Tuckasegee, West Fork, North Carolina, US |
|
| Usual Difficulty | III-IV+(V) (for normal flows) |
|---|---|
| Length | 9.5 Miles |
| Avg. Gradient | 143 fpm |
On June 29, 2001, American Whitewater organized a team of volunteers to run this dewatered reach
as part of a whitewater flow study. We found a super fun creek run of moderate difficulty with
one big drop and tons of great low angle slides and boulder rapids. We signed a settlement
agreement with Duke Power and other stakeholders in 2003 recommending 7 annual releases, which
were expected to begin in 2006. Delays associated with the removal of Dillsboro Dam have
prevented the new releases from becoming a reality. FERC licenses were issued in 2011, and
it appears likely that the spring of 2012 or 2013 will be the magic year when releases will
begin.
If you want to tie up your modem and his server, you can view Leland's 9.5-minute
video of the event. Choose:
Small version (240 x 160, 69.3
MB), or
Large version (360 x 240, 168.8
MB).
Yep, that's "MB" as in Megabytes. These files will take a while. (Clicking on them will
open a new browser window.)
(You'll need Quicktime to view these
videos.)
See the related article about relicensing of Duke Power's dams.
Lat/longitude coords of the putin and takeout are very approximate.
No rapids entered. If you know names, and locations of the rapids please contact and advise the StreamTeam member for this run. 
reach
state
reachlink
Thorpe Dam to Tuckasegee River, Tuckasegee, West Fork North Carolina, US (mobile)
User Comments
what the river will be like at release and my comments below might be overinflated) and have to
make some comments:<br>
<br>
this is a creek, so if you don't have skills to run stuff like the North Fork French Broad, Lower
Big Creek, or similar stuff, you will find this a little big for your taste. The reason I say this
is based upon the number of holes (some pretty sticky), the amount of trees, and the overall
difficulty of a couple of rapids. One rapid in particular, located about 1/3 to 1/2 mile below the
bridge at Cullowhee Forest development is a Class IV/IV+ (maybe a V at high water) due to the two
holes in the rapid, and an undercut I noticed. It has 3 or 4 moves in it, and drops into a pretty
nasty hole on the bottom left. Be careful and be good at boat scouting if you've never run this,
you'll be in boogie water alot in some sections.<br>
<br>
Overall, I think it is going to be a gem of a run (the water was crystal clear)- we just need to
get some strainers moved out of there.<br>
<br>
-Newton
of 2001, you can find it online at:<br>
<br>
http://www.americanwhitewater.org/resources/repository/West%20Fork%20Study.doc.LNK.doc
1,000 acres of old growth and cliffs, from the dam to the base of high falls.<br>
We hope to reach a negotiated settlement on flows and access in the West Fork sometime late in
2002.