North Carolina Trip info needed.

[bouldrmatty]

I just spent a few minutes searching the internet with mixed results for a North Carolina (Asheville) specific kayaking website. Something like MNT Buzz but geared towards that area. Planning a trip this spring, and wanted some information regarding weather, flows. rivers etc...

Anyone have a good site to plug ?


Thanks in advance...

[the_dude]

here's a link for a guidebook. http://brushymountainpublishing.com/nccreeks/.

this guy is an authority on the green narrows. i know there is a website for NC that is almost identical to the buzz with similar flow pages, and maybe descriptions for each run on the flow page, but i can't seem to find it.

chris

[phlyingfish]

Does Boatertalk count? Seems like that site is dominated by Asheville-area kayak speak. Also, you might as well only take your creekboat or else you will be harassed and maligned by all the Johnny Hardcores. Plus they play in that part of the country sucks (except for Rock Island, which is epic).

If you are up for it, you would be remiss to go within 200 miles of Asheville and not paddle the Green. It is a super high quality run, with some big drops. Runs all the time when the dam is releasing, you could probably get the number for the dam off somebody on BT. I would also recommend the Watauga, which has been called "The Best Class IV Run on Earth". I don't know about that, but it is a classic Appalachian run with good continuous action and a vertical falls. The Taug also runs pretty reliably in the Spring. Other than those, you would be best served by buying Leland's guidebook and praying for rain. There are about 50 good creeks within 2 hours of Asheville when there is water.

[erdvm1]

Hands Down the best Website for Asheville area boating
http://www.boatingbeta.com/
You can even get a good idea if The Green will run based on lake levels and trends.
Enjoy.

[bouldrmatty]

The good news is that I will be going there to creek, the bad news is that I am a class-4 boater looking to get some skills.. The Green may be a bit intimidating...

Any other river suggestions? Historically, what time of year do they get the most rainfall March or April?

[phlyingfish]

April and March are both pretty sure bets for water down there. But most of their weather comes in the form of storms spinning off the Gulf, so it all depends on the flow at that particular time.

The good news is that there are a ton of creeky class IV options. North Fork French Broad, Wilson Creek, Tellico (a drive from Asheville) are some of the commonly run "starter" creeks. Definately check out the Watauga, you might walk Hydro, but with a good guide you'll be straight. If you are feeling good toward the end of your trip you could consider running "Green Light", which sneaks or walks the truely gnarly stuff, but it is still solid IV if not IV+. You'll definately want a guide for the Green though.

[GAtoCSU]

There's tons of class 4 creeks in the NC/TN/GA area. Best bet is to sign up at Boatertalk.com since it is dominated by class 3-4 boaters in the SE and don't make any plans until you see what the weather is doing (river choice wise). Some all time favorites in this area are....

Watauga
Wilson's Creek
Cullisaja
Chattooga
Overflow (4+)
NF-French Broad
Lower West Prong of the Pigeon
Big Creek
etc.

There's tons of runs in that area that fit the bill. You'll have a blast!

Scott
Former SE boater

[Curtis_Elwood]

Try to time your trip with a dam release weekend. For example, the Cheoah, NC releases April 14th and 15th and the Tallulah, GA releases the first two weekends in April. Section IV of the Chattooga runs year-round. A guide is recommended to point out all the danger spots. All of the other runs mentioned above are good to go also. Pull out the map and start marking where everything is so you can get an idea. The Cheoah and Tellico are close to one another and the Tallulah and Chattooga are right next door.

Pick up Leland's book while you're at the Brushing Mountain Publishing site. Very similar to CRC, for good reason.

[FlyingFluke]

All the above is good info. I'd get the hardcopy guidebook from Leland Davis (you'll need it to find the put-ins anyway) and head East. Once you are in Asheville you just got to see which areas it's currently raining on (boatingbeta.com etc.). I made it out here from Colorado in October and I am still here. It's perfect learning grounds to make the transition from IV to V. Boofing and waterfalls galore! It is also easy to catch shuttles here due to the volume of boaters here.

[bouldrmatty]

Man, I'm getting stoked just reading the post... Cant wait.... Im going to go home and watch LVM again!!

I will probably end up moving out there after this trip.. Any Hi-Tec (semiconductor) companies out there ?