Rockfish, South Fork

Put-in below the entrance to Wintergreen Resort roadside on Beech Grove Rd. (615). Park at one of the pullouts or off pavement on the grassy shoulder of the road. Some folks park right at the second slide (Slide #2) and walk their boats up to launch above the first slide. We have also hiked up a bit of Wintergreen Drive to explore that part of the creek but the results were not pretty.

This is the first of the only truly distinctive drops on the South Rockfish. Both of these distinct drops are slides and this first one is relatively straightforward. This rapid dumps you into the lead up to the Second Slide.

This is the reason you paddle this creek. This prominent drop has been in the background of hundreds of tourist photos and romantic selfies. And now its your turn to make your own photographic memory in mother nature's version of a waterslide. Note the obvious potential for an easy roadside park-and-huck option. But you came for more than that, so keep hucking your meat downriver for more of that South Rock Experience.

Here at the entrance to a bible camp there is a bridge across the South Rockfish with four culverts underneath. The river is forced to flow through four culverts under the bridge. You can also flow through one of these culverts if the way is free of wood. There is enough room, on a good day, for a kayaker to tuck tightly and drift through the large pipes that go under the bridge. Scout this spot as you set shuttle, landmark it for yourself, and make plans accordingly.

The take-out for the Upper South Rockfish is at the Moses Hughes bridge, where Moses Hughes Ln. (715) meets Beech Grove Rd. (664). NOTE: Scout the take-out eddy when you leave your car here. Take note of the woven wire fence that is around 20 feet downstream of the bridge. You will need to get off the river before the fence. At the time of this writing there is access on the downstream, river-left side of the bridge, above the fence.