Access Issues:
You can paddle this section when it's open season. Please check with the T.S.R.A. website first.
http://tennessee.gov/twra/pdfs/wmaseasons.pdf
Level Needed:
Please see our flowpage.
Shuttle:
Remember to always use I-40 as your base guideline to get your bearings.
Put-in:#1
Find Genesis Road leaving Crossville, follow it out using your Gazetteer it's about 20 miles from the interstate.
You can either use the Lilly Bridge or Jett Bridge.
Take-out:
Find the Catoosa Road ,leaving Wartburg Tennessee, then once driving, you will come across Nemo Bridge.
Nemo is your take-out.
Paddler Gabriel Schmidt Photo by Barry Smith
Overview:
This is a very popular training run for big groups and canoe clubs for the Knoxville and Nashville crowd.
This is a great training river , the rapids are spaced out, and the pools are forgiving.
The Creek:
Section: Jett to Lilly:
Is two and a half miles that can be paddled very quickly.
The Grunch:
The Grunch shows it's heritage name to when rapids were run tandem in aluminum canoes and when they made
a sound , the sound made was "grunch". It's a left angled drop that looks bad until you are in it and you then
you know everything is going to be alright.
Here is a picture of Mike "Louie" Lewis from 1981
Grunch Rapid
Gear has come a long way
Lilly Rapid:
Is the best rapid of the run, you just eddy hop your way down or you can run it with a straight on approach.
Paddler Bill McKinley Photo by Barry Smith
Section Lilly Bridge to the Obed (Nemo).
Paddler Bob "O" Photo by Barry Smith Photo by Barry Smith
Jack's Rock: Class III
Right after Lilly Bridge you will come to the first major rapid of this section. Welcome to Jack's Rock. You
can easily scout Jack's Rock on river left. Jack's is a flaked out tongue. Once scouted you will see the line.
Jack's Rock, Paddler Unknown, Photo by Kemper Begley
Jack's Rock, Paddler Unknown, Photo by Kemper Begley
Camel Rock Rapid.
Camel can be seen from Jack's Rock, once you scout Jack's you will see there is a rock in the middle of the run.
And guess what it looks like :)
Run this rapid by staying right.
Wooten's Folly Rapid : Class III.2
Wooten's is named after canoe pioneer Dick Wooten. Dick was known as a crazy canoer who could be seen paddling
the Ocoee standing up in it the entire length of the trip.
This is the hardest rapid of the trip. It's a little over a football field in length. For the most part you can
boat scout this entire run, by just taking one eddy at a time.
From here there are other names for the rapids that will come up "Rock Jumble", "Focus Falls, "Eddy Hop" most are
straight-forward Class II.5 rapids at normal flow.
Wooten's Folly, Paddler Unknown, Photo by Kemper Begley
Obed to Emory (Nemo)
It picks up speed and some bigger holes appear but to be honest you can swim to the car from here. There is nothing
to write home about.
