There is yet another tree in Mandatory Portage. It is difficult to see when boat scouting - you
have to get out of your boat to see it. It is probably still runnable, but it is a big tree and
most of it is underwater. Edit
2008-03-30 11:09:28 (609 days ago)
There's only one problem with this description of access to the Rock House. You can no longer drive
into the clear cut. This is now TN State Park property. There are signs as you enter the clear cut
that say "no vehicles". This includes bicycles, 4-wheelers, and especially cars/trucks. You will be
ticketed if you park there. You can still enter the clear cut, but you have to drag your boat.
Since this is a fairly new change, they are patrolling regularly, and the rangers now when the
creek is running just as well as we do. Beware. Use this gauge:
waterdata.usgs.gov/tn/nwis/uv?03566525 Cain/North Chick is usually runnable from the top when it
registers 7.2 feet. At lower flows down to 6.8 and probably even lower, put in below the "Rock
House" which is below Vortex and Drainpipe. To get there, go out of the Pocket Wilderness takeout
turn left, go up Montlake, left on Poe, left on Grant, left on Barker Camp, left at the next gravel
Y, and go past the normal parking area for Cain. Keep going to the clearcut through the gate that
is normally open and go as far as you can. Whether you have 4WD may determine this. Follow the
right Y in the road, and WATCH ON YOUR RIGHT for a dirt/grass path (for ATV use). Park, and follow
this trail out of the clearcut and down to the timbered creek corridor. There will be splits in the
ATV routes, but just keep going down and to the left. Follow the most obvious route, but do not
turn right. Soon you will be paralleling Cain Creek near Vortex and Drainpipe, and you will find
yourself at the waters edge below the Rockhouse (which is the huge overhanging rock below
Drainpipe). Edit
I dont see any directions on this page, so here goes -- from the Bowater takeout, go up the
mountain and turn left on Poe Road. Go down Poe, around a righthand turn with a guardrail, and take
the next left onto Grant Road. Grant will then turn into Barker Camp, a dirt road on your right.
You'll see a pulloff area and most likely other cars there. Hike right down into Cain.
Cain Creek is on Milt Aiken's first "Tales of the Paddlesnake" series videos. The big rapid here is
Vortex, which was first run by Jonathan Clarady and myself. The trick here is to run the dry rock
in the middle, then slide into the meat of the drop. The wash-out is similar to Gorilla. This is
probably the fastest rapid you will ever run, the first time we ran it we were not expecting the
fast pace. We went up to the edge and then … it was too late.
From the Cain/Chick confluence its 6.9 miles to the Bowater parking area, at an average gradient of
110 feet per mile.
From Cain Creek Road to the Cain/Chick confluence is 2.4 miles.@ 102 feet per mile.
From Tony Robinson on Boatertalk " New stick gauges were recently installed on Cooper and Cain
creeks. Last Sat. when Cain read 6" on the traditional gauge, the new gauge read 1.5'. This gauge
is located on a bridge over Cain 2 miles upstream. It is located 1/2 mile down a newly graveled
road on the right .9 miles past the Cooper creek bridge. There is a yellow sign advertizing land
for sale. If you pull down to the right, you don't even have to get out of the truck. Six inches is
a minimum level on Cain, so if you are concerned Cain is too low, check the upper gauge first.
Another use would be to know if Cain was too high before you hike all the way down to the river and
paddle down to the gauge and have to hike back out, but there is no info on how a max level would
coorelate. The new Cooper gauge is located at the Barker-Camp Road bridge. Cooper was run last Fri.
at 2.3' on this gauge, a reportedly beefy level(N. Chick was 3.6'). I'm guessing 1.9 would be a
good minimum level. Speaking from experience, the best way to run Cooper is to not put in on
Cooper, but rather to run Cain/Chick down to it at a big level then hike up the last 1/4 mile of
Cooper. Since all the good rapids are located in it's last 1/4 mile before emptying into N.Chick,
you get to do all of them plus Cain/Chick at a great level. The Cooper trail starts at a large dead
pine tree on river left 30 yards upstream of it's confluence with N. Chick. The trail is on
Cooper's right side and takes you to the top of upper Cooper Connection. It's a rough trail, but
clear. Gauges were also installed on Big Soddy, Falling Water, and Woodcock creeks. The Big Soddy
gauge is located on the Back Valley rd. bridge at the takeout. The Falling Water gauge is on the
first bridge upstream of old Hwy 27. The Woodcock gauge is on the first road bridge upstream of
Hwy. 127. There is no info yet on how these gauges coorelate to levels."
User Comments
have to get out of your boat to see it. It is probably still runnable, but it is a big tree and
most of it is underwater. Edit
into the clear cut. This is now TN State Park property. There are signs as you enter the clear cut
that say "no vehicles". This includes bicycles, 4-wheelers, and especially cars/trucks. You will be
ticketed if you park there. You can still enter the clear cut, but you have to drag your boat.
Since this is a fairly new change, they are patrolling regularly, and the rangers now when the
creek is running just as well as we do. Beware. Use this gauge:
waterdata.usgs.gov/tn/nwis/uv?03566525 Cain/North Chick is usually runnable from the top when it
registers 7.2 feet. At lower flows down to 6.8 and probably even lower, put in below the "Rock
House" which is below Vortex and Drainpipe. To get there, go out of the Pocket Wilderness takeout
turn left, go up Montlake, left on Poe, left on Grant, left on Barker Camp, left at the next gravel
Y, and go past the normal parking area for Cain. Keep going to the clearcut through the gate that
is normally open and go as far as you can. Whether you have 4WD may determine this. Follow the
right Y in the road, and WATCH ON YOUR RIGHT for a dirt/grass path (for ATV use). Park, and follow
this trail out of the clearcut and down to the timbered creek corridor. There will be splits in the
ATV routes, but just keep going down and to the left. Follow the most obvious route, but do not
turn right. Soon you will be paralleling Cain Creek near Vortex and Drainpipe, and you will find
yourself at the waters edge below the Rockhouse (which is the huge overhanging rock below
Drainpipe). Edit
mountain and turn left on Poe Road. Go down Poe, around a righthand turn with a guardrail, and take
the next left onto Grant Road. Grant will then turn into Barker Camp, a dirt road on your right.
You'll see a pulloff area and most likely other cars there. Hike right down into Cain.
Cain Creek is on Milt Aiken's first "Tales of the Paddlesnake" series videos. The big rapid here is
Vortex, which was first run by Jonathan Clarady and myself. The trick here is to run the dry rock
in the middle, then slide into the meat of the drop. The wash-out is similar to Gorilla. This is
probably the fastest rapid you will ever run, the first time we ran it we were not expecting the
fast pace. We went up to the edge and then … it was too late.
110 feet per mile.
From Cain Creek Road to the Cain/Chick confluence is 2.4 miles.@ 102 feet per mile.
creeks. Last Sat. when Cain read 6" on the traditional gauge, the new gauge read 1.5'. This gauge
is located on a bridge over Cain 2 miles upstream. It is located 1/2 mile down a newly graveled
road on the right .9 miles past the Cooper creek bridge. There is a yellow sign advertizing land
for sale. If you pull down to the right, you don't even have to get out of the truck. Six inches is
a minimum level on Cain, so if you are concerned Cain is too low, check the upper gauge first.
Another use would be to know if Cain was too high before you hike all the way down to the river and
paddle down to the gauge and have to hike back out, but there is no info on how a max level would
coorelate. The new Cooper gauge is located at the Barker-Camp Road bridge. Cooper was run last Fri.
at 2.3' on this gauge, a reportedly beefy level(N. Chick was 3.6'). I'm guessing 1.9 would be a
good minimum level. Speaking from experience, the best way to run Cooper is to not put in on
Cooper, but rather to run Cain/Chick down to it at a big level then hike up the last 1/4 mile of
Cooper. Since all the good rapids are located in it's last 1/4 mile before emptying into N.Chick,
you get to do all of them plus Cain/Chick at a great level. The Cooper trail starts at a large dead
pine tree on river left 30 yards upstream of it's confluence with N. Chick. The trail is on
Cooper's right side and takes you to the top of upper Cooper Connection. It's a rough trail, but
clear. Gauges were also installed on Big Soddy, Falling Water, and Woodcock creeks. The Big Soddy
gauge is located on the Back Valley rd. bridge at the takeout. The Falling Water gauge is on the
first bridge upstream of old Hwy 27. The Woodcock gauge is on the first road bridge upstream of
Hwy. 127. There is no info yet on how these gauges coorelate to levels."