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Acknowledgments
The authors would like to acknowledge the many people whose assistance made such an undertaking possible. There are so many, too numerous to mention, who have lent a helping hand in some way or another. A few whose efforts require a special note of thanks are: members of the Blue Ridge Outing Club and the Carolina Canoe Club for providing invaluable feedback for the new edition, Vann and Laura Evans for their notes on the Haw River, Leonard Baker and R. B. Binegar for their willingness to go well beyond the call of duty, and Donna Benner for her patience in typing the work in progress—little pay but many thanks.
And last, but certainly not least, we wish to thank our many friends for joining in “interesting” exploratory trips, even as they undoubtedly questioned the advisability of the friendship when such trips turned into hikes down dry streambeds, ice breakers, and major engineering feats—but always turned into memorable outings. We are deeply indebted to Steven Hughes. With the addition of many creek runs, Steven has made a very significant contribution towards keeping this guidebook fresh and relevant. Kudos to the man!
Introduction
This guide, originally written for the recreational open boater, has been expanded to include stretches of water that will challenge the most advanced decked canoe and kayak paddler. Much of the water, however, is suitable for the novice paddler. The more difficult runs are not recommended for those thrill seekers who wish to try their wings. One’s wings need to be fully grown before attempting these highly technical, and quite often dangerous, stretches. In classifying rapids it is difficult to remain totally objective because judgment is generally relative to experience.
As the sport of paddling grows, more and more clubs are being organized with paddling as their main interest. Some longtime paddlers question the need for such growth or organization, and rightly so, but this is one of the few safe proving grounds available for aspiring paddlers. It is primarily through clubs that paddlers can obtain competent instruction to improve skills and learn safe paddling practices. Also, it is only by organization that our free-flowing rivers are going to be saved for future generations.
Information on safety has been included because of certain hazards involved in the sport. Hopefully the suggestions made will lessen the possibilities of accidents other than normal swampings and dunkings.
Along with these suggestions are rules that will be helpful for the paddler who decides that Labor Day shouldn’t necessarily mean the end of the season. More and more paddlers are venturing forth in the middle of winter to experience a completely different world. The risks increase as the air and water temperatures decrease. A familiarity with certain facts relating to exposure can cut down considerably on these inherent risks.
The average paddler in North Carolina seems to harbor the idea that one has an inalienable right to paddle on any stream that has enough water to float a canoe. This most certainly is a misconception under the present interpretation of state law, and an attempt to clarify what the rights of the paddler may be is discussed.
An explanation of the book’s overall format has been included so that the reader can fully understand the organization of the materials on the streams and the various sections into which they may be divided. In Canoeing White Water, Randy Carter established such an understandable outline in describing rivers that it has been followed very closely.
This book is organized into six chapters. The first four consist of groups of rivers in neighboring counties in the foothills and mountains of the state: these are further grouped by watershed. The fifth chapter contains the Chattooga, the Chauga, the Doe, and the Tyger, located in neighboring states. The Haw River, a stream of the Piedmont, has also been included because of its extreme popularity. The last section has very little whitewater but has been included to offer the paddler a selection of some 200 miles suitable for camping trips.
Though the maps included is this ninth edition of Carolina Whitewater are as accurate as any can be (they are based primarily on county road maps), some amount of error is to be expected. Using these maps in conjunction with county maps will help you set shuttles quickly and accurately.
The original reason for undertaking such a work as this was to provide a source of information for those who would like to take their pleasure in paddling the many beautiful rivers of the western Carolinas. The effort will have been worthwhile if any small portion of the great pleasure the authors have experienced on the several hundred miles described herein is imparted to the reader.
Carolina Overview
Physiographically, North and South Carolina are very similar. Both are bordered on the west by the Blue Ridge Mountains and on the east by the Atlantic Ocean. Moving west to east in either state, three major physiographic regions are encountered: the Blue Ridge Mountains, the Piedmont, and the Coastal Plain. In both states the Coastal Plain is locally referred to as the “lowlands,” while the Piedmont and Mountain regions are collectively known as “uplands” or “highlands.”
The Blue Ridge Mountains are the eastern part of the Appalachian Mountain System, extending from southeastern Pennsylvania across Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Northern Georgia. In North Carolina, the Blue Ridge forms the eastern section of a mountain chain more than 75 miles wide, where cross-ridges connect the Black Mountains and Great Smokies farther west. In this area, known as the “Land of the Sky,” are 43 peaks over 6,000 feet high, and 125 others more than 5,000 feet tall. Mountain valleys here are characteristically narrow, deep, and densely forested with elevations consistently above 2,000 feet.
By contrast, Western South Carolina extends only slightly into the Blue Ridge Mountains, where a small number of peaks not exceeding 3,600 feet rise rather abruptly from the foothills. Where mountains occupy approximately 6,000 square miles in North Carolina, there are only about 500 square miles of mountain terrain in South Carolina. The highest point in South Carolina is Sassafras Mountain (3,560 feet), situated on the North Carolina–South Carolina state line.
The coolest and wettest portion of both states, the Blue Ridge Mountain region is neither farmed extensively nor densely populated, with the steepness of the terrain making the land more suitable for forest than for farms.
Geologically, the region is underlain by crystalline rocks such as granite, slate, and gneiss, which are dense and hard. The mountains are usually steep with V-shaped valleys. Slopes are covered with thick soil and luxurious forests which retard run-off.
Many rivers are born high in the mountains of the Carolinas, flowing down in all directions. Typically running along steep, rocky channels, the streams roll swiftly down the mountains over an abundance of rapids and falls, broadening when they reach the valley floors. West of the Blue Ridge the streams flow north and west, forming a major part of the Tennessee River drainage area. To the north are the headwaters of the New, which eventually empties into the Ohio. On the southeastern slopes of the Blue Ridge, the Broad, Catawba, and Yadkin are born. These merge with other drainages after crossing into South Carolina and finally find their way to the Atlantic Ocean. To the south are the headwaters of the Savannah River, which follows the South Carolina–Georgia border to the sea.
Beyond the Blue Ridge to the east, the Carolinas drop out of the mountains onto the rolling plateau of the Piedmont. Extending from the Blue Ridge Escarpment to the Fall Line where the topography suddenly
