Talking Rock Creek, Georgia, US
|
|
GA Highway 136 to Carters Lake Reservoir
| Usual Difficulty |
I-III (for normal flows) |
| Length |
18 Miles |
Talking Rock Creek
Talking Rock Creek
Gauge Information
| Name |
Range |
Difficulty |
Updated |
Level |
|
TALKING ROCK CREEK NEAR HINTON, GA
|
|
usgs-02382200 |
1.50 - 11.00 ft
|
I-III |
01h06m |
1.52
ft
(rc= 0.0 ) |
Upper limit for best boatability uncertain. Please help your fellow boaters with a comment or report. |
River Description
This was our first time on this river and probably the most remote we've been in GA. Yep them
Georgia mountains shore are beauteeful and this particular stream is an extra kewl treat. It was a
delightful adventure as we had never scouted it before and put in with boats loaded with camping
gear for the first time. All we knew was that it was purdy, fairly remote and that it was a class
I/III creek. At 2.3ft there were only 2 or 3 rapids of any consequence and a coupla fun wave
trains.
Did an overnighter on 3/18/01 and had and absolutly great time, cept for the flats at the end ...
We had head winds all the way thru them. I would not have minded the flats much but the wind really
made it a trudge. I can see where doing it as a day trip and ending up with headwinds after a 14-15
mile paddle would be a test of endurance.
We checked the gauge (
USACOE) on the net
Sat (3/18) and it was at 2.3. Sunday evening when we came back the gauge was at 1.9. Based on those
readings and our experience with loaded down boats I would say that that those levels are just
about the cutoff point the do T.Rock on OC1s loaded with camping gear. At the level we did it at
many of the shallower areas were quite marginal and technical. You really really had to pick your
lines well. All in all a beautiful and fun river especially after Talking Rock/Rapids
(34.55919N/-84.63063W) where the rapids are fairly close throughout the run cept for the 3 mile
flats at the end.
I have put up a website with pixs from this trip at:
http://www.mindspring.com/~pepe3/talkingrock
At the bottom of the page the page containing the thumbnail images I have a
link to another page I created
containing an overall and a detailed road map showing the put-ins and take-outs.
Someone had mentioned a dirt road that one can take out before the flats. If anyone has any info on
this take out please let me know.
SYa'llOTR
pepe
* The "published" total length of this run is 18mi but I retraced the river on my mapping software
and the distance I get from the put-in at hwy 136 to the Carter Lake Resevoir hwy 136 take out is
14.67mi.
StreamTeam Status: Not Verified
Last Updated: 2004-06-28 00:55:50
Editors
No rapids entered. If you know names, and locations of the rapids please contact and advise the StreamTeam member for this run. 
User Comments
easier at higher water. There is only one rapid on the run that I would call class 3, Zigzag which
occurs about four miles below the scenic Cedar Cliff. Zigzag is not a powerful rapid, but is quite
technical at low water levels. The course cannot be seen in advance, but can be read and followed
with hard maneuvers during the run. It washes out at higher levels. At one time, there was a
jeepish road from hwy 136 that led just above the beginning of the re-regulation reservoir.
Unfortunately, it did not occur to the Corps of Engineers to improve this road for boater access.
Instead they gated it off. When I first paddled Talking Rock in 1976, there was only one abandoned
cabin on the run, near the gauge. Unfortunately, second homes have harmed the scenery on what was
once an outstanding wilderness run. Edit
sandbars that are decent for camping are gone due to a recent flash-flood. This also dumped tons of
debris in the creek (i.e. trailers, sheet metal, small houses, and even cars) nothing major though.
Also a lot of the land has been posted now due to some problems with poachers over the last winter.
A lot of the people are VERY protective of their land so when camping tread lightly. We managed to
find one small sandbar halfway down the run but at normal levels it will be underwater.