Cheoah, North Carolina, US |
|
| Usual Difficulty | IV-V (for normal flows) |
|---|---|
| Length | 9.25 Miles |
| Avg. Gradient | 83 fpm |
| Max Gradient | 146 fpm |
| Name | Range | Difficulty | Updated | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHEOAH RIVER NR BEARPEN GAP NR TAPOCO, NC | ||||
| usgs-0351706800 | 400 - 2500 cfs | IV-V | 01h27m | 200 cfs (rc= -0.1 ) |
The Cheoah River is
located in the extreme southwestern corner of NC, near Robbinsville. For seventy years the
nine-mile section between the Santeetlah Dam and Lake Calderwood was dewatered. American
Whitewater along with the Western North Carolina Paddlers advocated for releases for over 6
years. Whitewater releases on the Cheoah began in the fall of 2005. Each year there
are at least 18 releases for paddlers to enjoy for the next 40 years.
The Cheoah is unusual for rivers of its volume in the Southeast in that its gradient is
relatively constant. This means that with the exception of 2 or 3 half mile or so sections, it is
unusually continuous, more so than anything else with a similar volume of water in the Southeast.
Some call it "warm western-style paddling;" those paddling it at the higher winter 2002
flows continued the Western analogies, comparing it to Pine Creek on the Arkansas and the Lochsa
at high water. No doubt contributing to the analogies was the water quality, which was crystal
clear during the winter flows. All who have paddled the Cheoah have agree it will become one of
the crown jewels of whitewater world.
The portion of the Cheoah from JoAnne's Gas and Grocery Store to Lake Calderwood can be broken
into three sections: a 1.5 mile brushy and tree-clogged upper section with a number of sticky
holes and a potentially troublesome river-wide ledge a bit downstream of the hydroelectric bypass
pipe, a 4 mile relatively open and mild middle section that features some nice wave trains at
higher water levels, and a 1.5 mile lower section with the most gradient and the best defined
drops. Efforts have been made to clear channels in the upper sections of the river, however
there are large root balls scattered throughout the stream bed and swimmers should be extremely
careful.
At flows of about 1000 cfs or under, the upper section is about a half grade and the middle
section a full grade easier than the lower section, with the first two sections similar in
difficulty to the Ocoee. The risks are greater, however, as much of the channel is heavily lined
with trees and brush, giving the run a nature akin to paddling during a flood. The main technical
challenge is presented by the frequent series of offset holes. Because of the trees and brush, it
is not a good place to paddle if you don't have a rock-solid roll and the ability to read water
well on the fly (bank scouting would not be fun).
The lower section is the best defined, with a number of classic drops. It begins at the bridge on
which the Bearpen
Gap gauge is located. My favorites were the sequence of four drops with the biggest single
drop on the river (a ledge about 8 feet high) being the third and the drop beginning at the
bridge downstream of the Tapoco Lodge. There were many, many waves to surf and a number of very
playable holes, including two potential rodeo sites: one at Tapoco Lodge and one at the end of
the drop beginning at the bridge downstream of the Lodge.
At the highest level paddled during the summer test releases (4.7 feet / 1,130 cfs), the upper and lower sections were much closer in difficulty as the offset holes were beginning to get sticky. The hole below the river-wide ledge was beginning to look scary at this level; recovery after a swim would be challenging due to the thickets of trees growing in the water and on both banks for a considerable distance downstream. The lower section didn't change much, so the result was a run that was a lot more fun but not any scarier (assuming strong class IV skills, and keeping in mind that the Ocoee only requires strong class III skills). If more of the trees and brush were removed, the upper run would almost certainly get easier at every level as paddlers wouldn't be forced to run through the meat of the holes and the entrapment danger would be lower.
See also Chris Bell's Asheville-Area Boating Beta Page.
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Video Podcast about the Cheoah Relicensing
AW's Kevin Colburn and Jeff Paine talk with John Grace of Lunch Video Magazine about the Cheoah relicensing project.
LVMTV :: Monday Morning Madhouse 3/16; American Whitewater's
successes with Cheoah Releases from Lunch Video
Magazine on Vimeo.
The Cheoah River near Bearpen Gap near Tapoco, NC gauge is located at the bridge that marks the beginning of the lower section of the run.
Releases should range from 850 CFS to 1000 CFS but are often higher than the required amounts.
The river can be run at 4.15' / 670 cfs, but I would need at least 800 cfs to be willing to make the two hour drive from Asheville. As reflected in the ratings, the Cheoah gets harder as it rises.
5.0'/1500 cfs is a very exciting, challenging level providing a thrilling ride unlike anything else to be found in the Eastern US.
Levels over 6'/2800 cfs are probably too high for mere mortals on all but the middle section.� These ratings are based on the river's current tree and brush-clogged status.� If at some point some of these trees and brush are removed, easier lines will open up and the penalty for mistakes will be lower.
The upper section is reported to be very dangerous by a group that attempted a run at 6.8'/4000 cfs.
| Name | Range | Difficulty | Updated | Level | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHEOAH RIVER NR BEARPEN GAP NR TAPOCO, NC | ||||||||||||
| usgs-0351706800 | 400 - 2500 cfs | IV-V | 01h27m | 200 cfs (rc= -0.1 ) | ||||||||
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| Mile | Rapid Name | Class | Features (Legend) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.0 | Put-In |  | |
| 0.5 | First diversion pipe | ||
| 0.7 | Craik's Ledge | III+ |    |
| 2.2 | Joannes Grocery | | |
| 2.9 | The rapid above the pipe | IV | |
| 2.9 | Swinging Bridge Rapid | III+ | |
| 2.9 | Wilma's Ledge aka God's Dam | IV+ | |
| 3.1 | Takeout | IV+ | |
| 3.1 | Takeout/Entrance | | |
| 3.1 | Takeout/First Drop | | |
| 3.5 | Typical Upper Cheoah Scene | IV | |
| 4.5 | Typical Rapid on the Middle Cheoah - Yellow Creek Rapid. | IV | |
| 5.0 | Land of Holes | IV | |
| 6.0 | The deadend pool | I | |
| 6.1 | The easy stuff | III | |
| 7.0 | The Forest Service Bridge |  | |
| 7.1 | Rod's Hole | III | |
| 7.4 | Entrance to Bear Creek Rapid | IV+ | |
| 7.5 | The Falls | IV+ |  |
| 7.5 | Bear Creek Rapid (The Slide) | IV+ | |
| 7.5 | Bear Creek - The left side of the Island. | IV+ | |
| 7.5 | Bear Creek Rapid (The Hole) | 5.0 | |
| 7.6 | Rapids below Bear Creek | IV | |
| 8.4 | Tapoco Lodge Rapid | IV | |
| 8.6 | Yard Sale | IV | |
| 9.0 | The Lake | | |
| 9.2 | Calderwood Boat Ramp |  |
(RM) Put-In Rapid
Above Pipe & Dam
(RM) Walking Bridge before God's Dam
(RM) God's Dam
Entrance drop of Takeout
Top drop at Takeout
Typical Upper Cheoah scene
Rapid on middle Cheoah section
Corey playing at Rod's Hole
(RM) Bear Creek Rapid
Cheoah
Final hole below big drop
Waves at Tapoco Lodge
Yard Sale
(RM) Dam at Calderwood Lake
(RM) Calderwood Boat Ramp
| Cheoah Release | Sunday the 19th | 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM EST | 1000 cfs |
(iCal)
reach
state
reachlink
Santeetlah Dam to Calderwood Lake Boat Launch, Cheoah North Carolina, US (mobile)
User Comments
insurance. This rating is not accurate. I give the Cheoah a solid V for rafters, and may be a IV+
for experienced Kayakers. If the rapids on the Cheoah are IVs, then we need to change all the Big
5s on the Gauley to 4s as well. This is Louie and how can you compare 1200 on the Cheoah to 2800 on
the Gauley, the frickin road is right beside it, it is a narrow stream bed, the trees grownin in it
is the biggest hazard, the biggest drop on it is only 13 feet, I think the raft companies are up
gradein it to IV / IV+ to pull in more customers. I don't know if you are aware of this but most of
the "big 5's" are now considered IV by most people. If those rapid are V what are the one on West
Prong, Santellia and Raven Fork, Ochos? Don't rate rapid by your own abilites. Edit
Report here: http://americanwhitewater.org/content/Report/detail/id/152458/ or look under pictures
for "Pinned at God's Dam." I riverboarded God's Dam and there is a tree in the bottom of the hole.
I was standing on it dodging rafts. Edit
http://picasaweb.google.com/tm.dubois/20090621Cheoah# . These were taken in 2009. P.S. I'm in the
blue Prijon Boxer, number 10 frame.
Knoxville. If anyone has any more information please post it as it helps us all paddle safer.
pull it out after this weekend release. Also one serious injury?/close call?/ death?... Life
flighted out. Hope he/she is ok.
11/1/09 scary huh glad to see you are alright prior report was written on 2/2/09 Edit
release around 6k. The log was in the center of the rapid in the upper portion. The hole described
below the bear creek falls really is not that menacing at release levels, and the west prong line
consists of 3 prominent drops a 6-8ftr, a 4-6ftr and a 2ftr. The first I normally run river left on
the tongue, the second you boof the slot on the right, the third is either the right slot or center
slot. "Rods Hole" doesn't really offer as good of play as described at the normal release levels,
although there is plenty of other good play on the river. Also there is a new take out the forest
service made which was looking pretty nice and one of the girls that works at what was Joannes
Grocery was saying the owner will probably charge for use of the parking lot this coming season. In
addition the whole using the raft the dragon and trying to name one of the rapids the dragon is
pretty lame considering the dragon actually starts in Tennessee, and the fact that many locals hate
the bikers on the dragon due to the accidents they cause and the driving hazard they cause. So as a
piece of advice i think the boating community should stray away from this dragon theme so we can be
portrayed in a more positive light by the community. Edit
rapids below the store) Pipewalk, III+ mile 6.3 God's Dam, IV mile 6.2 Jeff's Wood, Class III
(rapid below God's Dam) Takeout, IV(IV+)mile 6.1 The lines from right to left... The Good, The Bad,
& the Ugly Hancock's Ledge, III+(IV) mile 5.6 Yellow Creek Rapid, III+(IV) mile 5.1 Land of 1000
Holes, IV Mile 4.6 The Dead Sea, mile 3.7 Forest Service Bridge mile 1.9 Rod's Hole, III, mile 1.8
Fear Factor IV+ mile 1.5 (Entrance to Bear Creek Rapid), Bear Creek Falls, IV+ mile 1.1 Tail of the
Dragon(River Right), IV mile 0.7 West Prong Line(River Left), IV+ mile 0.7 Tapoco Lodge Rapid, IV
mile 0.5 Yard Sale,The Holes... (Cupcake, Beefcake,& Shitcake)IV+ mile 0.4 Fugitive, Class III mile
0.1
being the stuff below the falls.
running 2G and holding (a VERY GOOD LEVEL), there is really no way to access it that i know of
unless you feel like running a 200+ mile shuttle! Call DOT before heading out there. It is possible
you could run part of the River but just not the whole thing...<br>
<br>
Check out a photo... Notice the debris on the road that shows that there were several more feet of
water in the river....<br>
<br>
http://americanwhitewater.org/photos/?photoid=4103<br>
Kohl comments- Just ran Cheoah with some other first-timers on Saturday, January 26, 2002, at
around six feet, a level we guess that would equate to something like 2,700 cfs (it dropped to
about 5.4 while we were on the river). It was big, pushy and thrilling. The Cheoah is definitely an
instant southeastern whitewater classic. The big ledge and the area immediately downstream on the
right are the only parts that seem to start to get troubling due to the nature of some huge offset
holes. The rapid below Tapoco Lodge (past the bridge) is worth remembering, well-defined lines with
huge hidden holes at five-and-a-half feet. It could definitely go higher than this, but I don't
think any of these rapids will wash out--they'll just create more monster holes. There is one
hazard I'd mention, and that is a set of cables that are in the river just upstream of the power
house (and just downstream of the below-the-bridge rapid). Even though I saw them while in an
upstream eddy, I lost track of one silverish cable and came quite close to it while paddling
downstream. My friend said he saw black cables in the water too. This is quite close to the
upstream IV rapid when the water is up, and a paddler in our group swam just above the cabled
section. Had he not found an eddy, it could have been a scary situation. -Geoff Kohl Scott Hanshaw
comments- Ran it on Sat, Jan 26, 2002. Level was around 5.5 on the USGS gauge. This was an
unbelievable run! This level is higher than the test releases, which made for an incredibly wild
ride, But I can see that at the higher end of the test levels (900+) This would still be a great
run. A group of us paddlers from Arkansas would usually make 4+ trips a summer, out east, to the
Ocoee. We have slowed down some in the last few years because the Ocoee has lost its
"zip". If regularly scheduled releases were set up on this river, I'm certain we would be
road tripping often. At the release levels I'm guessing that the play potential would be excellent.
At this level it was "hang on to your hat and look out for the monster holes". Very
Sweet! I will defiantly be watching the gauges and when it runs again on a weekend I will be
loading up for a road trip! Thanks Keep the rivers flowin' -Scott Hanshaw Don Kinser comments- Ran
the Cheoah yesterday at 5.34 feet on the Bear Pen Gauge (CFS not available). It was big. There is
no way in hell the section below the bridge just above the lodge is class 4 at this level. Much
more like class 5+. Reminded me of Pine Creek on the Arkansas. It is big, continuous and
unrelenting. Once you went under that bridge you were committed. The section above from the little
store to the bridge was outstanding and totally continuous. Big waves, big holes, big fun. There
were many people on the river and it had come down to 5.34 feet from almost 7 the day before. Keep
up the good work. -Don Kinser
to 1000 cfs. higher flows were NOT compared to the ocoee, they were compared to the Arkansas
Numbers with Pine Creek Rapid at the bottom, like the Lower 5 of the North Fork of the Payette, and
like a continuous Lochsa. Even the lower flows were awesome and challenging and aesthetic. The
water was clear/blue, the air was 60-70 degrees, the locals were curious and enjoyable to chat
with, and the river was incomparable. There is nothing like it left in the Southeast, It is
Incredible.