| Difficulty | II-III |
| Length | 9.4 mi |
| Avg Gradient | n/a |
| Gauge | New River at New River, Tn |
| Flow Rate as of 3 hours | 260 cfsbelow recommended |
| Reach Info Last Updated | August 8, 2005 |
River Description
Five miles of flatwater then 4 miles of II-III
Put In: at the U.S. Hwy 27 bridge between Onieda, TN & Wartburg, TN or more specifically between Robins, TN & Helenwood, TN (there is an access road on river right just past the bridge that takes you under the bridge to a concrete put in ramp with lots of parking)
Take Out: The take out is the same as the Put In for the Big South Fork if you are running from the confluence down. From the put in travel north on US Hwy 27 for about 5-6 miles & turn left at the Subway onto Niggs Creek Rd. Cross the RR tracts & take your immediate left onto Detour Rd. aka Helenwood Detour Rd. Go about a 1 mile & turn right onto Airport Rd. Take the left split at the Airport onto John Long Rd. The airport will be on your right and the road will be gravel as you go into the gorge. You will also pass a cemetery on the way. Eventually the road will end at the parking lot. (Taking out at the confluence requires carrying your boat uphill about a 1/4 mile)
Distance: 8.9 Miles (US Hwy 27 to Confluence with Clear Fork)
Description: This run gets overlooked due to the fact the the first five miles are flatwater and the water quality is suspect. However people are overlooking the bottom 4 miles which have about 12 Class II and 2-4 Class III. The first five miles are completely flat and are barely broken up by a few class I shoals. Finally, rock banks instead of mud banks and obvious gradient signals the start of the whitewater section. A few class II's lead to an obvious horizon line and the first Class III. This rapid is a 2-3 foot ledge on the left 2/3's that has pin rocks all over the landing zone and a spiral hole at one point that feeds an undercut. The middle has a pourover boof move and the right is a large shoal. Scout this rapid as it has undercuts & pin rocks on the leftside(see photo). Several more Class II
...River Features
Put In
Access PointDistance: 0 mi
First Class III Ledge
RapidClass: IIIDistance: 5.7 mi
River right is a shoal and is not shown in the photo. Middle and left is this 2-3 ft ledge. The pourover in the middle (left in photo) is a nice drop. River left (right in the photo)is peppered with pin rocks throughout. There is a nasty hole on the far river left (can't see it in the photo) that feeds into the undercut rock in the middle right of the photo.
Typical of the Class II
RapidClass: IIDistance: 6 mi
Typical of the Class II stuff following the ledge. At this level the whitecaps below are 2 ft. waves.
More Class II
RapidClass: IIDistance: 6.3 mi
River left and middle are a medium shoals. River right (circled in red) is a nice 2 ft. drop into a rock garden.
Solid Class II Drop
RapidClass: IIDistance: 6.5 mi
This is a solid class II. Not all Class II rapids are pictured, but the pictures are in order. See C1 boater at the top for scale.
More Class II
RapidClass: IIDistance: 6.9 mi
More fun class II. Not all rapids are pictured, but the pictures are in order.
Wabash Cannonball
RapidClass: IIIDistance: 7.1 mi
The is the biggest rapid on the section and there will be an obvious horizon line. Punch the wave/hole, drop over another ledge and then dodge those nasty pillow rocks at the bottom that may be undercut. Rollercoaster ride.
Class II+ Ledge
RapidClass: II+Distance: 8 mi
This is a 2-3 ft drop followed by some nice waves. Yellow line shows a strainer blocking river left 2/3's. Red circle shows the meat of the drop.
Final Class II drop
RapidClass: IIDistance: 8.6 mi
Looking upstream at the final Class II drop before the confluence and takeout. You can keep going down the BSF Gorge for a 16 mile day.
Take Out
Access PointDistance: 8.9 mi
Trip Reports
Log in to add a reportAH
Andrew Horn
Aug 13, 2017
I had a crew of three ran this river yesterday, and the level was 2650. At this flow, the class 1 shoals at the top become a good 2, and Wabash Cannon Ball becomes a 3+ or 4-. It is a big and pushy rapid at the higher flows. Several of the rapids upgrade at these higher flows. Overall it is a great run at this level, and the flatter water at the start moves quick. I would do recommend this run when BSF gets a bit washed out. It is a blast.
AH
Andrew Horn
Aug 13, 2017
Flow was 2650 and this was a good run straight down the middle.
