Tails Creek

Hwy 76 To Carters Lake [Ridgeway boat ramp].

DifficultyII-III+(V)
Length4 mi
Avg Gradient60 fpm
Reach Info Last UpdatedMarch 24, 2019

River Description

Easy put in is below the 76 bridge. Room for a couple of cars there under the bridge.

Easy take out is at the Ridgeway boat ramp.   Easy and short shuttle.

There is an intermediate put in, cuts out some flat water.   But the access is questionable and the no trespassing signs are plentiful.  You can figure that one out on your own.

There are also the park and huck options.   Hike .38 miles up the Tumbling waters trail, and run the last two big slides.   Or paddle up the lake to the bottom of the drops and hike up Tumbling waters from there.

There is a bridge over the final slide.  The bigger slide above has photo overlooks on both side of the river.

Bring the creekboat, elbow pads, and the good helmet for the photo drops.

To quote from the USACOE   'Carters Lake is one of the most scenic lakes in the southeast. Located at the southern end of the Blue Ridge Mountains, its sparkling waters and rugged shoreline provide a beautiful surrounding for a variety of recreational opportunities including camping, picnicking, boating, fishing, and hunting

The lake is named after 19th century Georgia politician Farrish Carter Tate and is the deepest of Georgia's reservoir lakes. It has a surface area of 3,200 acres and has 62 miles of shoreline. The average depth of the lake is 200 feet with some parts reaching  more than 450 feet.

The lake is fed by the Coosawattee River that runs between Ellijay and Chatsworth. Carters Dam, the tallest earthen dam east of the Mississippi, was completed in 1977. Since then, it has been used to act as a watershed to control annual flooding and generate power.'

Make you wonder what is under those waters.


River Features

Put In

Distance: 0 mi

Take Out

Distance: 3.7 mi
Take Out

Brad Roberts
Brad Roberts

Mar 22, 2019


Chad Spangler The last 1.27mi drops 160ft...125fpm. With enough water that should be pretty good! The first 2 miles below 282 are around 60fpm and there is a lot of private property. I'd either be really stealthy or put on at a dirt road access about halfway down before the good part.

Brad Roberts
Brad Roberts

Mar 22, 2019


Brooks road is a possible alternate put in that cuts out some flat water. Last checked there were no trespassing signs and the road was blocked, but it has been used.