Gauge Description: Flows are typically 500 cfs on Saturday and 700 cfs on Sunday of release weekends. The gage is included for those who want to check back after a run, especially for those days when a 700-cfs release was planned, but Georgia Power actually released 1000 cfs. This is a CL IV-V run and deserves the respect and paddler responsibility associated with this rating. Follow the AW safety code and enjoy paddlin' this Southern Jewel. Releases on the first two weekends in April and first three weekends in November. The gorge is reputed to have a gradient better than 200 ft/mi.
Inflatable Policy for the Tallulah Gorge - Updated 2014
Volunteers needed
Tallulah Gorge State Park needs some help to manage the releases on the Tallulah. Volunteering only takes a few hours, you can easily boat and volunteer in the same day. If you are interested in volunteering contact Laura Dillon.
From StreamTeam Volunteer Don Kinser: Here is the consensus list of rapid names from those discussions: 1. Last Step 2. Tanner's Launch 3. Oceana 4. Gauntlet 5. Bridal Veil 6. Zoom Flume 7. Lynch's Wrench aka Ticket Puncher 8. Amplitheater 9. Around the Corner 10. Tit 11. Tat 12. Tom's Brain Buster 13. Road to Aintry 14. Twisted Sister 15. Paddlesnake Ledge 16. Powerhouse 17. Maxwell's Last Drop 18. Damned lake
This is a river which requires Class-V skills. Most rapids can be read-and-run by V paddlers, though Oceana and some other rapids are usually scouted.
Directions: From Atlanta: take I-985 north and head for 365 north and Highway 23 and Highway 441. Tallulah Falls is located 12 miles north of Clarkesville on Highway 23-441. Just before the bridge crossing the river, take a left into the grassy field.From the north: from Chattanooga, TN: Take I-775 north to Rte. 40 east, to US 64 east. In Franklin, head south on US Rte. 23/441 through Clayton. Tallulah Falls is 12 miles south of Clayton. Just after the bridge crosses the river, hang a right into the grassy field.From Hendersonville, NC: Head west on US-64. Hang a left onto US-23/441, and proceed as above.
Camping: There is a campground at Tallulah Gorge State Park, and Georgia Power maintains a primitive campground near the takeout at Tugalo Park.
Taking out at Tugalo Dam (Not Tugalo State Park): American Whitewater has been asked by GA State Parks and GA Power to inform the boating community that take out access at Tugalo Dam closes at 5:00PM. Please plan to leave the take out area by 5:00PM on all Tallulah release days. GA Power and GA Parks are also concerned about partying at the take out post paddle. Apre' paddle activities are best taken to your campsite. The paddling community has a positive relationship with GA Power and the Park, thank you for your cooperation in maintaining the partnership.
Chattooga Sounds (a campground near the takeout) operates a reservoir shuttle service for those who would rather not paddle across the reservoir. The fee is $20 for the first (up to) 4 people, then $5 per person after that. Their number is 864-647-6196. www.chattoogasounds.com. You can make arrangements for them to bring your cooler and snacks when they meet you.
Fun facts: It's a long walk to the putin, down something like 600 steps! After the whitewater theres about 1.5 miles of flatwater across Tugaloo Lake to the takeout at Tugalo dam. From the parking lot to the lake is about 650 vertical feet. Parking lot is 1550ish and the lake is 900. Subtract 300 or so feet in steps, and that puts the gradient at close to 300 feet a mile. If anyone can give us an exact put-in altitude, please add it in the comments section.
Thanks to the AWA boaters have had releases in Tallulah Gorge since November 1997.John Bell's account of the first decent of Tallulah Gorge, May 1993. Tallulah has been permit free since the November 2001 Releases.
You can read some history of the area by clicking here and here.
Photo of paddler Ardie Olsen at Oceana, taken by Ken Strickland from the observation deck, 1998.
This page works best at 1024x768 resolution. Last updated April 2014
Just after the first rapid is a short pool, followed by a horizon line. The common line is the auto boof on the right. There is a center line that feeds into a large hole, but I have not seen this line run often since the first week of releases. After landing the boof the river necks down thru a 10 foot wide slot.
Good cartwheel and loop hole.
A long convoluted rapid with some offset ledges and a nasty pourover. The general line is a little to the right of center, boofing off of the first ledge, then keeping it straight to punch the holes. The final move is busting the diagnol ledge/hole on the right and grabbing the eddy by the cliff. There is a piton rock after the first boof to be avoided, land flat. Too far left gets you close to an undercut. To far right and you might get typewritered into the eddy behind the pyramid rock and into the trees. Most people catch an eddy at the bottom right against the cliff before making the ferry over to the river left set-up eddy for Bridal Veil.
A good sized slide with an evil hole. Bridal Veil is usually scouted (and portaged) from the left bank. From the river left set-up eddy there is a small but sticky river wide hole to punch. While the top hole looks harmless, people have swum out of it and ended up swimming the entire drop. The standard line down Bridal Veil is to punch the top hole about 5 feet off the left bank, then hug the left bank and punch the left corner of the hole at the bottom. While the middle line has been run, it is generally avoided because it feeds you into the meat of the hole. In case of emergency there is a trail out of the gorge at Bridal Veil on river right.
One of the most fun rapids anywhere!! After coming out of the Bridal Veil eddy follow the main current between the two large boulders, then cut to the left and follow the narrow channel back upstream. From there just drop into the narrow channel up against the river left bank. What you have is about a hundred foot long waterpark type slide that is maybe 4 to 5 feet wide. Big Fun!!
On the first decent Walt Lynch dislocated a shoulder here. Lynch's tends to separate a number of boaters from their boats. The top move is about a 7 foot boof, landing in some squirlly water with a major cross current and a good sized hole. After getting hammered here for years my preferred line is to boof right to left into an eddy behind the center rock, then peel out and run the rest of the rapid down the right. After the first boof there are three good sized holes to punch before the eddy above amplitheatre.
From a small leaky eddy you'll see a midstream rock. You can run either side of the midstream rock down a shallow bumpy sliding drop. On the bottom right is a minor hole.
The standard line is to run down the far right hand side, punch the holes, stay upright, and go for the eddy at the bottom. I've also seen experts catch 5 eddies in this rapid. Lots of people have gotten hammered at Toms. Tom Jackson for one.
The longest single rapid on the river. Most people tend to slide over a few small ledges to the river right eddy and boatscout. From there most head toward midstream and start down the slide. From the top you see a large midstream boulder at the base of the drop. That rock is not really a problem, you can go around either side of it, or if the river is over about 800 cfs boof right over it. What you can't really see from the top is the hole just in front of the rock. Its a big one!! The good new is that most of the time you'll be going so fast that you blow right thru the hole. Most of the time ;-)
A series of easy medium sized ledges just below the powerhouse. Its the last whitewater before the lake paddle. There is one hole of note, the entire river necks down and makes a 5 foot tall ramp into a squirlly hole. This one was knocking a bunch of people over recently. You can miss the hole by boofing off the ledge on the far right.
Tugaloo
Video of all the rapids with names and standard lines @ 700 cfs release. http://youtu.be/bOHzpFNdIQM
From the parking lot to the lake is about 650 vertical feet. Parking lot is 1550ish and the lake is 900.
We have had releases on this reach but don't show any currently. This information is gathered by the public. If you know about releases then contact us about them. If you would volunteer to enter the releases, then reach out to us.
Flows are typically 500 cfs on Saturday and 700 cfs on Sunday of release weekends. The gage is included for those who want to check back after a run, especially for those days when a 700-cfs release was planned, but Georgia Power actually released 1000 cfs.
Permits are not required for this reach.
34.731701 ,-83.398300
34.721901 ,-83.361702
NA
From Atlanta: take I-985 north and head for 365 north and Highway 23 and Highway 441. Tallulah Falls is located 12 miles north of Clarkesville on Highway 23-441. Just before the bridge crossing the river, take a left into the grassy field.From the north: from Chattanooga, TN: Take I-775 north to Rte. 40 east, to US 64 east. In Franklin, head south on US Rte. 23/441 through Clayton. Tallulah Falls is 12 miles south of Clayton. Just after the bridge crosses the river, hang a right into the grassy field.From Hendersonville, NC: Head west on US-64. Hang a left onto US-23/441, and proceed as above.
Camping: There is a campground at Tallulah Falls State Park, and Georgia Power maintains a primitive campground near the takeout at Tugalo Dam.
Gauntlet
Moses Alley
on Tallulah @5 - Tallulah Gorge to Lake Tugaloo
Paddlesnake
Tugalo Dam
Take-out
Maxwell's Last Drop
Tallulah Gorge run
Approaching Paddlesnake
Tanner's Boof in the fall
Tanner's
Putin
Dennis Huntley at the top of Oceanna
Lynch's Main Line
Boofing the Gauntlet
Zoom Flume from Above
Grinding on the Zoom Flume
Zoom Flume from Below
Left Line at Lynch's Wench
Best Boof on the River
Chaos on the Slide to Aintry
Around the Corner from Below
Carnage on Last Drop
Last Drop
Oceana from Above
The Stairs to the Putin
Bridal Veil Alternate Angle
Playhole
Bottom of Tom's Brain Buster
Bridal Veil Middle (Hero) Line
Oceana Middle Line from Below
Tanners Boof from Below
Oceana Left Line from Below
Tanner's Boof from Below
And we have lift off....
Tallulah Gorge - Oceanna
Tallulah Gorge - Bridal Veil
View from Tanner's Boof Eddy
DN Boofing Tanners
DN entering Bridal Veil
DN in Oceana
Hugh Barrow at Tanner's Boof
Raft Running Oceana at 500 CFS Exiting The Thing
Raft Running Oceana at 500 CFS Entering The Thing
Raft Running Oceana at 500 CFS
Oceiana Pano High Water Release
The Thing High water Release
The Thing Low water Release
Boater on Oceana
Oceana
Lauren Burress heading down for first Tallulah run.
Kieth Yell, Tyler Phillips, Dave Livingston
yellow Submarine
Oceana on the Tallulah
Oceana as art...
Tanner's Boof
Look Closely
Jeremy Adkins rides Oceana
Keiths' empty boat
John Reynolds, Fishin' Out Paddles
Goin' Far Left @ 40 MPH
Tallulah Gorge
Gavin Takin' the Middle Line
Gavin in the mix
Carnage at Last Step
Mark Loeffler, Oceana
Bridalveil Falls
Getting shredded at Oceana
Knox Worde at Oceana
Christing at Oceana
Bridal Veil
Chill Factor
Oceana 500...
oceana @ 700...
Bridal...
Oceana middle line...
Left Line at Oceana (video)
(MN) Fall into the gorge below bridal veil
(MN) Double stern stall in Lake Tugalo
(MN) Mike Melear sliding down bridal veil
If someone gets hurt on a river, or you read about a whitewater-related injury, please report it to American Whitewater. Don't worry about multiple submissions from other witnesses, as our safety editors will turn multiple witness reports into a single unified accident report.
American Whitewater and our affiliate clubs have spent the past 25 years working to restore flows to incredible Southeastern rivers impacted by dams. A lot of our work has focused on Class II and III rivers like the lower Nantahala, Tuckasegee, Hiwassee, and Catawba, but we also secured releases in some classic steeper reaches previously dewatered by hydroelectric diversions. Each year we meet with power companies and agencies to schedule future releases, review ongoing ecology studies, and discuss any issues with the release programs. In this post we are pleased to share the 2020 dates for the Class IV/V Cheoah, Nantahala Cascades & Upper, West Fork Tuck, and Tallulah rivers.
Claude Terry, paddler, outfitter, and conservationist, died on November 20th, 2019. He was 83. A microbiologist by training, Terry began paddling in the mid-1960's while a professor at Emory University. He took to whitewater readily, and it became an important focus of his life. In 1969 he met veteran paddler Doug Woodward, and in 1971 the two became the technical advisers for the movie “Deliverance.” Afterwards, Terry and Woodward purchased the rafts Warner Brothers used in filming and bought 19 acres near the river. This became Southeastern Expeditions, one of the Southeast’s first whitewater outposts on the Chattooga. In 1974, Terry took then-Gov. Jimmy Carter on three trips on the Chatooga River, totaling 57 miles. This inspired Carter to get the Chattooga included in the Wild & Scenic Rivers Act and influenced later decisions protecting rivers across the U.S.“Terry adopted me as one of his students,” Carter told Outside Online in a 2017 interview. “it opened my eyes to the relationship between a human being and a wild river that I never had contemplated before that. When I got to be president I vetoed 16 different dam projects all over the United States.” Terry eventually quit his Emory University job and started full time career in environmental advocacy, including founding American Rivers, a principal U.S. conservation group. For the next 30 years he specialized in environmental projects involving rivers and wetlands and later, when he became a board-certified toxicologist, he developed an expertise in hazardous waste cleanups. He was an active paddler until sidelined by Parkinson's Disease. A passionate teacher and advocate, he is sorely missed by all who knew him. Click through for an excellent obituary and a photo of Terry taking Governor Carter over Bull Sluice!
It is looking like another great year to be a paddler in the Southeast! Over the past two decades American Whitewater has worked with affiliate clubs and partners to negotiate an awesome array of scheduled releases on river reaches previously dewatered by hydropower dams. Each year we help schedule these releases in an integrated manner that aims to maximize their recreational value. Read on to see the great line up for 2019!
It is looking like another great year to be a paddler in the Southeast! Over the past two decades American Whitewater has worked with affiliate clubs and partners to negotiate an awesome array of scheduled releases on river reaches previously dewatered by hydropower dams. Each year we are part of a process to schedule these releases in an integrated manner that aims to maximize their recreational value. Check out the outstanding line up for 2018.
Earlier this year, Georgia Power cancelled two weekends of recreational releases on Tallulah Gorge because of emergency mechanical repairs required on the dam's gates. Representatives of the Atlanta Whitewater Club, American Whitewater, Georgia Canoeing Association, Georgia Power, and the Tallulah Gorge State Park met in May to discuss rescheduling the releases. Agreement was reached and recently finalized, based on a suite of constraints, to make the lost releases up on December 9 and 10, 2017 and April 21 and 22, 2018.
Southern Company announced today that they are cancelling (eg postponing) the spring recreational releases on the Tallulah Gorge. The cancellation occured because they decided to conduct emergency maintenance work on a spillway gate atop their 103 year old dam. Southern Company is required to reschedule these releases as soon as practicable by their federal license and the related settlement agreement with American Whitewater and other groups.
It is looking like another great year to be a paddler in the Southeast! Over the past two decades American Whitewater has worked with affiliate clubs and partners to negotiate an awesome array of scheduled releases on river reaches previously dewatered by hydropower dams. Enjoy these incredible opportunities, and be safe out there!
Tis the season when American Whitewater works with power companies and other groups to schedule the coming year's dam releases in the Southeast. In addition to hundreds of releases on Class I-III rivers like the Nantahala, Tuckasegee, and Catawba, we put together an outstanding integrated schedule of Class IV and V opportunities. Check it out!
The first three weekends in November mark classic boating in the southeast with releases on the Tallulah River. Release weekends are November 1 & 2, 8 & 9, and 15 & 16. The river flows through Tallulah Gorge State Park, the Park has specific regulations for visitors.
The first three weekends of November in the southeast are scheduled Tallulah releases, a stapel of dixi boating. Here are a couple quick reminders for Tallulah releases.
Tallulah releases for spring 2013 are going to be held on April 6, 7 and 13, 14. Releases begin at 9:30 am and all boaters must start down the stairs by 3:00 pm to beat the flow down to the lake. Releases on Saturday are 500 cfs and Sunday releases are 700 cfs.
Spring Tallulah (GA) release are on track for the first and second weekends of April. Release dates are April 7, 8 and 14, 15. Releases on Saturday are 500 cfs and Sunday releases are 700 cfs.
Tallulah releases are scheduled to happen this fall! American Whitewater received notification that fall whitewater releases on the Tallulah River will occur the first three weekends of November.
American Whitewater and AW lead volunteers that assist with Tallulah releases met with GA Power and the Tallulah Gorge State Park to discuss repairs that are taking place on the dam to repair gates damaged in a heavy rain event back in August of 2010.
American Whitewater received notice that GA Power is canceling May Tallulah boating releases due to ongoing repairs of dam gates.
Spring 2011 releases on the Tallulah River (GA) are being rescheduled. American Whitewater received notice from GA Power that spring Tallulah releases are not likely to occur in the first two weekends of April.
American Whitewater received notice from Georgia Power notifying us that the fall Tallulah releases are cancelled for 2010 due to a broken dam gate.
Tallulah releases are on track for this spring. Scheduled releases occur the first two weekends in April. Release dates for April 2010 are 3, 4 and 10, 11. On Saturday 500 cfs is released and on Sunday 700 cfs.
After a two-year drought in the southeast, Tallulah releases are on track for this fall. Scheduled releases occur the first three weekends in November. Release dates for November 2009 are 7 & 8, 14 & 15, and 21 & 22. On Saturday 500 cfs is released and on Sunday 700 cfs.
American Whitewater Board Member Rich Bowers and AW's Jeff Paine talk with John Grace over at LVM about AW's work to secure releases on the Tallulah Gorge in Georgia. Highlights include video from the past weekend's release and Rich telling the story of a power company official's change of heart the moment he saw Oceana with water in it for the first time. Check it out!
Due to the prolonged absence of southeastern rainfall, American Whitewater received the following letter from the Southern Company (Georgia Power) dated October 22, canceling fall releases on the Tallulah River. The Southern Company letter is posted on the "read more" link.
With the Southeast struggling with one of the worst draughts of recent years last fall the annual relases for the Tallulah Gorge were cancelled. With some recent rain in the Southeast AW has received the official nod that the there is enough water to run the releases in April. The releases through this spectacular gorge are the first two weekends in April. Here are a few reminders on the Tallulah releases in case we have forgotten anything in the past year.
The Fall 2002 Tallulah season provided evidence that the policy is not clear enough in regard to what constitutes a "qualified inflatable," and that the inflatable policy must be clarified. Through the consensus of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Georgia Power, American Whitewater, Georgia Canoeing Association, and the Atlanta Whitewater Club, a new policy was created to alleviate any confusion surrounding the issue.
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