Emory
3. Nemo to Oakdale
| Difficulty | I-III |
| Length | 9.2 mi |
| Avg Gradient | n/a |
| Gauge | Obed River Near Lancing, Tn |
| Reach Info Last Updated | April 14, 2024 |
River Description
The Emory river from Nemo to Oakdale is an easy float trip suitable for beginner paddlers.The scenery is good and all of the rapids are easy class I-II with the exception of Nemo rapid (right at the beginning of the run) which is easy class 3.
The put-in is at Nemo bridge. A short trip (~5.7 miles) will takeout at Camp Austin Road, otherwise continue to the listed take-out for the full run.
River Features
Put In
Camp Austin Road
Surprise
Not far below Camp Austin Road, some (uncharacteristic for this run) rocks obstruct the flow, creating the second 'significant' rapids on this run.
Take Out
Trip Reports
Log in to add a reportEmory River, Catoosa Road to Deermont Road/ Camp Austin Road Class 1-3 (listed on AW as Emory -3. Nemo to Oakdale)
- Minimum flow is 500 cfs on the Obed River Near Lancing, TN
- Max flow is 5000 cfs
- Run is 7 river miles
- AW says 'The Emory River from Nemo to Oakdale is an easy float trip suitable for beginner paddlers. The scenery is good and all of the rapids are easy class II with the exception of Nemo Rapid which is a easy class III. The put in is at Nemo Bridge and the take out is in Camp Austin.'
Note that the river description refers to the Nemo to Camp Austin short run, and the shuttle is described in the Waldenridge link. However, the AW map shows the full run ending at Oakdale, 9+ miles long. -G. DeBacher
running the orange torpedo for the first time. we were quite impressed with this inflatable, cost, apparent durability, ck it out if you are in the market...
On the Emory River ... Nemo to Oakdale, this type beauty and fun....
On the Emory River ... Nemo to Oakdale, whitewater, flatwater too, and a lot of terrific scenery....
490 CFS
Might be a little harder at higher water levels !
Nemo Rapids, class II at 490 CFS
River level at 490 CFS
River Report - Emory River TN - Nemo to Oakdale run - We ran this section at 490 CFS, expecting a slow run with little whitewater and were pleasantly suprised. At this level the numerous class II rapids provide a lot of challenge, but were all runnable. Nemo is class II at this level, and not really any harder on the right side than many of the others. But for a few the route was not obvious, and the drops steep enough, that scouting is advised for class II paddlers. The first 4 miles have many class II rapids. The river is often choked with large boulders. The river slows and pools begin as you approach the Camp Austin bridge. That would be the better takeout (if you can figure out where the takeout is), but you might miss what is certainly one of the top 3 rapids, the one right after the Camp Austin bridge. Occasional rapids continue right on down to Oakdale, but the pools get longer. The scenery is very nice. A very active railroad parallels the river the entire way. The canyon walls provide some spectacular scenery. This is wild country, check out the maps. The takeout at Oakdale could be improved for sure. but we definitely plan on a return trip to this one.