Watauga

We enjoyed a chill great day on the Watauga. Having heard that 150 was more enjoyable post-Helene, we thought we'd check it out. It was indeed really fun. There were a couple spots where we bumped rocks, but most of the rapids and run was flowy and clean and fun. The Watauga remains a classic post-helene. Scouting and boat scouting was easy at this level.

(10/03/2024) Kayaking Watauga 2.0. The Watauga River Gorge also experienced changes from Hurricane Helene. The gauge did seem to still be accurate. It was around 300 cfs and it felt like it on the river. Regarding Changes to the Rapids…

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Cabin: The rocks shifted around a bit but it’s still pretty much the same.

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Bump and Grind: It is now a right to left move running the left channel. The right channel looks to be blocked now.

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Shit Kicker: It seems to channelize the water a bit more towards the top. Cutting over to the left side as you get to the bottom was a bit sketch. There’s more rocks at the bottom now which could be a problem at lower water. I think cutting over to the right side towards the bottom is the better move.

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Hydro: basically the same but there is less water going on the rock for the beginning move now.

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Split Decision: It is way more open now

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Vernon’s Folly: It is still the same move. The main hole isn’t as big and the eddies towards the top are smaller.

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Rapid leading into Edge of the World: The left channel is completely blocked off and all the water goes through the right channel. As a result, a powerful curler forms in the turn to the left and it will typewriter you into an eddy on river left. Then you ferry across the strong current to the right

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Edge of the World: Still pretty similar

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Heavy Water: The entrance is more technical now but the main part of the rapid is less rowdy now

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Knuckles: The move is still the same of driving to the right but now the pool at the bottom dropped a bit so now you hook back to the left.

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Diana’s ledge: Not sure about the left line but the boof line is still the same.

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Stateline: The lead-in is more technical now and then the main drop is a bit more of a notch now. There is a really good flake on the right side and if you hit it, you can get a massive boof off of.

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Boof Falls: Main line is still the same. Linville Boof is gone.

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Last Hair: It has opened up more and is a bit easier now.

A video of everything can be found here: https://youtu.be/KWlj9D3\_xGs?si=FWY1sgpzl\_qo\_WiM

A self portrait at Stateline Falls from a photo taken by Brian Benn, I think. A four foot wide acrylic painting on canvas by Dennis Huntley. I am in the BlackFly Octane 91 canoe with a Zap paddle.

This is Elijah Goodspeed getting on his big boof at Watauga Falls (Stateline), for his first descent of the Gorge. The photo was taken from the rock on the right side of the falls, looking down.

An acrylic painting on canvas of the last drop in Hydro on the Watauga Gorge, by Dennis Huntley

Acrylic Painting of Dennis Huntley at Stateline Falls on the Watauga, a selfie.

Acrylic painting of Hydro on Watauga Gorge, by Dennis Huntley

Acrylic painting of Adam McFalls at the top boof of Hydro, coming into the eddy.

Watauga Falls, aka Stateline, in Watauga Gorge in December of 2015

Stateline in the glass open canoe with the glitter finish

5/15/13

Guys Ford Bridge- what caused the washout...

Take-out owned by AW and managed by volunteers for public access.

Usage guidelines for Watauga AW Sherwood Horine Access location.

AW volunteers manage the take-out of the Watauga for public access.

We put on at about 300cfs here is some of the lines at that level no wood everything was clean as of this day..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnlE-SDLmx0&feature=plcp

Great rapid to run backwards on your first trip.

fullgnarlz.com 'the canoe line' at Stateline.

Matt DeVoe boofing off Stateline Falls

stateline falls

The American Whitewater parking area at the Watauga River takeout

The American Whitewater sign at the Watauga River takeout

Looking upstream at the first part of Heavy Water, this is from the river left eddy about half way through, watch the guardian rocks at the top of this eddy.

I learned that rapid as 'Last Hair'.

I believe the rapid that you are speaking of is called Browns ferry.
I could be wrong but I have heard it called by that name. Does anyone know is this the actual name?

No the pin spot hes talking about is right above rewind. Its normally run as an s-turn on the right side. He ran the middle line which at 250 and below is manky and has several pin spots and even a good line would result in some boat abuse. So to clarify the pin spot is below stateline AND boof falls.

I believe the rapid you are talking about is the seive rapid on the left side right beneath the shoals. While you can run this rapid as I have done once and never again, the safer route is off to the right of the big rock in the middle. You will bump down a small, scrapy double drop then drop off the legde right next to the large rock in the middle. Stress free and easy. Go off it backwards. If this is indeed the rapid where he somehow pinned his boat, then he needs take a step down to easier stuff for awhile.

Nice shot of the main falls and the entrance rapids of Stateline.

the road from hwy 321 down to Guy's Ford will ice over quick in cold weather. So be aware of that.

Me at Stateline. Photo by Amos Ivey from directly above, on the rock to the right of the falls.

The parking area after it was regraded, expanded, and covered with fresh gravel.

Because I didn't see it mentioned anywhere else, I just want to say that the Watauga is one of the very best rivers on the east coast, and does not nearly get the attention that it deserves! It's an amazing run through beautiful scenery and should be on anyone's short list of rivers to do.

The mudpit before regrading and graveling took place.

Please keep your speed down on Tester Road (take-out road)!!! A group of us had a very nasty encounter with Karl Livingston (local homeowner) at the AW take-out parking area. Mr. Livingston was furious (cussing us and almost out of control) because he felt boaters were continuously speeding down the road past his house. He says he has repeatedly told boaters to slow down and he was fed up. He has a 3-year old and he says he is concerned for her safety. When I had come by earlier behind some other vehicles he acted like he was going to throw a rock down on my truck. Mr. Livingston says he wants boaters to not exceed 10 mph in the area of the houses on Tester Road. Mr. Livingston's house is a two story house up hill on the right-side going down Tester Road (~1/3 way down)to the take-out. Joel Northen of Boone and I tried to reason with him but he was livid. A couple of us thought we saw a gun while he was talking to us in his truck but he never raised it. He made threats of getting the Sheriff to haul-off cars that were not AW members. I explained that AW does not restrict non-AW members from using the take-out. AW maintains the access for all boaters' use. We discussed that there are no signs on the road to alert drivers that a low speed is desired by the local landowners. Joel volunteered to make some signs for Tester Road. Mr. Livingston agreed to put them up.

Please slow down on Tester Road. While Mr. Livingston's actions were way over-the-top, we do need to respect the landowners/homeowners and slow down.

Stateline Falls on the Watauga

This is Mike Nail's first run on the watauga. excellent day, no carnage!!!
Bottom of Hydro
This guy Lee we met up with from Hendersonville, NC.
Luke Thompson from Asheville, making his leisure way through the low water at Hydro.

The gauage said the level was 185 cfs, but it was much lower than that. This was one of the many fun, boogie rapids that we encountered.
When I described the line I was going to take Jerry said, 'Go ahead, but you are going to get hurt.' I ran it clean, and Jerry followed soon after.
The back to back to back hurricanes have taken their toll on Western North Carolina. This section of road lead to the Guys Ford Bridge, now it's part of a rapid. Fortunately, there was not too much debris in the riverbed.

A picture speaks a 1,000 words.
The change in the gauge reading was quite evident at Stateline.

It may be low, but it's still fun.

The recent storms seem to have changed the river profile for the Watauga R Gauge at Sugar Grove, NC. We ran it 9/23/04. The gauge said it was running 300 cfs. It felt more like 200 cfs. The approach to the Guys Ford bridge is washed out.

Warm weather paddling provided by a hurricane.

Here is the line not to take at Watauga falls. At low water this drop is harder. Everything was fine, but scared me a little.

The directions to the take out are WRONG. The road is called Tester, not Stansberry or Watson Island (I know the area at the take out is Watson Island). I took Stansberry which resulted in my four-wheeling through private property for almost an hour. If you take Stansberry and follow the directions on this page you come up a hill and into a set of trees with a hidden 1/2' steel cable tied across at the perfect level to completely rip off and destroy a rack as I found out. As far as I can tell, there was no other reason for the cable and that the landowner must be sick of lost kayakers driving through his property so he set up a trap. Be warned, do not take Stansberry Rd, it cost me a $300 rack and messed my car up. I'll end my rant now, but you'd think AW would have good directions to their own property.

The bridge didn't wash away, it was removed and is being re-built! Brad is right, though, the old bridge is gone and so is the traditional painted gauge. The road to the put-in may be closed; park on the main road and take the short walk down to site of the once and future Guy's Ford Bridge.

There were reports on boatertalk that the put-in bridge washed away in the high water (15,500 cfs peak) of Nov 19, 2003. As we all know, the middle piling of the bridge had been the unofficial put-in gauge for years. Keep your eyes out for where the bridge debris wound up.

This photo has the do not enter right slot and the undercut it pushes towards at the bottom highlighted. Farther river right is the entrance to take, but be aware that it too pushes towards the undercut at the bottom on the left, be sure to carry right angle or just take the sweet double boof on the left to skip the undercut. Thanks to Bill Schooley for the snazzy arrow work.

Sean Kennedy midway through the entrance of Hydro, a technical rapid that requires precise boat control in fast, turbulent water.

The Atom C-1 that I bought from Whitney Eure, with me in it. I don't remember who took the picture.

Jah Will knuckle-dragging Stateline.

Take out steps

got bored this evenin and dug em out.
cool shot of droppin in
just a great angle