Rottenwood Creek, Georgia, US |
|
| Usual Difficulty | III-IV (for normal flows) |
|---|---|
| Length | 2.25 Miles |
| Avg. Gradient | 50 fpm |
| Max Gradient | 100 fpm |
| Name | Range | Difficulty | Updated | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ROTTENWOOD CR AT INTERSTATE N PKWY, NR SMYRNA, GA | ||||
| usgs-02335910 | 250 - 1000 cfs | III-IV | 01h10m | 9.3 cfs (rc= -0.3 ) |
Gauge Description:
Visual from one of many bridge overpasses. (Delk, Terrill Mill, Windy Hill, Windy Ridge,
Interstate North, I-285, and Akers Mill)
Rottenwood only runs after heavy rains, and runs off quickly. It can spike up and down over
1000 cfs in less than an hour.
November 2007: USGS now has an online gauge. It does not corelate with the Maxwell gauge. REPORT YOUR RUNS.
Update 9-01-2003 - New Gauge:The gauge is on the Interstate North Parkway SE bridge. It
is a painted gauge on the downstream side of the center set of pylons. It is best viewed from
river right next to the large "Interstate North Parkway 180" sign.
0 inchs - passable. This is around 200 cfs on the USGS gauge.
2 feet - padded.
3 feet - beefy
River Description:
Welcome to some of the most polluted water in Georgia.
Rottenwood has some good whitewater; problem is that when the river is running the water is
brown. Almost the color and consistency of a chocolate milk shake. In that water will be the
run-off from a very large office park. After running Rottenwood expect your gear to smell like
gasoline. Burning eyes and and skin irritation from the polluted water should be expected. Aside
from that the river has some good rapids.
In the old days (pre 1997) the best way to see how the river was running was to take a
look from the bridge over the creek at Akers Mill road. Akers Mill Rapid was directly downstream
of the Bridge. Unfortunately with the road project we got a new bridge that covers the entire
rapid. The construction changed the rapid somewhat, widening the channel and making the drop a
little bit easier. The quick road side scout takes a little more work. The best place to look at
the creek for a level check is now either the put-in or where Interstate North Parkway crosses
the river. As of 2007 the Park Service added a jogging trail that runs alongside the creek
from above Akers Mill Road down to the takeout. The upstream end of the trail is where the
USGS gauge is located.
Akers Mill rapid can get into the class 4 range with higher flows.
Above Akers Mill is a nice ledge drop that resembles a low head dam at higher flows. Beware of
the undercut left bank. This drop used to be called Confederate Life, named after the multi-story
office building beside it. The building has since changed ownership, currently Ascent
Insurance. See the Rapids tab for more detailed info.
A word of caution would be to watch out for the large (3 to 4 foot diameter) pipe toward the
end of the run. At low flows water runs under the pipe, at flood water runs over the pipe. Last
checked there was a lot of wood jammed on the upstream side of the pipe, and not much of an eddy
above it. Most people carry around the pipe on river left.
Rottenwood has been run at some rediculously high levels. Use your best judgement before putting
on. If Rottenwood is rising you might find yourself running the rapids dodging mobile strainers,
and other assorted trash.
Rottenwood and Sope can usually be run back to back with some creative shuttle work.
Bradley. Posted April 2001, Updated March 2002, revised August 2008.
Logistics: The Put-in is just below the Health Club off Windy Hill Rd, on 1
North Parkway. There is a creekside parking area where Poplar Creek drops into Rottenwood
Creek.
Use the park on the Hooch at Hwy 41 for a take out. Be current on your Hepatitis shots.
If your gear is REALLY smelling like an oil spill, there is a car wash about a mile away
on Spring Road in Smyrna.
National Park Service map of the takeout: West Palisades.
Visual from one of many bridge overpasses. (Delk, Terrill Mill, Windy Hill, Windy Ridge, Interstate North, I-285, and Akers Mill)
Rottenwood only runs after heavy rains, and runs off quickly.
Update - Newer Gauge!: USGS now has a gauge just above Akers Mill rapid at the parking lot for the jogging trail. This gauge was added November 2007. Report your runs and we will update info here.
Update - Not so new Gauge:The gauge is on the Interstate North Parkway SE bridge. It is a painted gauge on the downstream side of the center set of pylons. It is best viewed from river right next to the large "Interstate North Parkway 180" sign. In the future when you run Rottenwood, please report the levels and if it was low, medium or high, so we can get a handle on what the gauge means. 9-01-2003N
| Name | Range | Difficulty | Updated | Level | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ROTTENWOOD CR AT INTERSTATE N PKWY, NR SMYRNA, GA | ||||||||||||
| usgs-02335910 | 250 - 1000 cfs | III-IV | 01h10m | 9.3 cfs (rc= -0.3 ) | ||||||||
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| When | River/Gauge | Subject | Level | Reporter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rottenwood Creek [GA] |
Upper Rottenwood Creek - Georgia
|
N/A | Chuck Williams | |
| Rottenwood Creek [GA] |
(RM) Portaging the Pipe
|
2'2" | Robert Maxwell | |
| 4y66d01h09m | Rottenwood Creek [GA] |
39622.jpeg
|
Drought level 90 cfs | Tommy Mode |
| 9y324d01h09m | Rottenwood Creek [GA] |
Confederate Life - 2
|
low | Brad Roberts |
| 9y343d10h09m | Rottenwood Creek [GA] |
Bottom of Akers Mill
|
Low | Brad Roberts |
| Mile | Rapid Name | Class | Features (Legend) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.0 | Put-In |  | |
| 0.2 | Confederate Life | III+ |   |
| 0.6 | Windy Ridge Parkway Bridge Rapid | III |  |
| 0.9 | First Pipe | | |
| 1.0 | Akers Mill Rapid | III+ | |
| 1.8 | Sewage Pipe |  | |
| 2.3 | Metro Hooch Takeout | I |  |
Confederate LifeA double ledge drop. The left bank is undercut. At high flows this rapid creats a nasty riverwide hole, backed up by a second large hole. At higher flows it can be snuck down the right. At low flows you run down the meat on the left.
Rottenwood CreekJust above the Akers Mill parking area is a riverwide pipe. At low flows it can be ducked under, at higher flows its a hazard with not much of an eddy above it.
Top of Akers Mill Rapid
(RM) Portaging the Pipe reach
state
reachlink
Windy Hill Rd to Chattahoochee River, Rottenwood Creek Georgia, US (mobile)
User Comments
nice moderate level for our first run on this creek. Before we went to the put-in I thought it
might be a good idea to scout Confederate Life rapid to get an idea of the flow and pick our route.
After scouting the rapid my friend decides he would help me with the shuttle but didn't feel
comfortable about making the run since his experience was limited. With that said it turned into a
solo run,which for me always makes things a little more interesting .As previously mentioned this
was my first time running Rottenwood, although I had scouted the entire run from the bank with help
from the Bob Callan trail which goes right past Aikers Mill rapid , scouting Confederate Life and
Windy Ridge rapids are not as easy but can be done by parking on private property. Ok now for the
solo run details ;on my approach to Confederate Life in the back of my mind I knew river-right was
my best option but from our earlier scout I knew river-left had a nice slide that ran towards an
undercut rock with a decent hole at the bottom but it seemed like a runnable line at this level so
off I went .On the way down the slide I found myself headed towards the undercut rock ledge so I
thought I would use my paddle to brace the impact which resulted in me getting my paddle knocked
from my hands which left me circling around the hole until I recovered my paddle then I continued
on my way downstream to Windy Ridge rapid where things went a little smoother but not much. There
was no swim but it was touch and go there for a second. I was held in the middle of the rapid for a
minute, it seemed like forever. Aikers Mill rapid is probably the most technical rapid but for me
on this partcular day it seemed to go easier than the other two. After Aikers Mill rapid the creek
runs through a small gorge which is mostly boogie water with exception of what I refer to as Bunker
rapid (view photos) for a picture of this rapid. There are also several sewer pipe crossings on
this run, some actually cross at creek-bed level. They built concrete structures on top of the
pipes which resemble small low-head dams the other pipes are aerial crossings which must be
portaged . I am aware that solo runs are not recommended, cold weather and nasty water only
complicated things but I was desperate for a run and this was my fix . ..Special thanks to Bobby
Kelly for the shuttle help.
We didn't make it as far as the gage. Confederate Life was a good Class II run on the river right
line but a scary as hell looking line on river left that we figured might be a Class IV.
<p>
Due to some short sightedness on equipment we did not finish the run. One of our friends was in a
recreational kayak and it soon became obvious it wasn't going to work in the fast current and
constant action of a creek. I am also to blame as I did not have contacts in that evening and was
wearing glasses that had quickly fogged up, so seeing what was coming next was proving difficult.
We hiked out and decided to come back better prepared next time.
</p>
<p>
Also of <b>important note</b>, there is a tree across the river along with a good size pipe just
40 yards upstream of Insterstate North Parkway & 285. You can see both from the bridge where
there is currently construction going on and the road formerly crossed the creek on this bridge.
Friday night they were right at the level of the water and by Saturday morning the water level
had dropped and they were 3-4 feet above the creek. I saw some eddies with fast upstream flows
and creating whirlpools along the eddy lines.
</p>
<p>
We're regulars on Nantahala, love Cartekay, and have hit a few others like Chattooga 3.5 at lower
levels but all of these are pool drop style rivers. <i>I wanted to share this little story for
others in our skill range thinking about stepping up a skill level the next time the water
rises.</i> Going there with inappropriate gear, without a guide and not bridge scouting first was
foolish.
</p>
<p>
The next morning I parked at the Hooch and walked upstream. I was privy to some of the things we
would have had to get through including this <a href=
"http://www.ccgallery.net/rottenwood/river_wide_strainer.jpg">river wide strainer</a>. The
<a href="http://www.ccgallery.net/rottenwood/probably_fun_at_4_feet.jpg">rocks and pour overs</a>
<i>(that's the normal low level of the stream)</i> and obstacles we missed down stream looked
like fun but I had no regrets about our decision to walk out and come back another day. UPDATE:
Nov 16. The level was a little higher, I took some pictures and built up a webpage. Here is the
<a href="http://www.ccgallery.net/rottenwood/">link</a> and I hope you'll learn from our lessons.
:)
</p>
Meeting up with Jeff Larimer and Neil Quinn it starts at<br>
the put-in where the creek is roaring underneath<br>
Inerstate North. I'm not quite sure how<br>
much rain we got that day, but it was enough to bring<br>
the creek over 10' on the bridge gauge. Now, i have<br>
10' left us speechless and shaking our heads . Neil<br>
was the first to grab his paddle, and without anydone<br>
some runs on this creek at pretty high flows but<br>
words we got dressed.(For the first time we could not<br>
paddle under the bridge, we had to put in below) I<br>
knew from previous runs over 7' that we would have<br>
to walk the first rapid, and that day it was espeacily<br>
nasty. After the riverwide death hole all the water<br>
smashes directly into the trees on river right. We<br>
actually had to walk about 30 yards down stream<br>
before it was safe to put in. Trust me, thoughts of<br>
walking back to the car were sounding pretty good,<br>
but we pressed on. For those who know the run the<br>
following rapid that feeds under the next bridge can<br>
get pretty hairy, and that day was no exception. To<br>
our suprise the lines stay pretty much the same, and<br>
the eddies are still there! GO LEFT, there is a HUGE<br>
hole on the right in this rapid. Then for about 3/4's of<br>
a mile till akers mill just hold on, we are talking big<br>
waves and big fun and plenty of time to get out and<br>
look at Akers Mill rapid. There's really not much to<br>
worry about here, the holes all gone and everything<br>
turns into a huge waves all the way to the river. Even<br>
the rapid further down which normaly has two big<br>
holes is now three incredible surf waves! Now the<br>
only thing in the back of my mind was spotting the<br>
pipes to carry around, but they never came. Somehow<br>
we paddled right over them without knowing, and<br>
when we reached the river, still speechless, we all<br>
agreed that we have never been as happy to see the<br>
Chattahoochee as then.<br>
This has to be my favorite run in Atlanta. Unlike Sope,<br>
which is solid class V+ in these types of rains<br>
Rottenwood keeps its lines and eddies, just a lot<br>
bigger! Not sure of the CFS that day but Sope was<br>
running 7,500 CFS and you could hear boulders<br>
tubbling underwater from about 300 yards away!<br>
<br>
See you next time!<br>
<br>
3 feet on gauge = big water, some pushy water in spots, definitely some holes to avoid. Call it
medium-high<br>
<br>
6 inches = mellow, but not scraping plastic. all rapids are still fun<br>
<br>
-2 inches = minimum level. nothing over class III. still fun for an afternoon fix, but it's not
going to get your adrenaline up unless you're a beginner kayaker.<br>
<br>
You could still get down Rottenwood if it was even an inch or two lower, but consider -2" your
cut-off.
run, I assume that minimum might be somewhere between 8"-12" and high would just over 3'.
Having said that, the routes through the rapids change with the water level. Some lines will get
easier and some harder, until it all washes out to wave trains and large holes. So, Low, Medium and
High is more or less relative. Again, please post your levels and impressions so we can get a
handle on the new paddler's gage.
bridge. It is a painted gage on the downstream side of the center set of pylons. It is best viewed
from river right next to the large "Interstate North Parkway 180" sign. In the future
when you run Rottenwood, please report the levels and if it was low, medium or high, so we can get
a handle on what the gage means.
and leaves it's low to medium, if it's 2x6s, it's really high. This run is a blast at really high
water. When the big rock at Akers Mill rapid is submerged, there are 6' + waves below the rapid.
But sure to get out to portage the pipe. There's a lowhead between Akers Mill and the pipe. At low
water, it's nothing. At medium-high levels, it's nasty. I spent a long time getting trashed in the
lower hole one night several years ago. I was in it until Commander Hooke washed out of the upper
hole and pushed me out. He stayed in it until a large tree limb pushed him out. It looks like there
isn't much above Windy Hill. I think I ran from Terrell Mill down many years ago, and there wasn't
much beside a lot of wood and a culvert that might become a death trap at high water. Confederate
Life and the rapid below it develop some big holes at high water (over the pipe). I used to get a
sinus infection every time I did this run.
left bank. Good splashy 2/3 below that. Some wood to avoid. Lots of construction going on with new
road connecting interstate north to akers mill.<br>
<br>
Might make us a new hole under the interstates.<br>
<br>
Akers mill rapid is easier than it used to be pre-new bridge. Top of the rapid split by a large
boulder. we took the right hand route. Good class 2/3 splashy stuff below. Three good surf spots in
the class three range. Water quality still nasty as ever - eyes burning due to fuel in the water.
Fun run, shame that its so polluted. Sewage pipe over the river about a quarter mile before the
hooch confluence. Pipe is about 4 feet diameter, lots of wood on the upstream side. Pipe can be
carried on either side, most pick left.
been rebuilt. Anyone ever run the creek above Windy Hill Rd??
construction of the Kennedy Interchange. Isn't Akers Mill rapid gone? When was the last time you
ran Rottenwood? P.S. I always thought it smelled more like pesticide than gasoline. I also noticed
that I was immune to mosquitoes, fleas, and ticks for up to 3 months after running Rottenwood. ;-)