| Difficulty | I-II(III) |
| Length | 13.6 mi |
| Avg Gradient | n/a |
| Gauge | Toccoa River Near Dial, Ga |
| Flow Rate as of 40 minutes | 471 cfsrunnable |
| Reach Info Last Updated | October 4, 2006 |
The Toccoa and the Ocoee are the same river; it is the 'Toccoa' from its headwaters on the Blue Ridge in Georgia until it crosses north into Tennessee.
This is the official Forest Service 'Toccoa River Canoe Trail' which runs from Deep Hole campground down to Sandy Bottoms. Rapids are class I-II with one set in the middle that approaches class III. Butt Bridge and Toccoa Valley Campground offer alternate takeouts and shorter runs; 8 miles and 11 miles respectively. There is a good fisherman's parking lot on Dial Road about a mile below Butt Bridge - neither of the bridges afford great parking opportunities. There is NO access in the 5-mile wilderness section between Margret and Butt Bridge, so bring extra food & water, first aid kit, footgear etc and be prepared as if you were hiking the backcountry.
It's a spectacular all-day wilderness cruising section or 2-day overnighter and a good training run for intermediate paddlers. Spud kayakers will have not much fun as there are some very long stretches of slack water. Take the long boat if you are planning to kayak this one, or be prepared to do a lot of tedious wallowing along. There is no park-and-play worth mentioning on this reach.
The river runs close along state highway 60 a couple miles from Deep Hole to the town of Margret, then heads west into the National Forest around the back side of Tooni Mountain. The next few miles are dense wilderness with no easy access in or out. Midway, the Benton MacKaye hiking trail crosses the river over a suspension footbridge. A set of class II-III drops separated by wide eddies starts under the bridge and continues for a couple hundred yards through a shallow gorge. This rapid is known locally as 'the Margret Drifts' - look out for driftwood. You may not notice the bridge coming up until you are there, due to thick woods, but it can be spotted if you look ahead as you approach down a long westerly straightaway. Find the clearings along the right or left
...Located about halfway between Blue Ridge and Suches on Georgia Highway 60. Park in the designated area on the right just before you enter the campground. The boating access ramp is right around the corner. $3 per vehicle parking fee.
A series of ledges with interesting, Chattooga-like channels. Some pretty good play spots. Optimum line is to enter close to the right bank, then work across the ledges to the final chute on river left. Plenty of eddies.
Nice dedicated canoe/kayak access point with parking, access ramp and outhouse. Follow the yellow FS signs on Dial Road from Highway 60 to get to Sandy Bottoms. $3 FS parking fee charged.
Jul 15, 2013
Great trip yesterday!
5 of us made the paddle from Deep Hole to Doublehead gap yesterday. Flow was perfect at about 970cfs. Be careful there are four trees completely accross the river. The first is just after the fish hatchery bridge, then another just a little bit down past there, then another a half mile down and the last just after you enter the National Forest area before the swinging bridge. We portaged all four of the strainers.
Nov 15, 2011
I guess finding useful, relialbe information on the internet isn't hopeless after all.
Jul 1, 2011
At 228-250 cfs, will this be a miserable ride in a kayak?