Conasauga Creek (Hiwassee R. trib.)

We 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.