Many of those who have successfully completed a beginning whitewater kayak clinic or have learned paddling basics on their own have asked, "Where do we go from here?" Unless they have friends who are willing to guide them, it is often difficult to take the next step of paddling on easy rivers to gain experience and build confidence. Also, renting or borrowing equipment can be a problem or an inconvenience.

In response to these needs, we have scheduled a number of one-day trips on class II rivers to help novice whitewater paddlers practice the skills they have learned and build enough confidence and independence to go on club trips or with other novices. A WWLC instructor and possibly one or more assistants guide these trips. While the guides will suggest the best routes and will offer tips to improve paddling techniques, the emphasis will be on having fun, rather than on instruction. Participants may challenge themselves as much or as little as they want.

Kayakers and canoers who have had previous class II whitewater experience but no formal instruction are welcome on these trips. The main skill requirements are the ability to paddle straight, using corrective strokes if necessary, and to perform eddy turns, peel outs and ferries in class II rapids. Paddlers who have major difficulties with these basic elements of boat control should take a group class or a private lesson first.

Drought Contingencies

If severe drought conditions persist in 2009, making free-flowing rivers in Georgia unrunable, we will switch trips to either the Tuckaseegee or the lower Green River in North Carolina or the Hiwassee in Tennessee, all of which are dam-controlled.  Duke Energy provides Sunday recreational  water releases on the Tuckaseegee from the third week in May through the first week in September. The Green typically runs year-round on weekends, as long as the reservoir level is close to target.  Sunday recreational releases are scheduled on the Hiwassee from Memorial Day through Labor Day.  

The Rivers

Upper Amicalola Creek, west of Dahlonega, Ga. We run the section from the DNR  "6-mile" campground to Ga. 53, a distance of -- you guessed it-- 6 miles.  On-water time for the trip is usually about four hours. The rapids on this section of the Amicalola consist of a variety of ledges and rock gardens.  A level of 0.8 feet on the Ga. 53 gauge insures a scrape-free ride, but I have run this section at lower levels without too much difficulty. The Amicalola has a small watershed and tends to rise and fall quickly after a rain, so running the river or not is usually a last-minute decision.  However, a new real time on-line USGS gauge will enable us to make a decision in advance. For more information, see Welander, Sehlinger and Otey, "A Canoeing & Kayaking Guide to Georgia", pp. 150-153 or the American Rivers website at http://www.americanwhitewater.org/rivers/id/461/.

Cartecay River, east of Ellijay, Ga., is a popular river and is only an hour and a quarter from I-285. Thirty years ago before the construction of I-575 and the real estate boom that followed, it was a pristine, near-wilderness quality river, its banks lined with mountain laurel and rhododendrons. There are still a few undisturbed stretches left, but most of the river is a poster child for bad development practices. The State of Georgia has recently begun cracking down on violations of stream bank buffer zones, but it comes 30 years too late. It's still a great river. Just avert your eyes from the houses and focus on the whitewater. 

There are two sections of the Cartecay with class II whitewater. The middle section from Lower Cartecay Rd. to Mulkey Rd. is a short 2 mile stretch which can be run nonstop in a little over an hour. However, most paddlers take it at a more leisurely pace, stopping to play in the rapids and to eat lunch (usually at Whirlpool rapid --  a great play spot), which turns it into a 3 or 4 hour trip. The pace starts slowly but then picks up steadily in the last mile. The most challenging rapid is S-turn, a complex two-part drop that requires aggressive paddling and bracing. The last (and most fun) rapid is Stegall Mill Falls (aka Blackberry Falls), a long shallow slide into a boiling foam pile.

The lower section is begins at Mulkey Rd with the take-out at a parking area within the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Rich Mountain Wildlife Management Area, a distance of 5 miles. All the excitement is in the first part of the run, culminating in Clear Creek Falls, a river-wide 5 foot ledge. After that, it is a 45 minute flat water paddle to the take-out. The lower section is wider and shallower than the middle section and is only runable at medium and high water levels. We may run one or both sections, depending on the water level and the preferences of the group. For more information, see Welander, Sehlinger and Otey, " A Canoeing & Kayaking Guide to Georgia",  pages 126-130 or go to the American Whitewater website: http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/River_detail_id_3418_ (middle) and  http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/River_detail_id_3631_ (lower).

Upper Chattahoochee River, east of Cleveland, Ga. We run the section from Ga. 115 to Ga. 384 (Duncan Bridge Rd.) This section of the Chattahoochee is the only section with significant class II whitewater.  It is a good  river on which to build boat control skills. The river is fairly wide and rocky, so picking the right route is a challenge, especially at lower levels.  It has a variety of rapids, ranging from ledges to shoals and rock gardens. The major rapid of the day is Three Ledges, which is actually three drops about 75 feet apart. The river gets more exciting the higher the level as the flow increases and more surfing holes open up. At the same time, the biggest drop, Horseshoe rapid, becomes more forgiving as fewer rocks are exposed. For more information, see Welander, Sehlinger and Otey, " A Canoeing & Kayaking Guide to Georgia",  pages 181-183 or Nealy, " Whitewater Home Companion Volume 1", pp. 39 – 42, or go to the American Whitewater website: http://www.americanwhitewater.org/rivers/id/471

Chestatee River. This section starts out with a class III rapid (Copper Mine Rapid) that is easily portaged. The river flows through forested hills with little development and is quite scenic. There are numerous easy class II rapids. The most challenging rapid is Blasted Rock, a class II or II+, depending on the water level. It is about 75 feet long and fairly rocky and requires aggressive paddling and reasonably good boat control. Unfortunately, there is no good portage. After Blasted Rock, the terrain flattens out and the river is Class I until the take-out at Ga. 52. For more information, see Welander, Sehlinger and Otey, "A Canoeing & Kayaking Guide to Georgia", pp. 201-202 or go to the American Whitewater website: http://www.americanwhitewater.org/rivers/id/478/

Etowah River. We  run the "Falls" section from GA. 9 south of Dahlonega to Castleberry Bridge Rd.  On-water time for the trip is usually about 4 hours. Like the nearby Chestatee River, the Etowah flows through forested hills with little development and is quite scenic. The most significant rapid we will paddle is Chuck Shoals, a 75 foot long "rock garden," requiring some maneuvering to avoid getting stuck. We will stop for lunch at Etowah Falls, a riverwide 10 foot, two-part drop. We will portage the first 7 foot drop and put in after lunch above the second drop-- a 3 foot ledge. The last rapid just before Castleberry Bridge is several hundred feet long and can be a challenge finding the best route, especially at low water. For more information, see Welander, Sehlinger and Otey, "A Canoeing & Kayaking Guide to Georgia",  page 157 or go to the American Whitewater website:  http://www.americanwhitewater.org/rivers/id/483/ 

Lower Green River, near Saluda, N.C.  The Green is fed by dam releases from Summit Lake. The volume varies according to how many generators Duke Energy is using which depends mostly on the current lake level relative to its target level and the rain forecast. The section we run begins where the infamous class V-VI  Narrows of the Green ends. The river is fairly small and there are over a dozen rapids over the 6.3 mile run. At lower volumes, the rapids are rocky and technical and provide many opportunities to practice eddy turns and peel-outs. About two-thirds of the way down is a small ledge that is ideal for learning how to surf. At higher release volumes -- which we haven't seen in  a while due to the drought-- the rocks are less prominent and the waves bigger. For more information, see Benner, "Carolina Whitewater," pp. 91-93 (reprinted in Sehlinger, Otey, Benner, Nealy & Lantz, "Appalachian Whitewater Volume I," pp. 128-129 or go to the American Whitewater website:  http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/River_detail_id_1081_ 

Hiwassee River. We run the section from just below the Appalachia powerhouse to Reliance, Tennessee.  This section of the Hiwassee is dam-controlled with scheduled recreational releases on weekends between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Releases at other times depend on electricity demand and reservoir levels. The rapids consist mostly of small ledges and shoals. There are surfing spots all over the place. The last rapid, Devil Shoals, is actually a long wave train that is fun to ride. The riverbed is wide – several hundred yards at points—and runs clear, cold and fast. (The Hiwassee is one of the premier trout streams in the Southeast.) A paddling jacket or neoprene top is recommended.  Except for the last half-mile, the river is entirely within the Cherokee National Forest, so there is no development to spoil the views. A railroad parallels the river most of the way, but it is now used exclusively for tourist excursions.  For more information, see Sehlinger and Lance, A Canoeing and Kayaking Guide to the Streams of Tennessee, Volume II, pp. 56-59; Sehlinger, Otey, Benner, Nealy & Lantz, Appalachia Whitewater Volume 1, pp 58-61 (a reprint of the Sehlinger & Lantz chapter); Nealy, Whitewater Home Companion Volume 1, pp. 95-100; or Smith, Southeastern Whitewater, pp 248-253; or go to the American Whitewater website: http://www.americanwhitewater.org/rivers/id/1751/.

Toccoa River. We put in at Deep Hole, a U.S. Forest Service campground on Ga. 60 north of Suches and take-out at Butt Bridge or on Dial Rd. (depending on the parking situation), a 7 or 8 mile run. This section comprises the upper half of the Toccoa River Canoe Trail and contains most of the interesting rapids. The river is fairly narrow at the put-in point and flows through heavily forested lands. There are numerous class I and II rapids in the first several miles. Just below the suspension bridge where the Benton McKay Trail crosses the river is  Margret Drifts, a long class II-II+ rapid that is the major whitewater of the day. After this, the river calm down and the scenery opens up until the take-out. 

The Toccoa has numerous opportunities to practice eddy turns, peel-outs and ferrys and there are several good surfing spots at medium to high river levels. The minimum recommended level is 350 cfs. It can be run at lower levels but becomes shallow and scrapy in many spots and the rapids tend to disappear, so we usually only run it above the recommended minimum. For more information, see Welander, Sehlinger and Otey, " A Canoeing & Kayaking Guide to Georgia",  pages 102-105 or go to the American Whitewater website: http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/River/detail/id/509/

Tuckaseegee River. We run the "Gorge" section from downtown Dillsboro, North Carolina to Tuckaseegee Outfitters on U.S. 441. The Tuckaseegee is a dam-controlled river which means that its flow is fairly predictable except after a rain. The volume depends mainly on whether Duke Power is generating electricity at either one or both of the upstream dams. There are fewer exposed rocks and more powerful currents at higher East Fork flows. However, the best surfing wave occurs at Double Drop rapid with West Fork releases. Sunday recreational releases from mid-May through Labor Day are normally from the West Fork dam. Both dams are 20 miles or so upstream of Dillsboro, so local rainfall can affect the river level significantly.

The major rapids on this section of the "Tuck" are mostly straightforward wave trains, although some maneuvering is required to avoid rocks and holes. There are few surfing opportunities but there are a number of spots to practice peel-outs and ferries. Once we get past some tacky development near the put-in, the scenery improves dramatically. We will eat lunch on some large mid-river rocks just below the first major rapid (Railroad rapid). This is a good place to practice moving water rolls. On-water time for the trip is usually a little over three hours and it is an easy shuttle, so we should be back in Atlanta by early evening.  For more information, go to the American Whitewater website: http://www.americanwhitewater.org/rivers/id/3392/ 

The cost of these trips is $45 and does not include equipment, transportation or lunch. There is a $5 discount if you register at least 5 days before the trip. You may furnish your own equipment or rent it from WWLC for $15 off our regular daily rate (see Canoe & Kayak Rental page). Equipment rental includes: boat, paddle, PFD, helmet and, for kayakers, spray skirt and nose plugs. A paddling jacket  is $5 extra. You can meet the group at the river or carpool from Atlanta and share gasoline expenses. Guides will transport as much equipment as possible but, if you need to carry your rental boat and do not have roof racks, we supply foam blocks and straps to secure boats to your vehicle.

We want to make these trips quality experiences, so space will be limited. Advance reservations and payment are required. A minimum of three participants is needed, and trips will be canceled if there are not enough reservations by the Monday before. Credit card payments are accepted. Trips will run rain or shine. If we cancel a trip due to violent weather, flooding, or other hazardous conditions, you may transfer your reservation to another date or receive a full refund.