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Warwoman Creek - Earl's Ford Road to Chattooga River
Warwoman Creek, Georgia, US |
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Earl's Ford Road to Chattooga River
| Usual Difficulty | II-III (for normal flows) |
|---|---|
| Length | 7.2 Miles |
| Avg. Gradient | 23 fpm |
| Max Gradient | 40 fpm |
Warwoman Creek
Warwoman Creek
Photo of John Schultise by Will Reeves taken 1991 @ 2.5 on the Chattooga
Gauge Information
| Name | Range | Difficulty | Updated | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHATTOOGA RIVER NEAR CLAYTON, GA | ||||
| usgs-02177000 | 1.80 - 5.00 ft | II-III | 02h25m | 2.36 ft (running) |
River Description
Warwoman Creek is a good Class II-III introduction to creek boating.
From Clayton: Go north on US 23. Turn right onto Warwoman Road just after the
US76 West traffic light. Continue on Warwoman Road for 8.3 miles. Turn right onto
Earl's Ford Road. The put-in is on the left just after crossing the first bridge over
Warwoman Creek.
From Russell Bridge (Hwy 28 over Chattooga River): Go west on GA 23. Turn left
on Warwoman Road (towards Clayton). Continue on Warwoman Road for 5.6 miles. Turn
left onto Earl's Ford Road. The put-in is on the left just after crossing the first bridge
over Warwoman Creek.
Shuttle Directions: From the put-in, return on Earl's Ford Road to Warwoman
Road. Turn left on Warwoman Road. Go 2.3 miles down Warwoman Road. Turn left on
Sandy Ford Road. Follow Sandy Ford Road. This will require one left turn. Watch
the street signs. The road will ford Dick's Creek. Continue to the end of the road at
Sandy Ford. Beware of river levels when parking. The Chattooga River does rise into
the parking area at high water.
Water Quality: Good to fair. Water quality is generally muddy when the creek
is runnable. There are many tires along the creek and the occasional eddy full of trash
from roadside camping on Earl's Ford Road.
Permits: Permits are required to boat the Chattooga, the last 3.0 miles of this run.
Permits are free and are available by self-registration at frequently used put-ins along the
Chattooga, all of which are on the South Carolina side of the river. No permit boxes are
located convenient to this run.
For more information on the last 3.0 miles of this run, see the Chattooga - Section 3 - Earls
Ford to Route 76 Bridge American Whitewater site.
Editors
Rapid Summary
| Mile | Rapid Name | Class | Features (Legend) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.8 | Intro | II |  |
| 1.3 | Mattress | II+ | |
| 1.8 | Pinball | II+ | |
| 2.8 | Warwoman Ford |  | |
| 3.1 | Finale | II | |
| 4.2 | Earl's Ford | | |
| 6.7 | Dick's Creek Ledge | III |
Rapid Descriptions
Warwoman Creek
Warwoman CreekMattress
MattressStart from the eddy on river left above the rapid. Run down the left side, cutting back to the right at the bottom. Beware of logs stuck in this rapid.
Earl's Ford Road fords Warwoman Creek. This is an alternate take-out for a short run. Warwoman Ford is generally not passable when the creek is runnable.
Warwoman Creek flows into the Chattooga at Earl's Ford. This is not a recommended access point as Warwoman Ford is generally not passable when the creek is runnable and the shuttle to the Earl's Ford access on the South Carolina side of the Chattooga is extremely long.
Scout from the rock expose on river center or from the bank on river right.
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Earl's Ford Road to Chattooga River, Warwoman Creek Georgia, US (mobile)
User Comments
excepting a so-so Class II run but got much more than we excepted. Mattress & Pinball and this one
unnamed rapid between them where the water folds over itself were pretty big and a lot more
challenging than we thought.....I'd give them a solid Class III at that level. The only down side
to this run is ALL the deadfall on the creek and the long stretches of flatwater but a great run if
you are not really feeling Sec3 or 4 at 2.5-3' or just want to try something different.
parking lot. The gage is on river left, on the downstream side of the bridge. Please report your
levels and if you thought it was low, medium or high, so we can dial this gage in and get new
correlations for Warwoman. E-mail me at h2olevelcheck@hotmail.com with your levels. Thanx -- Rob
Maxwell
blocked with a pine tree. You could not see the tree unless you bank scout it. If you do choose to
run the left shoot you will find yourself with a pine tree just above the deck of your boat. There
is a very small chute on far river right that can be run. There was also a lot of new wood in the
river.
about 2.78 miles by GPS in canoes with floatation. Wow, That was fun. Mattress is great! We enjoyed
the challange and the intro to Creekin'. But, Beware! There are significant strainers and
deadfalls. None required that we leave the creek and only one was not passable without a momentary
exit. Pins are a constant threat at the strainers and caution is required as you approach from
upstream in the bigger water.
The listings here accurately represent the difficulty though I agree with one submitter that
Mattress is nearly a IV: it is really several rapids that constitute an 11 foot drop overall with
ample oppurtunites to pin and swim! Rescue is hindered by the steep banks, the lack of pools,
inability of others to get to you, the canoeist must have mastered very complex eddie-ins,
eddie-outs and ferries to safely complete...MORE than a III+ in my book. We got wet more than once
but usually as we eaked-out all of the good from each rapid! It took us four hours in the water and
was rather tiring. But, we are not as accomplished as some. The hike is listed as two miles in the
shuttle but it is an easy 2 miles. This creek is highly recommended and very fun at this level.
gotten over without leaving the boat. This was a very fun run with little flat water and beautiful
scenery. There are a lot of no name rapids on this. At mattress you can scout on river right. The
slide on the right seems to pull you back to the left and it pulled patio straight into a pin above
the lower rock. It was a 15 minute struggle to free the boat. I would run the slide as far to the
right as possible (flow will limit how far). The picture of Will R. is to the left of the slide.
Also when you get to a rapid that breaks right and left and is jambed with big trees (not sure if
it has a name). Patio got his boat pinned again on the left side. You could not run the right but
if you run the left side it seems to want to pull you towards the tree as you get close to it so
watch out. But this was a great run and I will run it again.
the number of deadfalls and strainers will strongly deter me from running this river again for many
years.
Use AW's site to find the map. (editor's note: click above right for the Tiger, TopoZone, or
MapBlast map.) Put in at the last bridge over Warwoman Creek on the little gravel road. Take out at
Sandy Ford on the Georgia side. You could take out at the confluence, but that wouldn't be as much
fun as running some of Section 3 at big water.
Beware of Dick's Creek ledge at 5 feet or more. It forms a pretty big hole that killed a rafter a
few years ago. Scout on the right, or far left.
Warwoman is covered in the video "Deliver Me From The Paddlesnake". It is mostly class 3,
with a marginal 4 called Mattress. But, it is a good intro to creekin.