Green

There are a handful of public parking spaces on the left at Gallimore Rd. that are shared by hikers, paddlers, hunters, and others. Paddlers are encouraged to use the GRAF lot to leave space for other recreational groups here. Please be curteous driving down Gallimore Rd, as some of the locals have had gripes with the kayaking community in the past.

Managed by the Green River Access Fund, this parking lot sits atop the hill at the end of Gallimore Road and stands as our best means of permanent access to the river. When you reach the paved culdesac at the end of Gallimore Rd, you'll find a green-gated lot on the left of the far end of what is paved. P.S.- Don't take the turn at the top of the hill too tightly!

Huge thanks to GRAF for guaranteeing our access to this section of river with the purchase of this plot. Paddlers can purchase a Green Key at the Green River Adventures storefront in Downtown Saluda, NC. Historically, the price is $60/year. Any paddlers making frequent runs on the Green are strongly encouraged to get a key of their own. It's a small price to pay for permanent access!

After little over a half mile of fun boogie, the river will bend to the right and start to channelize against a wall on the left bank. This signals that you've found Bride of Frankenstein, where the river characteristic begins to change. This rapid should be an easy boat-scout and run down left of center. This is a fairly straightforward rapid for the run and if you find yourself sturggling, it could be a good idea to get your portage legs ready.

This tenchincal double drop lies one pool below Bride of Frankenstein. Following the water around the boulders on the left, you will find two good eddies at the lip -- right and left. The set can be easily scouted by hopping out in the left eddy.

At the first major gradient, the river drops 8-10 ft between some large boulders, with everything left of center-channel landing on a tombstone-shaped rock. The standard move here is a late left-to-right smear onto the right boulder. For those too eager to point back left, a rattling piton awaits.

Immediately upon landing, turn back left to avoid a questionable overhanging rock and set up for a boof on the final small ledge. There is a sizeable pool below for recovery.

The rapid formerly known as Johnson Branch has consumed the gradient once occupied by Pincushion and formed a fun, twisting flume down the right side of the river bed here.

Entrance options vary with flow, as the river filters through some shoal-type rocks right of midstream. Most boaters opt for the left entrance of the right channel, with low water forcing a tight left-to-right move through a slot. Once the river reconvenes, it drops into a low-angle sort of V-wave best run on the left to avoid the moderately undercut right bank. At this point, the final drop will send you back right and into a pool.

Easy boogie resumes below for a short distance.

At the end of a moving pool, you'll find your next short horizon. This small slide is best run just left of the midstream boulder with rightward angle and speed.

You'll know you're here by the large midstream boulders and diverging flow. Helene did quite the number to Boof or Consequence, leaving a few suboptimal options depending on flow.

[Pictured] The low-water/standard line begins from the pool to the right of the large boulders. From this pool, a run down the left will feed you down a short and rocky slot, and toward a large boulder. Get your bearings in the eddy here, then turn-and-burn off the boof in the center of the river. Some left speed off the boof is ideal to avoid a large boulder in the right outflow. NOTE there is a toilet bowl siphon just upstream of this boof. While it is unlikely to mess with your boat, this is a no-swim zone.

The left line (left entrance) can be a nice option given it is free of wood. This entrance will send you right, back to the boof in the center of the river.

A right line option is present at high flows, but may commit you to a run down the guts of Go-Left. Exercise your own good judgement.

A small pool below Boofers will offer two options: a left portage to access Go-Left lite, or following the flow right into the next pool to set up for the new Squeeze.

Leaving said pool in a slot down the center, this techy drop allows little to no respite before entering Go Left, depending on flow. The keen boater will want to enter the slot with some speed to the right and point back left for some semblance of a boof.

You should expect a less-than dry experience upon landing and be ready for anything. The left exit will kick you toward the good boof in Go-Left, while a right exit will have you scrambling to avoid the right wall atop Go Left. Adding this drop to Go Left warrants an engaging time.

At low water (less than 5'), be careful. This slot is still runnable, but has a tendency to kick boaters hard on (left) edge and a flip would be bad news. A highly-skilled paddler recently injured their shoulder here at low water.

There are two options for the new Go Left. A run through the squeeze will either feed you directly into the right line or push you left into a short pool. If going direct, be prepared to scramble away from the right wall.

If you have opted to portage left, you can seal launch or put in to the left channel. The left channel presents an excellent righty water boof directly into a big lefty off the main ledge. See attached photo for said left boof!

Walking around the top bit can make for a fun and low-stress run, while running the squeeze is sure to get the adrenaline flowing.

Do your best to keep upright here. There have been some questionable stern taps and landings off the bottom ledge, so it's best to keep your plastic beneath you.

This short section of boogie between Go Left and Zwick's can be run many ways depending on water level. At lower flows, where rock contact is suspicious, eddy hopping through may work best.

Zwick's Backender still boasts quite a sticky hydraulic, but the namesake backender hole has blown out. At the top, paddle over the wet dome rock, pointing left for the boof line or right for the sneak.

Starting from the eddy on river right, you should be able to see that the river left line drops into a sort of horseshoe ledge. If running the boof, you'll want to air on the righthand, downstream side of the horseshoe. Paddle in, start sliding, and wait for a sweet launch pad. If you miss your boof at med-high flows, be prepared for a beatdown.

This rapid's quality is directly proportional to flow. In other words, if the level is low, you'll be bouncing off some rocks. Many will opt to begin walking gorilla from this point by eddying left after Zwicks. Be cautious of pin hazards in every line.

I like to think of this rapid as four doors. From left to right:

Door 1 lands on a rock. Potential for a run exists at high water, but we're talking marginally scary flows.

Door 2 will be a bad option for normal flows as well.

Door 3 can be run at medium flows and higher, generally with a right to left drive. You might be able to boat scout, but I suggest looking before leaping.

Door 4 (far right bank) is an option at any flow, just look for a small piton in the first ledge at low flows. Turn left after the first small ledge.

Below Chief, there is another small rapid before gorilla. If the flow is high, you may not be able to effectively eddy left before gorilla after this drop. Exercise your own judgement here.

Once a rapid coveted by many aspiring SE gnar-boaters, this classic sequence has changed its tune. With a shed-sized boulder parked firmly on the Notch, one must navigate left or right of it, making tight turns to follow the water and avoid crash hazards.

If you're considering running this sequence, you probably aren't relying on this beta page. It's an easy walk on the left and an easy scout on the right.

The common low flow line is to start left of the large rock, making a hairpin right turn behind it. Sliding down the shelf, boof into the river right eddy. When exiting the eddy, drive hard to try and avoid the right wall, where a tricky pillow starts to form as the level creeps up. A precisely-timed turn back right will send you out onto the right shelf (deemed the Christopher Columbus line). Point back left to cross 'the crack', a broken rock shelf in the landing. Don't get too greedy with a boof, as the landing is 99% rock and a flat landing could translate to some back pain.

Some have run the drop right of the large boulder, though it is tricky to avoid the right wall's pillow this way.

As more folks start stepping up for this one, we'll see more creative lines. Just ask the locals about the 'Dragon Line'...

Here begins a sequence of four, iconic slides. If you've walked gorilla, you can lower down to the large river-left shelf to put back in for Scream Machine, the first slide. If you've run gorilla, you'll come screaming out of the flume and into this rapid.

The hole at the bottom is not what it once was, and can now be run just about anywhere. The further left you are, the easier the skip will be, though you will have to ferry if you end up in the left eddy at the bottom. At higher flows, it would be best to run right. Either way, its a classic SE late boof. Easy scout from the portage route on river left.

Nies' Pieces is immediately downstream of Scream Machine. There are a number of options and a large pool to set up in on the right. If the flow is high enough, you can run the previous slide left and paddle straight over the shelf into Nies'. At lower flows, you can access the river left channel via a center chute of flow travelling left. Try your best to avoid the left wall at the bottom by pointing back right.

You may run the right side as well, though it is rather dry at lower flows. Most would run it 5-12' off the right wall heading left, dropping the bow slightly.

There is a large pool here for recovery.

Powerslide is the next big slide on the run. It boasts a fun line starting on the left where the river makes a hard bend to the right, pointing you left down the slide again. This is the '5th Element' line and an absolute hoot.

The timid boater could sneak down the right channel for a very straight shot.

Keep an eye out for the hole on the left at the bottom. It can get sticky at various levels.

The runout, starting below Stoner's Revenge, will have a few fun class 2-3 drops before hitting a large debris field once known as Colonel Dick's. Unless you have some flow you're about to spend a lot of time adding character to your boat. The first - and largest- sequence can be run down the center channel, snaking back left. It can get really manky here. Keep picking your way down the left and try to follow the water as the river starts to mellow.

You'll snake your way through a lot of Class 2 until you get to Blackwater Falls, a river-wide ledge best run right-of-center at med-low flows, and left at high water. Watch for an undercut on the right after the first drop. The hole can get gnarly at high water (think 12' or more).

The gradient picks up a bit after Blackwater, with a couple technical, small drops before Toilet Bowl.

All aboard! Most would agree this rapid has become smoother and less technical. The main hazard would be mid-slide flip. 'Hey-diddle-diddle, straight down the middle' and keep your boat pointed downhill should work just fine. Air left for a steeper ride with a fun boof at the bottom.

The next rapid downstream is a sievepile, but there is a massive pool just below Rapid Transit to catch your breath.

The river dives striaght through a nasty pile of rocks here. Though there is a marginal line down the middle (and I do mean marginal), almost everyone will walk down the left or the right.

A right portage will take you the long way around sunshine, making sure you miss Groove Tube.

A left portage will allow you to put back in for an epic drop just above Sunshine.

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For anyone who wants to see a better overview of this one or who is considering maybe firing it up, heres a video of it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRULUEkKnPU

This rapid used to have a much higher consequence as it flowed straight into Sunshine. Now, there is a large pile of rocks forming a nice eddy at the base.

Considering you're already out of your boat, take a quick look at the 8-10' tall ledge before you leap. Above 6-7' the left side will start to form more of a rooster tail, where you will white out as you're falling. Below this threshold, the left side is an amazing double-left boof off the ledge with big air potential.

You can also run the right side of the ledge with a delicately-timed boof. As far as any of us know, the landing is clear here.

After running this, paddle into the left eddy and hop out for a quick portage around sunshine on the left.

Keep your head on a swivel after Groove Tube. You really don't want to stumble into Sunshine. It used to be a marginal-but-fun run, but is now home to the worst sieve on the river. As of writing this, I don't know of anyone to attempt this one. Depending on the flow, at least 90% of the river disappears mid-drop with no way around.

The walk on the left should be easy, albeit a bit exposed in spots.

The last steep drop for a while, Stoner's Revenge will signal the beginning of the Runout. Run the first slot on the left then generally drive right-to-left at the bottom for a short, chaotic flume. The slot at the top is known for collecting wood but can be easily portaged via a river-level shelf on the left.

While the center channel is an absolute mess at medium and low flows, the left channel here is almost always a good option. Once you naigate the top ledge, run the next 2' tall pile of rocks just right of center. There is a pin hazard on the right here in both drops. As is a common theme, this feature cleans up with more water.

After this, there is a decent eddy on the right to catch your breath. If you miss the eddy, buckle up for hammer factor because there aren't many more eddies left.

From the bottom of Toilet Bowl, follow the flow back to the left side of the river. As the gradient increases, you will approach a small drop with a weird seam. Keep driving left here toward --but not into-- the left wall. The river will start falling off quickly to the right, going under what appears to be the worst undercut you've ever laid eyes on. Keep driving left, point back slightly right, and pull on a right boof through the hole. The trick here is to keep enough downstream angle that you don't piton the rock, but not so much that you slide into the hole sideways.

This rapid is a hard one to style, but quite forgiving, all things considered. Many paddlers have royally messed up the line, receiving pitons and scraped knuckles as the standard punishment. A swim here is considered to be highly inconsequential at anything less than high flows.

As the water level rises, the left pothole at the bottom of the drop can start to get some teeth.

The take out is a large parking area managed by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission.