Clear Creek, |
|
| Name | Range | Updated | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| CLEAR CREEK AT LILLY BRIDGE NEAR LANCING, TN | 180 - 2000 cfs | 01h03m | 165 cfs (rc= -0.0 ) |
Logistics: The take-out for Clear Creek is actually on the Emory River at the old Nemo Bridge. From the town of Wartburg (you�ll find a National Park visitor center here), follow the signs to the Nemo Access from Old Highway 27 and head out the southwest corner of town and continue 6.0 miles down to the river. Ample parking and a nice day-use area with changing area and picnic tables can be found upstream river left of the old Nemo Bridge. This is a great meeting point and place to hangout after your run. To reach the put-in, head back up to Old Highway 27 and go west 1.9 miles and turn up onto Highway 27 and after 3.3 miles turn left onto Highway 62. Follow this road 9.1 miles to the turn for Lilly Access (marked by a sign). The road to this access winds 3.3 miles down to the river. You�ll find parking downstream river left of the bridge.
Description: The Clear Creek Canyon from Lilly Bridge to the Obed River confluence is only 1.5 miles but the run continues on the Obed and then the Emory River for a full 7.5 mile run. At moderate flows this is a good intermediate run for those who also appreciate the scenery of the undeveloped river canyon. The pools between rapids are a little long in places, but there are several good class III rapids. Just be aware of the undercuts as there are a couple bad ones on this run.
Downstream of Lilly Bridge, the river flows through Jacks Rock, Camel Rock, Wootens Folly, Rock Jumble, and Focus Falls. These are all pool drop class III rapids with long recovery sections in between.
Once you reach the Obed River confluence you�ll be on a medium volume river. Here you�ll encounter four more class III rapids. the last two are Keep Right and Widowmaker. You will find some fun surfing waves in this section.
See Obed River (Obed Junction to Nemo).
For more great photos of Clear Creek see (www.JulieKeller.com.
Here's the official Obed Wild & Scenic River Map with all the putins and takeouts.
Gage: also see 03540500 Emory R at Oakdale, Low -
800; high 6000
Suitable for canoes, kayaks,
rafts at higher flows
| Name | Range | Updated | Level | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CLEAR CREEK AT LILLY BRIDGE NEAR LANCING, TN | |||||||||
| usgs-03539778 | 180 - 2000 cfs | 01h03m | 165 cfs (rc= -0.0 ) | ||||||
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| Mile | Rapid Name | Class | Features (Legend) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.3 | Jacks Rock Falls | III |    |
| 0.5 | Camel Rock | III |  |
| 0.8 | Wooten's Folley | III+ | |
| 1.0 | Rock Jumble | III | |
| 1.3 | Focus Falls | III | |
| 1.5 | Obed River confluence | ||
| 2.3 | Canoe Hole | III |  |
| 3.1 | Keep Right | III | |
| 3.5 | Widow Maker | III | |
| 6.0 | Emory River conflunce | ||
| 7.5 | Nemo bridge - Take-out |
River Alert
State News
River Links
NWRI - Clear Creek 4. Lilly to Nemo (mobile)
User Comments
was it ever cold! No more than 45 degrees in the broad sunshine, and more like 40 most of the time
in the shade. A comment about Jack's Rock Falls: don't run the left side of the rapid! It looks
boat-scoutable, but what looks like a cute little slide from the top is actually a hole that
munched Owen and me before we figured out that you really don't want to run that line. From the top
left eddy, you want to ferry across to river right, above the rock that protrudes from the top of
the drop, in order to get lined up for the cute little slide. I don't mean to imply that the rapid
is super tough, or that the move is hard at all; it's just more fun to know the right (right) line,
so I hope some future rookie on Clear Creek will read this and avoid the left (wrong) line. We
found Wooten's Folly to be anticlimactic after the adventure at Jack's; it just seemed like a fun
class 3 drop, not the scary monster we were preparing ourselves for, because you can see the line
more easily than you can at Jack's. Overall, a very fun run; too bad you can't eliminate some of
the flatwater after the Obed confluence. There was one big wavetrain, though, that reminded us of
Double Trouble on the Ocoee -- nice big rollercoaster waves with absolutely nothing else to worry
about. I can't wait to run this stretch again when it's warmer!
b/c I left in cold car so no pics! Anyway, thanks to Billy Bob Scarborough we now have GPS
Locations for
Jacks Rock: N36 05.969', W 84 42.803'The location is on the river left bank just upstream to
entrance of rapid.
Wooten's Folley: N36 05.846' W84 42.550 The location on this one is also on river left, at the
start of the trail to the rock on the river left bank above the 2nd drop & right below Wooten's
Folley slot
SYOTR
flatwater with few rapids being more then just wave-trains. I never saw a class 4 rapid on this
section, Widowmaker??? where, the big 3 in Clear Creek Gorge where much better. Water level was
around 550.
over the SE w/o using flotation.
No 'h'
C
waves at wootens folly. No death holes, but no eddies either. Don't swim. Your voice will be hoarse
from screaming.