 22, 2011 by Will Carry

[MacGyver]

Cool. Thanks for those suggestions. While I'm quite comfortable on the SUP in Class II-III, since the kids are little, we're probably looking at Class I-II for the next little bit.

That's a good suggestion on the Sipsey. Looking at a September trip right now.

I'll check out Clear Creek as well. Any idea on the total distance? I'm looking at the NPS.Gov map, but they somehow think that they're still useful without displaying any type of scale.

[analog_kidd]

I think you can do overnighters on the Big South Fork. Put in at the Leatherwood Rd parking lot and paddle down to somewhere I'm not sure of. There is one rapid you will want to portage, Angel Falls created by blasting rock. I think it is easily portaged. The rest of the run is very easy, class I-II so I've heard. I'm pretty sure you can camp anywhere inside the Big South Fork Natl Recreation Area, but you want to confirm with a ranger.

[analog_kidd]

We do overnight camping on the French Broad River near Hot Springs NC and camp on islands along the way. It's a class II-III river with one class IV that can be sneaked. The fishing is excellent on the French Broad.

The Chattooga River in North Georgia has overnight camping on section II that is easy paddling.

The Sipsey River in North Alabama is a great overnighter in the winter and spring. Very rugged wilderness.

The best overnighter I have ever done was on Clear Creek near Wartburg. The most beautiful creek I have ever seen. They have what they call "Rock Houses" along the river. It's where the river undercut the rock walls of the canyon. Some of the Rock Houses are huge! Big enough to set up camp in. They only problem with Clear Creek is that it's almost never high enough.

This is me on Crooked Fork Creek in Tennessee.

That looks like Upper Potters Falls. If so, I've been right there in that spot too. I get on that creek about once every year or two. Missed it this year though. My last swim was on lower Potters. Not my finest hour

My absolute favorite run in the area is Island Creek. Ran that at 2.5 feet this year. Won't do that again.

I have a friend that leads an Easter trip every year on the Upper Clear Creek section you mentioned. I've never been, but I hear the trips are always epic. Of course in the summer it wouldn't run, so the OP will have to wait till next spring.

[Will Carry]

That photo is from behind Lamance Falls upstream of Upper Potters Falls. Crooked Fork has four big waterfalls that can be run in a kayak. Lamance Falls, Upper Potters, Lower Potters and Six Foot Ledge. One of the best runs in Tennessee.

From Highway 127 to Barnett Bridge is about 20 miles.

Here is an American Whitewater page on Clear Creek. These comments were written by whitewater paddlers, they whine about flat water and over rate the difficulty but they are not too far off. The comments fail to discribe the unique nature of this creek. Clear Creek is very seldom camped on because it requires water somewhere between flood stage and extreme low flow, to paddle. It can go from flood to famine in three or four days.

American Whitewater - 1. US 127 to Barnett Bridge , Clear Creek Tennessee, US

Edited July 22, 2011 by Will Carry

[Will Carry]

I think you can do overnighters on the Big South Fork. Put in at the Leatherwood Rd parking lot and paddle down to somewhere I'm not sure of. There is one rapid you will want to portage, Angel Falls created by blasting rock. I think it is easily portaged. The rest of the run is very easy, class I-II so I've heard. I'm pretty sure you can camp anywhere inside the Big South Fork Natl Recreation Area, but you want to confirm with a ranger.

I'll second Big South Fork. It's one of the last wild places this side of the Big Muddy. The scenery is outstanding! The place if full of Sasquatches.

[MacGyver]

As far a hiking goes, the Blue Heron Mine section of BSF is spectacular. I bet the river is great through there.

[Guest tripp]

buffalo river crazy horse canoe rental awsome float i do the 3 day trip

[MacGyver]

Ran Big South Fork from Leatherwood Ford to Blue Heron Mine this weekend. 27 miles. Great time for all. We had four people in canoes, three in kayaks, and me on my stand up paddleboard. Water was about 250cfs, which made for some interesting rapids along the way for the beginners that were with us. Just big enough to be challenging and fun without being too overwhelming.

A couple of notes on the trip:

Give yourself three days. While we put in late on Friday and took out around lunch on Sunday, the vast majority of our paddling was on Saturday ~ 20 miles. Spreading it out a little bit will give you a lot more time to just screw around.

Bring fishing tackle! This section of river is way underpressured. I think I saw one fisherman, and he was 250 meters from the take out. Two of us limited on smallmouth bass with no effort, and I saw a couple of huge walleyes. Something hit a Rapala topwater lure I was using so hard that it broke the lightweight pole I was using.

The two portages are longer than advertised. The portage for Angel Falls is at least 1/4 mile. Devil's Jump's portage is not well marked at all, and is long and steep. You really need to watch for the overlook and then start really scouting for the portage.

For a bigger group, you need to start looking mid-afternoon for places to camp. There simply aren't that many places on the river that will support a group. I was in a jungle hamock, and several of our guys bivouacked, so we were fine, but if you're looking to put up more than a couple of tents, you're going to need to really look unless you want to be sleeping on an incline.

Check this section of river out. It was a lot of fun. I wish that we had gotten some footage of me running Devil's Jump on the paddleboard. We had a great time.

[ttocswob]

Clear Fork - tributary of Big South Fork - has some nice sections.

Gatewood Ford to Peters Ford - About 8 miles, and check the river gauge first - need about 200 cfps minimum. At 300 it's a fun paddle. Nice little funnel just above Peters Bridge.

Peters Ford - Brewster Ford (Hwy 52) - About 6 miles, easy. Park boundary starts at Peters Bridge.

Brewster Ford - Burnt Mill Ford - About 11 miles, worst part is the long gravel road to the take-out. Combine with Peters Ford section for a nice 1-2 nighter.

Leave Brewster to Leatherwood (now on Big South Fork) for the pros - several class III's, even IV's at times.

Leatherwood to Station Camp - About 8 miles. Angel Falls is the only concern - doesn't look like much, and the signs are usually washed out. It's a hydraulic that hold you and your canoe under long enough to drown.

If you hear banjos you're not paddling fast enough.

Edited June 24, 2020 by Chucktshoes

[dlm37015]

i go to the white river in ar little more tame but over 100 miles of world class trout fishing