Trail Fork
Boomer to USFS Border
| Difficulty | V |
| Length | 1.5 mi |
| Avg Gradient | 475 fpm |
| Reach Info Last Updated | July 4, 2010 |
River Description
This creek is one of the best in Tennessee. It is the Road Prong's easier and smoother cousin, with matching gradient and a more channelized streambed.
Overall, it is amazing this creek was just now run (Fall 2006). First scouted in 1998 by Daniel Talley and Eric Ralston, the run was cleaned in Summer 2006 and first run a few months later.
The first mile is all bedrock and requires suprisingly little water to run. The last 3/4 mile is boulders and requires more water, since there are many pin spots and shallow dechannelized areas.
There are roughly 20 quality bedrock rapids of anywhere from 8 to 25 feet in gradient. There are three that definitely qualify as class 5, and most of the others are in the 4-4+ range. Still, the drops are right on top of each other with no breaks and this is a class 5 run for sure. This is a solid step up from Brush Creek. The third drop is a sketchy 16 foot off vertical falls with a must make tight line to the right. A portage trail has now been cut on river left, up and around the falls. A rope is now in place that will assist with the 25 foot descent back down to creek level. There is another rapid that has a tight turning pinch halfway down and another with a juicy pocket halfway down. The run has now been cleaned out, and excepting a possible portage at brown pants, there are no portages, unless something new appears. There is a wheelchair move to make through a log jam on the right below a 15 foot slide. There is also a sketchy slot cut out of another logjam on river left that is runnable, but cuation should be exercised. This is a few hundred yards above Penalty Box. There may be one log jam left in the few hundred yards above the takeout. We ran out of light on the final clean up day, so watch out down there. The quality stretch is all clean now.
All drops are runnable and only a few have serious consequences. The big theme
...River Features
Putin
Launch right off a footbridge right into the first winding class 4 ledge.
Ernesto part one
its a 25 foot double slide. After a short low anlge slide below, part two drops out of sight.
Ernesto part two
The wood has been trimmed, but there is a nasty rock sieve at the bottom right. Be ready to charge back left above the bottom drop.
Tree House
Trees are growing out over the rapid, so stay right for a smooth line.
Bring Me My Brown Pants
This drop lands 16 feet on a rock on the entire left side, and only a tight drive to the right will spare you. It is off vertical as well, so too much boof will catch your stern. The run out is another problem in itself. A portage trail has been cut on river left, starting from the pool below Treehouse, and up and around Brown Pants. There is a rope that will facilitate the descent back down to the creek
The Pinch
This slide drops around 20 feet on a bend to the left, and narrows down to a nasty pinch against the right wall. Ride the smooth slide high enough on the left to stay out of the nastiness before dropping back into the chaos below.
Rumble Strip
Run the right side of the island around the corner and after pinch. Boof center and be ready for the clap on the shelf 8 feet down.
Plane Ride
Contemplate the beauty of Trail Fork in a beautiful pool above before driving down the middle of this great slide. At around 17 feet, this drop has a converging current that bounces off the left wall to send you planing over the pool below. Eddy out or continue right into the next fun slide.
Bouncer
Straightforward and fun, this slide has the best line right down the middle, getting a big launch at the kicker halfway down.
Penalty Box
A little distance past Bouncer, there is a quality stretch of 3-4 bedrock and boulder boogie. Pull out on the left to hike down and scout Penalty Box. There is no eddy above it. The creek narrows to 3 feet wide and sluices through a crack 50 feet long with 15 feet of drop. Halfway down is a large recirculating hole with a bad pocket against the very undercut left wall. Just plug through and grab the outflow. A rope is good here.
Take Out
Trip Reports
Log in to add a reportTo putin, you put your boat on this footbridge and seal launch right into the first class 4 rapid. A great start to a great run.
This is the bottom bounce.
Stay high on the left
This one is right below Plane Ride.
Kinda blurry, cool drop. This is where the boogie begins.
Down in the boulder fields
In the winter it must be spectacular. We walked the 8 mile shuttle here after the first descent.
Its full of wood.
feeling zen at the lip of plane ride.
A kayaker's favorite sight