Swannanoa

New Playspot in East Asheville.... New

Forum: BoaterTalk

Date: Jun 14 2005, 3:11 GMT

From: moheinous

I know i'm not the first to surf it but at today's level on the Swannanoa (about 800 on the boating beta guage) a nice breaking wave hole forms at a small rapid at Owen Park. Seemed decent for cartwheels and some fast back and forth surfing(blunts?) but i'm not much of a playboater to really feel it out. A small clean wave was surfable in the washout just behind the hole.At higher water it even gets bigger and it always has nice eddy service. It's probably not worth skipping a high level on the Ledges but for folks in the Swannanoa/East Asheville area it makes a nice afterwork park and play spot. Warren Wilson students could walk to it.

Directions: Interstate 40 east to Exit 55. Follow signs to Warren Wilson College. Go Past the College to the Owen Factory and turn r at the far end of the plant. Go behind the plant to the park. Walk to the backside of the lake and upstream to where Beetree Creek enters the Swannanoa.