Cullasaja

The left side line on T-Bone

The Slot is one of the final drops on the second micro-giorge of the Middle Cullasaja.

This is one of the final Class V drops before you hit the falls.

There's a deep pool in the landing area. The double boof, slide is cool too.
Cool place to park and huck at low levels, when everything else is too boney.

Middle Cullasaja

There is an easy carry-up on this one.

Running the dry line on T-Bone
Watch out for the pin rock at the bottom.
Great park and huck rapid.

A little bit low but still fun, the first drop is still easy to get a good boof. This one is a little bit harder because of the slow scraping you do at the top of this. Below here at this lvl. is a very tight boulder garden. Then a portage just before T-bone, but T-bone is still fun and runnable.

This is right below what you can't see in the picture before. Not sure how much further it is until the Super Slide above the BIG Falls!!

The Cullasaja ... New

Forum: BoaterTalk

Re: cullasaja -- update... unipaddle New

Re: lower cullasaja BSK New

Date: Sep 28 2004, 0:39 GMT

From: ugadelta98

The Cullasaja is broken into three distinct sections (for whitewater boating): the Upper, Middle, and Lower.

Upper: 3 Big drops at the beginning, several portages (including Dry Falls), some flatwater, a little class III/IV, and then some solid V/V+ stuff from Nemesis and Bricklayer down to Cosmic Crunch (which is realistically a VI).

Middle: Some Class IV boulders garden stuff below Cosmic Crunch, some class III boogie through semi-tight slots, one small drop, two 8 foot drops (both IV's above 4.5), some Class III boogie, T-Bone (a Class IV+/V) multi-tiered drop, some more Class III boogie, a mile or so of flatwater, a small gorge with Class III+/IV moves (above 4.5 it is Class IV, and only gets tougher as more water comes in), then some ledges in front of the rock shop; there are 3 more Class V rapids below the rock shop, and directly above the big falls, but very few people run them- if you screw up and swim you could end up flushing down over Cullasaja Falls (over 200 ft multi- tiered drop).

Lower: put in at the base of Cullasaja Falls; you have many Class V/V+ rapids for over a mile. The famous ones are Double Drop, Eclipse, Next Time, and Whale Tale, but there are many more stacked in there. It is a serious creek run. The takeout is the Peeks Creek Bridge.

I grew up in Franklin (live away now though), and have been paddling the Cullasaja for about 8 years, so I am very familiar with the majority of the run. I have paddled alot of the Upper, all of the Middle (many, many times), and from below Whale Tale down on the Lower (we hiked in from Peeks Creek- I'm not a good enough creeker to even consider the rest of the Lower still). That river is beautiful, powerful, and dangerous, so be careful on it; I see alot of people posting on here about it these days.

Known to locals as 'Daniel's Rock' Be sure to stay straight here!

Forum: BoaterTalk

Date: Apr 20 2004, 3:24 GMT

From: wncpaddler

You can Park and Huck the two drops above T-Bone and run T-Bone itself as low as you want. Lowest I've done it is 3.21ft. and it was really scrappy. I would say optimum would be 4-4.5 ft. That really pads things out but make some other stuff really intresting. Watch out for what Newt calls the 'box' if you run the drop on the second. Running the slide keeps you away from this. (Newt got worked pretty hard there about 2 months back at 4.25) But you can run the drop with good speed and about 2 ft left of the curler at the top. At lower levels the second drop is pretty sketchy. You won't be able to get much speed and are sure to pin hard in the cave on the far left. It's not terminal, but still bad enough. (1st hand experience there) As for T-Bone you can see how it looks, just stay way left and pull yourself along the top part, at lower levels, and stay away from that huge pothole at the bottom. Pretty good recovery there though.

As for a max. level I wouldn't be one it above 5.5ft. There was an epic swim there last Tuesday at 5.5ft. The swim occured above the 1st drop and there were no eddies until below T-Bone, so the Huka went all the way down the 1st, 2nd, boogie water, and was recirculated in the hole below T-Bone for 20 min. Then pinned on a rock. Bad place to be at that level. I'm sure others will disagree, but for a 1st time run....that's what I would suggest.

Be careful, and know where you are and what's comming up on the Cully at high water. It can be a great place, but a deadly one too. Check out my photos on the AW page for a look at some of the bigger class 5's right above the big falls.

Forum: BoaterTalk

Re: Middle Cullasaja Questions coopster New

Date: Apr 20 2004, 0:59 GMT

From: BLT
3 mini gorges to the cully, top is from the dam below the lake, bottom is at the bottom of big w/fall by road...

The middle gorge is a bit outta control. There is a section just below the middle gorge that has some technical stuff then 2, 8' ledges, then a road side class 5, followed by some flat then a series of class 3 rock gardens, then you get down to the area above the big falls. This one is good if you get there and the others are a bit beefy.

The two drops above T-Bone can be run as low as you care on the first, but the second is scrappy at around 3.2ft. I witnessed a pretty bad bow pin on the far river left side of the second drop. At low levels (below 3.4ft) the second is really sketchy. At higher levels the second drops forms a huge hole, not terminal, but still pretty sticky (above 4.5ft)

Update: it seems that the far left bank of the 1st Drop is undercut. Ben found it while he was probing around out of his boat. I doubt it is an issue at any level except at maybe summer levels and even then a lot of left angle would be needed to get into the undercut.

Watch out for wood on this drop.

Newton running the 1st drop above T-Bone, a little too far to the right.
Newton getting worked on the Middle Cullasaja. He eventually came out, with only a bruised ego.

Newton's redeaming attempt at the drop that worked him only a few minutes before.

Forum: BoaterTalk

Re: New Pics and video clip up on AW of Upper/Middle Cullasaja wncpaddler New

Re: One thing with the pics..... Bradley New

Date: Feb 12 2004, 0:04 GMT

From: ugadelta98

T-Bone (Class IV+, but a definite V at higher water)) is what is commonly referred to as Sliding Rock by the local swimmers on the Cullasaja (different that the Sliding Rock near Brevard) and is located in the bend of the road upstream of the rock shop, after Gold Mine Road. It has a big gravel and paved pulloff parking area to the left, above the main drop. There are two other waterfalls located about 100 yards upstream, First and Second drops (about 8 feet apiece- III+/IV). Above them, about 1/2 to 2/3 of a mile is the pulloff at the old Forest Service road where you can put in below the mayhem of Nemesis and Bricklayer (located on the right, you carry down the steep hill through the woods).

Don't worry about mislabeling those rapids you posted Adam, people have been wrong on trip reports on the AW site for years. The drop you showed is the start of the 3 Class V drops that end the Middle Cullasaja section. They are located right above the Falls, and have a last chance eddy at the bottom before you hit the super slide (and are committed to the biggest, gnarliest, and probably last series of drops in your shortened life- I know people run the big slide, but not me).

-Newton

10-12 FT Drop right above the big rock in the middle of the river.

Entrance rapid before the first class V. Scouting is possiable on river right bank. Be careful, these rocks are very slick year round.
1st drop of the last 3 class V's on Middle Cullasaja
If you look hard you can see Cosmic Crunch in the background on the left. Since the reach descriptions have changed and don't include cosmic anymore, I guess it's unrunnable? I'm hoping to get something better this weekend.
This is about 50 yards above the beginning of the really big drops above Cullasaja Falls. There is another ledge above this one that could make for some park and play. You'll see a sandy beach on the right marking the drops.
This is what's to come if you opt to run the Class V's above the Falls. The first drop is right before this, there is a small pool before you begin to run around that huge rock. The drop before is about a 8-10 foot broken ledge.

This is footage taken from 'Weasel Bait' of Will Van De Berg and Kevin Merritt running T-Bone rapid on the Middle Cully.
Video footage from 'Weasel Bait' of Will Van De Berg and Kevin Merritt running the top two drops on the Middle Cullasaja

Middle Cullasaja

Directions: From Brevard take 64 West all the way into Highlands. (Ignore the real estate development advertising Cullasaja that pops up before Highlands.) 64 West will take a right hand turn in Highlands. As you leave town you will pass a Fee Area for Dry Falls. SR 1620 is the first road on your left after you pass Dry Falls. The sign is located on your right but the road is on your left. The gauge on the bridge is located downstream on river right. The day I ran the Middle the gauge was reading 7.28 and the internet gauge was at 4.1. This was an optimal level.

Take Out: Drive up stream from Cullasaja Falls. You will see T-Bone just above the falls. It is easily recognizable from the car-sized boulder sitting in the middle of the river. Just up stream from this there is a turn off on the right. Park there for the take out.

Put In: As you leave the take-out keep heading up stream. About a mile or so (didn

UNRUNNABLE

This is the last rapid on the middle Cullasaja. Most people take out above this one. Not to far below is a 200 plus foot vertical falls that seperates the middle and the lower.
A nice sliding waterfall on the Middle Cullasja.