The Confluence to Leatherwood FordClass II-IV
6.2 Miles
Avg Gradient 20 fpm
Max Gradient 40 fpm
Honey Creek Overlook
Honey Creek Overlook Photo by Brandon Hughett taken 4/22/2007 @ 1200 Gauge Information
Cumberland, Big South Fork
River DescriptionBig South Fork of the Cumberland is one of the hidden crown jewels of the Cumberland Plateau in East Tennessee. Formed by New River and Clear Fork near Oneida, Tennessee, this class II-IV run offers a big water adventure through a cliff lined gorge that is accessible only at a few points. Bring a playboat, river-runner, canoe, or raft. This run is truly a wilderness whitewater adventure.Put-ins and Take-outs There are several take-outs and put-ins for the Big South Fork. The run documented on this site is from the confluence of New River and Clear Fork to Leatherwood Ford. It is 6.2 miles in length and will take 2 to 4 hours (or longer) to complete. The main take-out is at Leatherwood Ford where heated changing/restrooms are available. This is the most accessible take-out on this run with paved roads all the way. There is one additional take-out at the O&W Railroad Bridge. This take-out eliminates the last 2 miles of the run, which consists entirely of flat water with two class II rapids. If you put-in at the Confluence and take-out at the O&W Railroad Bridge, the run is only 4.2 miles and takes about 1 1/2 hours to complete. This run consists of almost all the class III and IV rapids on the entire Big South Fork. The O&W road is in much better shape now than in years past. In the spring of 2004, the Scott County Road Department graded, graveled, and ditched the road. Since that time, it has developed several potholes but is still in descent shape for a Scott County back road. Confluence to Leatherwood Ford Shuttle Information From Leatherwood Ford take SR 297 east for approximately 7 miles. You'll come to Coopertown Road. Make a right and go approximately 4 miles. Turn right on Verdun Road. Go 1.2 miles and make a right on US Hwy 27. Go 1.2 miles and make a right at the airport sign (formerly a Subway existed here). Cross the railroad and take a left on Detour Rd. Go 1 mile and make a right on Airport Road. You'll then go 1 mile where John Long Road will veer left by some oil tanks. Stay on John Long Road till it ends at the Confluence put-in parking lot. This road is 4.8 miles in length. O&W Railroad Bridge Access The O&W Railroad Bridge can be accessed from Verdun Road. About halfway between SR 297 and US Hwy 27 on Verdun Road is the Edgewood Estates entrance. This is where O&W Road begins in a sharp curve. The bridge is approximately 8.6 miles. The Canyon Section Run Two miles upstream from the O&W Railroad Bridge is the Pine Creek put-in. You'll know the put-in by the gated road that drops off beside O&W Road. This put-in is just above Maria's Rock which is the start of the Canyon Section. This playable two-mile section offers big wave trains at around 3,000cfs and is great for those who don't want to run the entire Big South Fork section. Multiple runs on this section can be fun, fun, fun! Shuttle Map Here is a link to a Big South Fork area map. The roads mentioned above are very detailed on this map. Additional Information For additional information about paddling the Big South Fork, checkout A Guide to Paddling in the Big South Fork. Other Area Runs Clear Fork Brewster Bridge to Burnt Mill Bridge 10 miles Class II+ Clear Fork Burnt Mill Bridge to the Confluence 4 miles Class II-III Cumberland, Big South Fork Leatherwood Ford to Station Camp 8 miles Class I-II (IV) Cumberland, Big South Fork Station Camp to Blue Heron, KY 19 miles Class II+ (IV) North White Oak Creek Zenith Mines to Leatherwood Ford 7.8 miles Class II Pine Creek Bend in Road to Big South Fork 0.85 miles Class IV-V White Oak Creek Hwy 52 to Clear Fork 6 miles Class I-II (III) Here is a link for all information on the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area. Contact the streamKeeper: Brandon Hughett, Knoxville, Tennessee StreamTeam Status: verified
Last Updated: 2007-04-27 21:02:38
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SOUTH FK CUMBERLAND RIVER AT LEATHERWOOD FORD, TN [ TN ] |
Current Conditions
Station Graphs |
| Level Legend: | Running | Below Minimum Recommended Flow | Above Maximum Recommended Flow | Unknown |
| State | River Name/Section | Class | Level | Rel. Level | Updated | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| tn | Cumberland, Big South Fork— Leatherwood Ford to Station Camp | I-II(IV) | 48 cfs | low | 9/7 4:30 | |
| TN | Cumberland, Big South Fork— Station Camp to Blue Heron, KY | II+(IV) | 48 cfs | low | 9/7 4:30 | |
| KY | Cumberland, Big South Fork— Station Camp to Lake Cumberland | II | 4.25 ft | 9/7 4:30 | ||
| TN | Cumberland, Big South Fork— The Confluence to Leatherwood Ford | II-IV | 48 cfs | low | 9/7 4:30 | |
| KY | Roaring Paunch— Barthell to Big South Fork (3 miles) | IV-V+ | 48.00 | 9/7 4:30 |
| AW Gauge ID: | 1706 |
| USGS Station: | 03410210 |
| HUC: | 05130104 |
| Latitude: | 36.4772 |
| Longitude: | -84.6692 |
| Class: | -1 |
User Comments |
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2008-06-28 01:03:56 (71 days ago)
Just to update the O&W bridge road was graded (bridges repaired too) this past week June 23rd 2008. Visited Pine Creek and Jakes Hole at 45cfs. Put in at O&W and fished to Leatherwood dragging my canoe the whole (almost) way. Edit
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2008-03-13 10:29:04 (178 days ago)
Brad Roberts
Ok South Fork regulars. Let's see if you can add to this list of sieves on the run.... New
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Forum: BoaterTalk
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Date: Dec 30 2003, 2:14 GMT
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From: hardboater
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1. Center, top drop of Double Drop - water slides into an undercut which actually sieves out due to sitting cocked funny on a slab rock.
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2. River right side of the pool between Double Drop and Washing Machine.
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3. The recently learned of top left of the Kreckles.
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4. Bottom right of the Kreckles - water sieves out a crack in the bottom right side of a really boily/swirley room with an eddy harsh fence blocking exit.
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5. Bottom left wall of Ass Kicker - 3/4 of the way down
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6. The obvious one that everyone knows about in river center about 1/3 of the way through the Canyon - always has wood jammed in it....
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7, 8, & 9. The far river right of #6. The river drops into a box canyon and filters out through sieves on the right, left and underneath.
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10. Right above the big river right eddy 1/3 of the way through the rapid above O&W (the longest rapid on the run). Water filters through a slot too small for a boat and into the eddy.
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11. Far river left at the very top of O&W.
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Crazy how many sieves there are on this class III-IV run. And this post doesnt even touch on the undercuts......
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2008-02-26 12:36:39 (194 days ago)
Contact not found. (148010)
This was my first time down the canyon and..... words cannot describe the wow factor. Emerald green water and the orange sandstone cliffs - sweeet. I guess we caught it @ 1400 a really nice level with lots of play spots - watch out surfing the shallow pour overs/waves. Really nice ender hole about halfway down and one MACH 3 killer surfing wave.
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2008-01-02 10:34:13 (249 days ago)
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2007-12-01 11:03:07 (281 days ago)
Had a few guys from knoxville with and the jackson crew close behind. Flow was around 370-350 for the day. Got to see a boat getting worked for a moment in washing machine. When i went through the drop i went under and then poped up below. Pretty sweet to make my way under the suface in the BLUNT. Even for such a long drive and little water it turned out to be a great day on the water. Rapids were still fun and there were tons of slots to play around with. If ya haven't done it its worth it for the fact that its so beautiful in there. Can't wait until a good flow so i can take my squirt boat. It looks to be like a great place to tap into.
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2005-07-25 15:43:53 (1140 days ago)
Brandon Hughett
I paddled BSF on 7/23/2005 at about 1300cfs. Washing Machine was truly what it's called, a "Washing Machine." The entrance to the Ell was a lot pushier and fun. Moonshoot was the best surfing spot on the whole river. I had forgotten how much fun BSF can be at low water.
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2004-02-19 13:19:10 (1662 days ago)
Andy Messer
The BSF gorge and canyon sections are runnable at least as low as 350 cfs at Leatherwood. I haven't tried to go any lower, but they're still fun at that level.
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2003-12-18 17:10:13 (1725 days ago)
david luinstra
the pin spot is located at the second drop, it is a large seive with a pin spot.
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the pin is in play below about 1000 CFS and gets worse as the water level gets lower.
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I posted two pics (taken by Wilko) of a boater in the pin spot river right at the second drop. The Boater did not paddle thru the hole at the second drop of this rapid, was stern squirted and then surfed into the pin.
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this is the way the pin typically happens. I have pulled three of my friends from this spot and observed two other pins in this same location.
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I believe running the second drop on the right is much safer than running the hole. another option is to run far channel left, but is more difficult than running right, from the squirrelly water between the drops.
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it is difficult to get out of your boat in the eddy beside the pin spot. if you are going to set safety, hike down from the top of the rapid, or make sure ppl wait until u have time to run the rapid and get out of your boat. the eddy is deep and squirrelly.
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2002-11-25 19:42:34 (2113 days ago)
Nancy Kemp
My favorite levels are from 700 to 1200 cfs (technical verticle drops; watch out for Ryan's Eddy) and between 3500 and 4500 cfs (continuous big waves; Honey Creek rapids and Pine Creek CAnyon Yippee!).
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| Mile | Rapid Name | Class | Features (Legend) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.0 | Google Map of Big South Fork |  | |
| 0.0 | The Confluence |  | |
| 0.0 | Confluence Rapid | II+ | |
| 0.2 | Undercut Rock Rapid | III |  |
| 0.4 | Triple Wave/Boof Rapid | III | |
| 0.6 | Big Rock | II | |
| 0.8 | First Drop of Double Drop | III+ |   |
| 0.8 | Second Drop of Double Drop | III+ | |
| 0.9 | Washing Machine | III | |
| 1.0 | The Ell | IV | |
| 1.2 | Oh Sh*t | III | |
| 1.6 | Honey Creek Rapid/Kreckels | III |  |
| 1.8 | Hand of God Rock | I | |
| 2.2 | Rion's Eddy/A*s Kicker | III+ | |
| 3.0 | Canyon Section | III+ | |
| 3.3 | The Sieve | III | |
| 3.4 | Jake's Ledge Hole | III+ | |
| 3.5 | Canyon Rapid a.k.a. Moonshoot | III | |
| 4.1 | Deliverance Rapid | III | |
| 4.3 | O&W Rapid | III | |
| 6.2 | Leatherwood Ford Take-Out |  |
You must paddle aggresively at levels below 1000 cfs due to a pin rock that sits about two feet of the right bank. The second drop will surf you into the rock where water will pile up on your stern. Then, you are jambed into the crack stern down. Several paddlers have gotten pinned vertically in this spot.
You'll have to look upstream to see this rock. It makes you wonder who might have created the Big South Fork gorge.
There's a cave under this rock that you can paddle through at 400cfs.
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