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Chattooga - Section 4 - Route 76 Bridge to Tugaloo Lake Boat Ramp
Chattooga, Georgia, US/South Carolina, US |
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Section 4 - Route 76 Bridge to Tugaloo Lake Boat Ramp (Section 4)
| Usual Difficulty | II-IV+ (for normal flows) |
|---|---|
| Length | 8.1 Miles |
| Avg. Gradient | 34 fpm |
| Max Gradient | 117 fpm |
Low-water line at Corkscrew
Low-water line at Corkscrew
Photo of Andrew Huang by Amanda Loftis taken 07/21/07 @ 0.8
Gauge Information
| Name | Range | Difficulty | Updated | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHATTOOGA RIVER NEAR CLAYTON, GA | ||||
| usgs-02177000 | 0.90 - 2.50 ft | II-IV+ | 02h27m | 2.16 ft (running) |
River Description
Gauge Description: NOTE: The online gauge above reads differently than the paddler's gauge on the
US 76 Bridge. Most paddlers refer to the bridge gauge. The online gauge reads about .15 higher
than the bridge gauge at 2 feet, about .25 higher below two feet and the same at about 2.8 feet.
It can be run down to .5 or even lower but is very scrapy. Above 2.0' Five Falls starts to bump
up to class 5. It can certainly be run above 2.2', but only by experienced Section 4 paddlers.
The Five Falls section gets much more difficult and dangerous at high water. The highest known
run was August 17, 1994 at something between 9 and 10 feet from below Woodall to the Lake.
According to USGS the river peaked at 17,500 cfs. Participants included Russ Kulmar, John Lesan,
"Snuffy" Hall, Kent Wiginton, and Richard Oldenquist.
This is the Southeastern Classic! More legends exist about Five Falls of the Chattooga
than almost any other set of rapids. Taken individually any of the 5 rapids of Five Falls would
be significant named drops on any typical Southeastern river. They are far from the hair found on
steep creeks and the legendary danger associated with these rapids arises in part from the long
history of boating the Chattooga (40+ years). That said, approach these rapids with caution as
they have killed and injured plenty of boaters.
This is the river where a portion of the classic 1972 movie Deliverance was filmed.
The Chattooga became a National Wild and Scenic River on May 10, 1974.
An Important note about Crack in the Rock rapid.
Most of the existing guidebooks in print still recommend right crack as the prefered route. This
is no longer the case. A flood back around 1998 blew the original log out of the crack.
Since then right crack has become an undercut boulder sieve. Boats and boaters
have washed under the logs and rocks in right crack. On November 9, 2003 it was the site of a
fatality. Any swim out of Corkscrew should be taken seriously. Left Crack has been the site of
numerous fatalities and Right Crack is possibly more dangerous. If you swim, get to the bank
quickly and do not swim into Crack in the Rock. Do nothing that involves hysteria--just swim to
the bank.
Most boaters run Crack below 2 feet through Middle Crack. Use your good judgement here. Running
Left Crack when it has water flowing over the top is an easy move but do not get flipped at the
top or you could get hurt or pinned. Middle Crack sometimes has debris. Far Right Crack is a
blind rapid at high water and can accumulate debris. There is even a route over the right side of
Right Crack if you are really careful.
The good news is that the rapid can be portaged on both banks.
Crack changes more than any other rapid on the river. Debris in the underwater sieve can change
the pool height upstream of the drop and change the nature of the rapid. Center Crack changed
recently (2005) and is now about a 2-foot-tall pourover that can backender kayaks between the two
boulders.
Finally, just remember that most of the large rocks in Five Falls are undercut.
Putin and Shuttle Description
The put-in for this section of the river is located where US 76 crosses the river about 8 miles east of Clayton, GA near Long Creek, SC and forms the Georgia-South Carolina state line.
There are parking areas on both the Georgia and South Carolina side of the river.
On the Georgia side you will find a small hikers' parking area ($2.00 fee), which holds about 5
cars. You can put in here with a short walk down to the river. The walk is a little shorter than
the paved road to the beach below Bull Sluice or the trail to that rapids. However, if you put in
here you miss Bull Sluice rapid.
There is a large USFS parking lot on the SC side of the river with changing rooms and bathrooms
and with no parking fee. Follow the paved path about 250 yards to the beach below Bull Sluice or
take the trail off to the right and put in right above Bull Sluice. Boaters sometimes access this
river via Stekoa
Creek.
To get to the take-out:
From the put-in, head left out of the parking lot (east) for about 2.5 miles or so and turn right
on Orchard Road. Follow Orchard Road until it dead-ends on Battle Creek Road (across from the
Dixie Aluminum plant). Turn right on Battle Creek. Stay on Battle Creek; you will come to a sharp
right turn in the road--stay on the paved road. You are now on Damascus Church Road. Just past
the little white church on the left, bear right onto Bull Sluice Road. This is a dirt road and
you will see a sign for the Tugaloo Boat Ramp. Follow this dirt road all the way to the end and
park at the boat ramp. Round trip is about 45 minutes. There are other access points such as
Tugaloo Dam, Possum Creek, and Camp Creek, but most of these are excessively strenuous.
At the put-in don't forget to fill out the self-registration forms.
Other links:
See also Section 3.
Permit Information
Be sure to sign in at the putin.
Editors
Rapid Summary
| Mile | Rapid Name | Class | Features (Legend) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.0 | Bull Sluice | IV+ |   |
| 0.2 | Surf Rapid | III |  |
| 0.4 | Screaming Left Turn | III | |
| 0.9 | Rock Jumble | III | |
| 2.0 | Woodall Shoals | III+ |    |
| 2.2 | The playspot above 7 foot | III+ | |
| 2.3 | 7 Foot Falls | IV | |
| 2.8 | Beaver Skull | II+ | |
| 3.0 | Stekoa Creek Rapid | III+ | |
| 3.5 | Long Creek Falls Rapid and Playspot | III | |
| 3.6 | Deliverance Rock | III+ | |
| 3.8 | Turtle Head Rock | II+ | |
| 4.0 | Ravens Chute | III+ | |
| 4.1 | Tunnel of Love | II+ | |
| 4.2 | the rapid after Raven Chute | III | |
| 4.5 | Little Woodall | III+ | |
| 5.0 | Camp Creek | | |
| 5.1 | Five Falls | ||
| 5.1 | Entrance | IV | |
| 5.1 | Corkscrew | IV+ | |
| 5.1 | Crack in the Rock | IV | |
| 5.1 | Jawbone | IV+ | |
| 5.2 | Sock em Dog | IV+ | |
| 5.3 | Shoulderbone | IV | |
| 5.6 | Quaalude | III | |
| 6.0 | Lake Tugaloo |
Rapid Descriptions
Bull Sluice
Bull SluiceEnders at surf rapid
Enders at surf rapid(RM) Screaming Left Turn Slot
(RM) Screaming Left Turn SlotRJ
RJWoodall Shoals
Woodall ShoalsWoodall Shoals is a nice class 3+ rapid with a very dangerous, but not that impressive looking Class 5+ hole right in the top middle. If you are running the hole you don't need me to tell you how.
The standard route for those not messing with the hole is to hug the river right bank. This will lead you to a slide that's about 10 feet tall. Bang down the slide and from there choose one of the many routes down the rest of the rapid. The slide dries up at levels below about 1.1. At levels over 3 feet the hole at the base of the slide starts to get really mean, but another route opens up.
At levels above 3 feet the slide on river left at Woodall starts to open up. This is a great ride!! At levels below two feet this channel is totally dry. The channel is to the left of the center rock shelf most people scout Woodall from. On river left at Woodall is a trail to a Forest Service parking lot.
Below Woodall are a couple of class 2-3 rapids that start getting bigger and bigger as the banks start to close in. The final one is a nice riverwide ledge hole with eddies on both sides. This is one of the better playspots on the river!
7 Foot Falls
7 Foot FallsA small rapid with some nice waves and a big boulder in the middle. The right notch is undercut, but good practice for tight creek moves. The left side has a nice wave up against a minor undercut. You'll be able to see Stekoa Creek coming in below this rapid on the right.
(RM) Stekoa Creek Slide
(RM) Stekoa Creek Slidelong creek falls
long creek fallsMost people start from the top right, then eddy hop down. The river will eventually go around the left side of a house sized rock. The left side of the rock is mildly undercut. This rapid was seen several times in the film Deliverance. Every time the river goes over 6 feet a new tree gets deposited on top (20 feet up) of the rock. At flows above 4 feet one of the strongest holes on the river is found here.
(RM) Raven Chute - Standard Line
(RM) Raven Chute - Standard LineTwo boulders laying against each other that you can paddle under. There is a class 3 minus rapid just below this.
Nice wave on the right, a boof in the middle, and a boof on the left. The left boof has been known to pin and eat boats.
Slot move on the left, a slide on right and a really sticky hole in the middle. The hole doesn't look like much until you are trying to claw your way out of it. There is a great eddy line below the hole, its deep enough for slalom kayaks to do vertical stern squirts.
If things are going bad there is an access point on river right where Camp Creek comes in. The trail to the parking area is similar in steepness to the trail at Woodall. Below Camp Creek is a moderate sized wave train before the river goes around a right hand bend leading into Five Falls.
Five Falls includes the rapids of Entrance, Corkscrew, Crack in the Rock, Jawbone and Sock-em-Dog. Coming around the corner from Camp Creek the gradient is going to pick up to close to 100 fpm for the next half mile. At flows above 2 feet the pools between these drops start getting small. Entrance and Corkscrew start to become one drop, same thing with Jawbone and the Dog. All the midstream rocks are undercut, in particular those in Crack, Jawbone and the Dog. Being out of control is a bad idea, being out of your boat is worse. So be careful.
5 Falls Entrance
5 Falls EntranceThis is one of about 4 different ways to run this rapid. There are also a left line and two middle lines.
Corkscrew in a Jetti
Corkscrew in a JettiStrangly enough, Corkscrew gets a little easier as it gets higher. Its most ornry about 1.7.
(RM) Far Right Crack - Entrance
(RM) Far Right Crack - EntranceCrack is one of the few rapids that changes on a regular basis because logs and rocks shift around in the sieve that forms this rapid and can massively change the height of the pool. All of the existing guidebooks in print still recommend right crack as the prefered route. This is no longer the case. A flood back around 1998 blew the original log out of the crack. Since then right crack has become an undercut boulder sieve. Boats and boaters have washed under the logs and rocks in right crack.
Right crack can still be run but look at the drop before a blind run. Left crack has killed numerous swimmers, right crack has had many close calls and one fatality.
Most boaters run thru middle crack. Left crack does get run on occasion, but is usually avoided.
The good news is that the rapid can be portaged on both banks.
Britmale Runs Jawbone
Britmale Runs JawboneThe Dog
The Dog(RM) Shoulder Bone from upstream
(RM) Shoulder Bone from upstream
Running the slot on the right side of shoulderbone rock has been done but its a bad idea. The slot is undercut and usually full of wood. There are potholes or sieves in the base of the drop that have swallowed boats and boaters for uncomfortably long periods of time.
2 miles of flatwater. The colder the air temp, the harder the head wind. Be aware that the lake has been known to ice over in the winter. If this is the case, turn around and hike out at shoulderbone.
Do more than just check gauges; join over 5,000 AW members today.
Or, consider donating
Documents
- Use and Economic Importance of the Wild and Scenic Chattooga River
Report covering the recreation users, use, economic impacts, and economic benefits of the Chattooga Wild and Scenic River.
- Congressional Representative's Stand Against Paddling on the Chattooga
Letters in opposition of paddling on the Chattooga from Paul Broun, Robin Hayes and J. Gresham Barrett - Congressional Representatives
Section 4 - Route 76 Bridge to Tugaloo Lake Boat Ramp, Chattooga Georgia, US/South Carolina, US (mobile)
User Comments
but inadvertently added a hook and a decent chunk of line to the mess. I am hearing this third
party but thought a warning should be posted if one hadn't been. So take a second if you can...
scope it out or walk it. HAPPY FALL PADDLING Yes there is a log and grappling hook and a bunch of
rope in sock'm dog. (yea, thanks for that NOC!)
log is behind the overhanging rock (Shoulder Bone rock) on river right and it is pointing somewhat
upstream out of the water. We were using the usual left side/angled line and going left/middle
through the holes below without issue. If you hold tight to the river right overhanging rock, the
log may very well be in play. It's easy to avoid, just stay left. I'm not sure that it can be seen
from upstream at all because we didn't know it was there until already in/below the rapid. If you
know to look for the log beforehand, you might be able to see about 6 feet of it sticking up out of
the water. Overall a great day on Chatt, blue skies and good water. We even had the rarest of
occurrences on the lake - both a tail wind and current to help us along most all the way to the
takeout. Apparently they are releasing at the dam because the lake level is anywhere from 4-8ft
lower depending on the lake width. It was really odd seeing so many sandbars out of the water and
broken rafting paddles littering the bottom.
bottom of the top drop. Don't run the drop without scouting it first.
2+)... New log stuck in middle crack/old log flushed out. The new log is horizontal like the last
one, but juts out, creating somewhat of a boat flipper to your normal boof line. Not sure how long
the branch will be on the log (roughly 4 inches thick), but take care to adjust your lean to avoid
punching out on the wall. Happy fall paddling!" Whatever was stuck on the old log washed out. The
old log is still there.
large log pinned vertically in right crack. There is also a large log pinned in the left line of
shoulder bone almost out into the main flow. USE CAUTION here at higher water when these hazards
will not be exposed and could result in some nasty boat pins!
from the river. Good times all in all. At 1.05 it is much easier cause you dont fall sideways on a
rock and fall off of it. Rolling in rock Jumble stole my paddle. Found it when it wiggled loose a
minute later. Rolling in rock jumble HAHA right if you like the taste of granite.
no telling once again what may be in there.
from right crack appeared in far right crack and was kinda ugly; since then, however, the big log
has washed out of far right crack and deposited itself in some rocks above jawbone--actually not a
bad place for it. there are still some smaller logs in far right. i'll post some pics later in the
week.
Tallulah and Chattooga before the erection of the Tugalo Dam. It's got some niche ole photos of
rapids which used to exist, some 80+ years ago. (Sniff...)
Thanks to "Gomer" at BT for pointing out that great article!
fixing this glitch. Meanwhile, this handy table can help you make sense of the reading from above:
flow (cfs) stage (ft) 240 1.2 300 1.3 350 1.4 420 1.5 490 1.6 570 1.7 650 1.8 740 1.9 840 2.0 940
2.1 1040 2.2 1160 2.3 1280 2.4 1400 2.5 1550 2.6
July 1, 1976 was the first day that it was illegal to boat aboe the highway 28 bridge.
Yes a new bridge is being built. However the existing paddler's gauge will be preserved, at least
that is the plan at this point.
Forum: BoaterTalk
Re: right crack at chattooga by tarheel123 Nov 10 2003, 23:29 GMT New
Date: Nov 10 2003, 23:45 GMT
From: GA_CREEKER
I went scuba diving at Crack a number of years ago and went all around right/middle and left crack.
The two rocks almost touch at the top of right crack. A large log (there used to be two) goes from
the bottom of the river and is wedged in the top crease. The smaller logs/branches have collected
horizontally like a beaver dam to seal most of the opening. No significant water went around the
river right of the log but a lot of water goes around the left and under the big rock in the center
of the rapid. This rock is undercut/overhanging just below the water surface and you can go back
5-7 ft from the downstream face. A good number of boats have gone through the passage but a body
may have a higher likelyhood of snagging on one of the many branches forming the dam. I suspect
that if the log ever rots/washes out the entire river would go through this slot and you would
paddle under the rocks you go over now like a bridge.
Aside, you can walk into left crack and go under the rock between left and center crack and sit and
watch the bubbles of center crack go by on one side (a 3x5 ft window) and the bubbles of left crack
go by on the other side.
If a boater is ever stuck in left crack you need to push their shoulders/arms back into the drop
until the water catches their torso. They will then wash under the pinning rock and free from the
rapid. I've worked a recovery here and you cannot pull someone against the force of the water.
There is lots of room under the pin rock (5-6 ft), which is why kayaks pin there so bad. Also a
canoe or raft can be broached across the top of the drop significantly reducing the amount of water
going through the drop.
Not good play on section IV......good play on section III??????? Allow me to list out SOME of the
playspots on section IV (level dependent):
1: Surfing Rapid
2: Hole above 7 ft.
3: Hole RIGHT above seven foot(not for the timid..better at
lower levels)
4: Pourover below little 7ft....can wheel on both sides
5: Surfing wave at bottom of Stekoa rapid
5: Long Creek hole
6: Turtlehead rock
7: Splatwheel rock at turtlehead (sliding splatwheel)
8: Wheelin' rock below Raven's chute
9: Splatwheel right below this one
10: Another sweet splatwheel spot..hard to describe where
11: Little Woodall....again not for the timid
12: Hole in slot above Crack..need a 100% roll for this one
one of my favorites lately
13: Quelude
This is just the tip of the iceberg. Lots of fun eddy lines and smaller waves and holes. Only take
a creekboat if you're not going to play, or if you feel you need the extra confidence it'll give
you. If you're a solid boater and plan on playing, you can have LOTS of fun on Section IV. There
aren't ANY really fun playspots on Section III until the water gets above 2.5 ish. I do, however,
agree a creekboat will feel better at the lake.
1.55 bridge = 1.7 USGS.
1.45 bridge = 1.6 USGS as of April 2002.