Conasauga Creek (Hiwassee R. trib.)
FR 341 to Holly Springs Rd Bridge
| Difficulty | III-IV(V+) |
| Length | 3.1 mi |
| Avg Gradient | 130 fpm |
| Gauge | Tellico River at Tellico Plains, Tn |
| Flow Rate as of 1 hour | 1.24 ftbelow recommended |
| Reach Info Last Updated | December 12, 2025 |
River Description
It is rumored that Conasauga Creek was run first by Mike Lewis of USA raft
The run is 1.7 miles of whitewater and 1.3 of flatwater, due to a lack of an earlier takeout at this point. From Tellico Plains, go 2.5 miles south on Highway 68. Turn onto Holly Springs Rd., which has a sign for Towee Falls Church. Proceed through this quiet mountain valley for 3 miles, bearing right at a Y, thus not crossing the creek. Continue just under half a mile to a bridge that crosses the stream. Park in the spot on the downstream river right side of the bridge just out of the way of traffic. This is the takeout and the gauge. To the putin, go back to 68 and after turning right, immediately turn right on to FR 341 to Conasauga Falls. 2.5 miles down the road there is a right turn for the Falls Trailhead. One can scout the creek from this trail. To the putin, continue past this turnoff another 2 miles to where the creek is. Putin here. There is limited parking at the putin and takeout.
Description: The creek starts right off with a 5 foot ledge best run on the right, though a more interesting line is on the left. The creek is non stop 3-3+ moves and boofs for the next 4/10 mile. The gradient for this stretch averages to 280ft/m There is an undercut half way through this section. The wood is cleaned out for now. A brief respite ensues, followed by an island. Go left, but avoid the log at the end by beaching up on the shallows on the right. Some more bends and isolated class 3 brings the paddler to the takeout eddy for the falls. If you haven't been here before, err on the side of caution.
The falls is a 35 foot cascade called Conasauga Falls, and is definitely 5+. It is a drop of LVM type nature. It can be run, but I will not explain it. Below here is a series of slides that is called Chutes and Ladders. There is a 7,12,8,and 15 foot series here, which is overall gradual in nature but still very horizon-lined and intimidating if you haven't
...River Features
First Ledge
The action starts about 4 paddle strokes from the putin. It is a 5 foot drop. Run it on the right or left. The left is undercut.
Gettin Interesting
Just some good boulder boofing and weaving with some pins and dead ends thrown in for good measure.
Conasauga Falls
You first
Chutes & Ladders Part One
Bounce down just left of center on the obvious tongue, which is not so obvious at the low level the picture was taken.
Chutes & Ladders Second Drop
Slide down the left or right, the right being more straightforward, the left with a turn halfway through.
Chutes & Ladders Third Drop
Just a low angle slide connecting the second and fourth slides.
Chutes & Ladders Last Drop
This is the final slide into a nice pool below. it is a beautiful view looking up from this pool.
Take Out
Trip Reports
Log in to add a reportWe got to the take out and saw 12'. Two people we were boating with, both of whom are usually very grounded and trustworthy, told us that 14' was a good low. They had apparently been pulling beta off of this page using their iPhone and I still don't understand how they misinterpreted this beta. None of us had run Conasauga before and we were looking forward to paddling a new creek. During the paddle I remember thinking, 'This feels below minimum' .... several times.
I agree with Kirk. 14' should be considered a bare minimum. I don't think I'm ever putting on below 16-18' and I'm no high water snob. We ran Coker at a nice low or medium low level later that day. I strongly recommend that you go there if Conasauga's gauge is below 14'
Otherwise, this was a damn fun run. Can't wait to paddle it when there's actually water.
Jeff huckin' the first drop on river right.
Mikey going crazy on the first drop of Chutes & Ladders. Kinda shallow landing.
Nick getting some air.
Trent boofing into the second drop of Chutes & Ladders. You can see the third drop downstream.
Typical Conasauga Creek scene. Tight & technical, rarely wider than a few boatlengths.
The big eddy above the first drop of Chutes & Ladders. Nice place to take a breather & regroup.
Geoff Kohl picks a line to run 'next time.' Conasauga Falls is about 30 ft and is portaged on river right.
There isn't much room to park at the take-out. park on the river right, downstream side of the bridge.
The gage is located at the take-out on the river left downstream side of the bridge. Each mark is 1 inch.
Conasauga Creek starts off with a bang. The fist 1/2 mile is non-stop class III to III+ technical fun!
Conasauga Creek starts off with a bang. The fist 1/2 mile is non-stop class III to III+ technical fun!
Marshall Fox boofing one of many small ledges on Conasauga Creek.
Just for the record. The culvert is NOT the take-out. Drive about 1/2 mile farther down the creek and you'll find the take-out bridge.
You have about 30 feet of warm up before the first rapid.
Geoff Kohl running the second drop in Chutes and Ladders. In the background you can see the top of 30 foot Conasauga Falls.
Sean and Marshall make quick work of the first and second drops in Chutes and Ladders. In the background you can see 30 foot Conasauga Falls.
Good Fun
This is a shot of the left side, which kinda dumps into an undercut at runnable levels. Still good to go though
One of the better boulder rapids on the run
This is the first of four sliding drops
This is the third drop in a series of four
Sketchy, though runnable
This is typical of the run. Fun class 3 in a pristine non-roadside setting
This shows how well defined the streambed is, with alternating ledge gardens of bedrock and boulder fields. The small drop in the foreground is 3 feet tall.
This is a nasty undercut with a good amount of flow going into it.