Emory

The Emory River from Nemo Bridge down to Oakdale, is a long, fairly straight stretch of river that contains lots of Class I-II rapids, more closely stacked in the first half, and starts with an easy Class III ledge just around the corner from the put-in. This run is a good introduction for new whitewater paddlers at medium to low flows. The scenery is decent, but not comparable to more pristine sections upstream. A railroad track runs the length of the section along river-left. There is a midpoint access at Camp Austin Road Bridge, which crosses the river just under 6 miles into the run. At low water, this may prove to be a better take out for not wearing beginners out too much, as the river downstream really slows down. This does lengthen the shuttle considerably though. Some paddlers also run from Camp Austin down to Oakdale for a 3-4 mile run that's a little milder and has a much shorter shuttle.

Flows: Regardless of whether you just do one portion of the run or the whole shebang, one of the main advantages of this stretch is that the watershed at the put-in is huge (over 600 square miles) and in a decent winter/spring season this section has water every day, especially if you're willing to paddle it down to the lower flows. Too high is just words, but over 8000 cfs, a swim can likely mean having to fish boats out of Watts Bar lake far downstream, weeks later. So as the flow rises, make good assessments of your group to ensure you're not walking into an epic!

From the put-in at the rock bar upstream of the old Nemo Bridge, take the opportunity to warm up in the flatwater about Nemo Falls. Just under the bridges the river bends hard left in front of an island. Scouting is best from river-right on the island, as river-left here is private property. Nemo Falls is a simple 3-foot tall, sloping bedrock ledge, that at different levels has different lines. Low water tends to have paddlers lining up right of center for the smoothest ride. As the flow r

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