Little
2. Sinks to the Elbow(Lower Little)
| Difficulty | III-IV+ |
| Length | 6 mi |
| Avg Gradient | 107 fpm |
| Gauge | Little River Above Townsend, Tn |
| Flow Rate as of 25 minutes | 1.77 ftbelow recommended |
| Reach Info Last Updated | October 20, 2025 |
River Description
Overview:
The Lower Little River, which is from the Sinks to the Elbow, is a great class III+ creek run. If you run the Sinks and the Elbow, you add two class IV+ to your run. Another two additional class IV+ can be added if you also run the Meanies above the Sinks, but note the warnings below about the danger of foot entrapment and death at the second Meanie This river pumps up quickly after rains early in the year and has great scenery and clear, cold water. One of our area's classic whitewater runs.
Rapids Description:
Major Rapids:
(note: some pictures are large)
Screaming Meanies (IV+) First Drop
Screaming Meanies (IV+) Second Drop
Sinks (IV)
Silver Diner (III+)
Eddy Out (III+)
Bottoms Up (III+)
Tunnel Rapid (III+)
The Elbow (IV-IV+)
To run the Meanies, carry your boat upstream along the road and put in wherever it looks good. The two drops above the Sinks, the first and second (Scremaing) Meanies, are extremely risky high due to the risk of entrapment at the bottom of the second Meanie. The second meanie has killed at least two boaters in recent memory, most recently in Dec 2022 -- a very experienced boater who had probably run that section well over 200 times. In both instances the boaters were out of their boats when going over the second meanie and had a foot entrapment. It took DAYS for the rescue team to remove the body of the most recent victim. If you find yourself out of your boat between the two meanies tucking into a tight ball to avoid the entrapment would seem like your best option.
Prior to 2020 there was a reliable left boof for navigating the first half of this rapid. A shift in the river in 2020(?) removed this option and it is still absent of Oct 2025. It allowed entry into the far left eddy from which you could regroup. IF you are able to enter this eddy, the traditional line is to
...River Features
Put In
Take Out
Trip Reports
Log in to add a reportJust wanted to clarify the description about the Pin spot in Meanies 1st Drop. The original AW description mentions a 'pin spot right in the middle of the rapid'. Not sure if there is a 2nd pin spot, but this slot on river left is a pretty good one, and the current pushes you right into it if you don't drive hard enough right. Recommend hitting the boof on river right, and either catching the mid-rapid eddy and peeling out, or just keeping your bow pointed right through the whole rapid. Sorry I do not have photo credit, I stole this picture off of A Wet State and marked up to show the dangerous slot.
Medium flow at the middle line
I drive by the sinks today and there is wood at the bottom of te drop on the left that I've not seen before. I've been out of the area for a while so this may be old news.
Matt DeVoe in the Elbow
first drop of the sinks
Should be out of play at runnable levels.
rapid above tunnel rapid @ 3.2 ft
end of a great day on the water!
log still in the rapid at the time of this picture use caution make sure to scout at lower levels would recomend cheat route left or a portage don't want to be out of boat or upside down through this rapid!!
This is a pothole that is found just below the Elbow rapid on the Little River, Townsend, TN. This picture was taken with the USGS gauge reading 1.85'. This should not present a hazard at regular flow levels, but please be aware that it is there. Thanks to Karl Whipp for the photo and info.