Little, W. Fork
1. Desoto Falls to Cloudmont(Upper West Fork)
| Difficulty | I-II(IV) |
| Length | 1.8 mi |
| Avg Gradient | n/a |
| Reach Info Last Updated | January 20, 2006 |
River Description
The Upper West Fork of the Little River requires a hike in* and contains very few rapids. Those who are willing to make the hike are rewarded by an amazingly scenic put-in at the Base of 70' Desoto Falls and getting to run a stretch of rivers that few have seen.
This scenic class II stretch is broken up by one large class IV-IV+ rapid that will require very high water to run safely.
*It has been pointed out that there is an easier access point on river left accessed from the end of the grass runway of Shady Grove Dude Ranch. However, the dude ranch is private property and this access should only be used with expressed permission of the owner Jack Jones. The hike in access to river right at the base of the falls can be done without trespassing.
River Features
Desoto Falls
After the hike in paddlers are rewarded with putting in and getting to paddle around the base of and behind Desoto Falls. Bring a camera, this is a magical and photogenic moment (and a great place to make those pictures/video of flatwater moves look cool).
Squeeze Play
Shortly after the put-in at Desoto Falls paddlers will incounter the largest rapid on the run. Here the river splits around a midstream rock dropping about 3 feet then is squeezed through a 2 foot wide slot between two house sized boulders that are very undercut. I haven't seen this one high enough to make it go for my taste yet, but I would guess somewhere over 500 cfs would make it MUCH safer.
Take Out
Trip Reports
Log in to add a reportI think this was the actual first decent:
http://teamriot.blogspot.com/2008/02/desoto-falls-first-descent.html from February 2008
The other link is from April 2009. Regardless this has been run more than once now
The hike isn't easy, but the scenery is primo. There is a break in this cliff that allows folks to scramble down to the bottom.
Desoto Falls may by the largest clean drop in the southeast that remains unrun. This stomping 70 footer will one day be run, but not by me.