Yellow

(Gary DeBacher) Twice this spring I ran the Yellow from the Park down past hwy 124 to the Norris Lake Drive take out. The first time the river was at about 280 cfs, and the second time it was at about 460. There are only scattered class 1 rapids from the park to the bridge. There were a couple of trees down clear across the stream, but they could be snuck at their 'top' end where the branches were small. The river is braiding around an island at a place called 'Horseshoe Bend,' but just take the channel with the biggest flow. After the hwy 124 bridge, you will soon come to a horizon line. You will come to a ledge, height of which depends on the river flow, and you will see that about 40% of the water veers right, around a large island. On my 280 cfs run, I ran the left channel, slanting left down the ledge, about 3.5' high that day. On my 460 cfs run, I parked at the head of the island for pictures of the left channel ledge, now down to about two feet. Then I took the right channel, where I came to a ledge of equal height, with a backwash hole below, and wood across the river making it impossible to sneak. This is a good reason not to run secondary channels around islands. There was no good place to land, but I managed to charge up onto a low place on the wood, and then hunch and scoot across to run the ledge. After the island, there were more class 1 and 2 rapids, and more rock outcrops. The Norris Lake Drive take out is marked by rock formations projecting from the left bank, with a nice eddy in between. Total distance is about 5 miles from the park to the take out. Based on topos and Google sattelite photos, I do not think there will be any more rapids until Milstead. If you have a small group, see if you can put in at Anniston Bridge Rd. in order to add the class 2 rapids between the bridge and the park. Also, I have not been able to find a decent access at the hwy 124 bridge. There is a dirt road at the NW corner, but it is not suitable for ordinary cars, and there is no good parking on hwy 124.