Ocoee, Tennessee, US

Upper Ocoee - Ocoee #3 to Ocoee #2 Dam (Upper Whitewater Section and Olympic Course)

Alien Boof at Mikey's

Alien Boof at Mikey's
Photo of Chad Spangler by Rob Murphy

River Description

River History:

Originally managed by the Eastern Tennessee Power Company, the Ocoee River was dammed to build hydroelectric plants. The Ocoee No. 1 and Ocoee No. 2 Dams were built between 1910 and 1913 featuring a wooden flume that diverted the waters of the Upper and Middle Ocoee along an elevated path, concentrating water pressure for the hydroelectric powerhouses. The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) purchased the power system in 1939, and in September 1976, the wooden flume diverting water on the Middle Ocoee was shut down for reconstruction and, once again, the river ran unabated. The river attracted lots of attention, as boaters flocked to the Middle Ocoee to run its five miles of continuous whitewater rapids. Rafting companies sprang up while the TVA hurried to repair the flume and again divert water from the Ocoee. After much resistance and a Congressional Act, TVA agreed to schedule 116 days of recreational whitewater releases per year on the Middle Ocoee. Whitewater racing events have been held on the Ocoee since 1978, bringing the river to the attention of the world. The Ocoee has also been called the birthplace of freestyle kayaking, hosting the first-ever Ocoee Rodeo at Second Helping in 1983. The Ocoee has become one of the most popular whitewater rivers in the world, attracting over 250,000 visitors annually.

1999 Ocoee Rodeo at Smiley's

The Upper Ocoee riverbed had remained dry throughout most of the 20th century, which allowed for the manipulation and construction of a world-class racing course. The Ocoee Gorge is wider at this point, allowing ample room for spectators. With the Ocoee approximately 100 miles north of Atlanta, all three of these factors made the Upper Ocoee the ideal place to host the 1996 Summer Olympics Whitewater Slalom competition.
The Ocoee would be the first natural river used for Olympic whitewater competition, but this upper stretch was shallow and too wide to generate the desired intensity for whitewater slalom. Course designers rechanneled the riverbed to create an Olympic course one-third the width of the original riverbed. To estimate the effects of this rechanneling, the design team used a 300-foot, 1:10-scale physical model for calculation purposes, and to minimize the time and cost for experimental boulder placement, the amout of water required for full-scale testing, and disruption to the river. Sandstone boulders harvested from the area shaped the course banks and venue, some weighing up to seven tons each. The design team developed the concept to build a river within a river. They used levees or banks to create the narrow "inner" whitewater course. This allowed the "outer" river to be used for viewing areas during events and to convey high flows during floods. The project of rechanneling the original riverbed took less than two years to complete, and created what would soon be called "America's Olympic River." July 1996 brought over 15,000 visitors and more than 1,000 volunteers and staff to the banks of the Upper Ocoee River.

A Kayaker in Mikey's Rapid

River Description: The first stretch of the Upper Ocoee is primarily Class II tree dodging. Much of the riverbed is cluttered with low-lying bushes and dimunitive trees, forming a maze of sorts. After a little less than a mile, you will reach the first major rapid below the put-in. The left channel is often called David's Pride, and features a double-drop into a pool. The right channel is called Tombstone and is recognizable by the large tombstone-shaped rock on the left side side of this channel. Either way, be sure to catch Dee Dee's Secret, the popular playspot with a marvelous surfing wave and two ledge-holes found directly below Tombstone. Dee Dee's Secret can be difficult to find, especially if you run David's Pride -- you will have to weave your way through the bushes on the right in order to find it.

On and off Class II-III continues downstream until you reach the next major rapid, Mikey's. Mikey's is the largest rapid above the Olympic course, and can be scouted from the island in the middle of the river. You will see an island and a chute to the right. Rocks at the top split this chute, and make two moves possible here -- a right to left move above and around the rocks near the top of the drop, and a straight right-side line over the five foot ledge into the deep hole at the bottom. If you run left of the scouting island, you will find a four foot ledge with a nice boof move.

The stretch from Mikey's, through the Olympic Course, to Roach Motel, will suprise most newcomers to the Upper, as it shows a tremendous strength and power not found on the Middle Ocoee. Blue Hole is the last rapid above race course. Start far right, then paddle left over the tight main drop into the large waves that continue downstream toward the bridge. Use caution . . . a rafter drowned in a sieve here.

At the bottom of Blue Hole, you will notice a large suspension bridge signifying the start of the Olympic Course at the Ocoee Whitewater Center. The first drop after the suspension bridge is called Best Ledge, with a large tongue on river right. Best Ledge leads directly into Smiley Face, named for a smiling face spraypainted on one of the larger rocks in the middle of the rapid, visible only at low water. In fact, this is the only graffiti not removed from the riverbed in preparation for the Olympics. The hole is to the left of the rock right of center, and is the new home of the Ocoee Rodeo. After Smiley's, waves and eddies abound, leading directly into Slam Dunk - the biggest single drop on the course.

Ocoee Whitewater Center

Humongous Rapid

Run the slot in the center and eddy out into one of the large eddies on either side. A wave train called Conveyor Belt leads into Callihan Ledge, a shallow ledge created as a rodeo spot and named for a spraypainted name on the rock ledge. Run to the left or right of the midstream shoal.

Humongous is next. It is the largest rapid on the Upper Ocoee. The river constricts, forming a large wave train which is then split in two by a large rock with a television camera mount. The left side has eddies extending from the river left bank, while the right side features very small eddies and large waves that plunge into a violent hydraulic. There have been many bad swims on both sides of this rapid, including several during the Olympics.

After Humongous (the last major rapid on the Olympic Course) go left under the bridge where Class II-III continues for several hundred yards. The river narrows and drops into three very large offset holes called Roach Motel. Stay right of center to avoid the strong middle hole. Be sure to avoid the numerous small bushes and trees growing in the riverbed from this point until the campground.

After more paddling through bushes, you will be able to see the Thunder Rock bridge and the Ocoee #3 Powerhouse on the left. That signals the last major rapid on the Upper Ocoee, Edge-of-the-World. Just after the Thunder Rock Bridge, the river drops about four feet into a very large hydraulic. This drop is adjacent to the manmade outflow chute that releases the water for the Middle Ocoee from the Ocoee #3 Powerhouse. Edge-of-the-World will probably kick you to the left, upstream toward the turbines. This is one of the most dangerous spots on the Upper Ocoee because of the very large hydraulic forming at the base of the drop, especially at levels above 1800 CFS. If you don't know where to run this drop, visit the Thunder Rock campground before you go to the put-in. To skirt this drop, paddle down the Class I-II natural streambed on river right. The left side of the turbine chute, across from Edge-of-the-World, is reinforced with concrete. You want to run the drop directly across from the concreted-in section, and you don't want to miss the main slot.