One note: Before using this list please
memorize the A.W. International
Rating of Rapids.
I’m
going to repeat this part again; this list is to be used as a baseline.
Class II.0
Surfing Rapid , Illinois Bayou,
Hector Arkansas
100 Yard Dash, Sipsey
Fork, Alabama 2.0
ft
Class II.3
Devil’s Shoals, Hiwassee River,
Reliance Tennessee
Take-out Rapid, Illinois Bayou,
Hector Arkansas
B.F.R. (Mother) Piney Creek, Arkansas, Russellville, Arkansas
House Rock Rapid, Locust Fork, Cleveland, AL.
Gonzo Shoals, Ocoee River,
1200 cfs
Class II.4
Double Trouble, Locust Fork, Cleveland Alabama (2.4
ft or lower)
Patton’s Run, Nantahala River, Topton NC
White’s Creek (Normal Level) Rockwood, Tennessee
Class II.5
Double Trouble, Locust Fork, Cleveland Alabama (2.5
ft or higher)
Powell Falls, Locust Fork, Cleveland AL 2.45
ft or less
Nantahala Falls, Topton, North
Carolina.
Class II.6
Powell Falls,
Locust Fork, Cleveland AL.3.50 ft or greater
Class II.8
Slide Falls,
Piney River, Spring City,
TN. (Low-Medium Water)
Class III.0
Shoulder Bone, Chattooga
Section IV, Georgia 2.0
ft or greater
White’s Creek Above 1.75 ft Rockwood, Tennessee
Grave’s Creek Falls,
Graves Creek, Cleveland Alabama
Lower Town Creek, Guntersville Alabama 520 + cfs
Class III.1
Whale Tail, Conasauga
River, Georgia
Diamond Splitter, Ocoee River, Ducktown, Tennessee 1200
cfs
Class III.2
Top Ledge, Tellico River, Tellico
Plains, Tennessee
Cascades, Duskin Creek, Spring
City, Tennessee
Hungry Jack, Piney River, Spring
City TN (High
Water)
Class III.3
Frank’s Bell Rapid, French
Broad, North
Carolina
The Narrows, Big Laurel Creek, North
Carolina
Bottle Neck, Little River
Canyon, Alabama
The Gorge Rapids (Normal Water), Rock Creek, Bakewell Tennessee
Class III.4
Short Creek Falls, Short
Creek, Alabama
Signal Falls,
Piney River, Spring
City, TN 2.6
FT
Frozen Rope, Socaptoy
River, Alabama 1000
C.F.S or less
Richland Falls, Richland
Creek, Arkansas
Class III.5
Table Saw Ocoee River, Tennessee 1450
or greater c.f.s.
Baby Falls,
(incl. Meat Grinder) Tellico
River, Tennessee,
2.5 or less ft
Ninety-right, Upper Obed, Crossville, TN
Sinks, (River Right) Little River, Smokies, Tennessee
Lower Screw Up, Richland
Creek, Arkansas
Class III.6
Frozen Rope, Socaptoy
River, Alabama 1500
or greater c.f.s
Put-in Falls, Johnnies Creek, Alabama (6”
or above)
Compound Fracture, Island
Creek, Tennessee,
Obed System ( Normal Level)
Town Creek (Middle Section, below the park, High Water) Town
Creek Alabama
above 1000 cfs
Class III.7
Razorback, Wilson Creek, North
Carolina
Compound Fracture, Island Creek, Obed System, Tennessee,
High Water
Roadblock, Little River
Canyon, Alabama
Class III.8
Jawbone Rapid, Chattooga Section IV, Georgia 1.8
ft or greater
Fang Rapid, (Medium Level)Daddy’s Creek, Tennessee,
Obed System
Seven Foot Falls Chattooga Section IV, Georgia 1.8ft
or greater
Sinks, (River Left) Little River, Smokies, Tennessee
Class III.9
Humongous Rapid, Ocoee River, Ducktown, Tennessee
Fang Rapid, (High Level) Daddy’s Creek, Tennessee,
Obed System
Class III.10
Sweet’s Falls, Gauley
River, West
Virginia
Slanted Crack, Chauga
River, Georgia
Crunch-n-Munch, Roaring Creek, Graysville, Tennessee
Class IV.0
Baby Falls,
(incl Meat Grinder) Tellico
River, Tennessee,
3.6 ft or greater
Corkscrew Rapid, Chattooga Section IV, Georgia 1.75
ft or greater
Put-in Falls, Town
Creek, Alabama
Pigs in Space, Citico
River, Tennessee (High
Water)
Jerod’s Knee, Tellico
River Tellico River, Tennessee,
2.7 ft or above
Pillow Rock, Gauley
River, West
Virginia
Keney Brothers Rapid, New
River, West
Virginia
Class IV.1
Washing Machine, Cossatot River,
Mena Arkansas,
(High)
Middle Ocoee River, Ducktown, Tennessee,
10,000 plus C.F.S.
Insignificant Rapid, Gauley
River, West
Virginia
Class IV.2
Cheoha River,
( Low) North
Carolina
Gorge Section, Rock Creek, Bakewell Tennessee,
High Water
Class IV.3
Last Rapid (Zero Inches) Richland
Creek, Dayton Tennessee
Cascades Nantahala, (Low Water), Topton, North
Carolina
Class IV.4
Cheoa River,
(High) North
Carolina
Hallway Rapid, Santeelah
River, North
Carolina (Low
Water)
Worser Wesser, Nantahala
River, North
Carolina (IV.4
if you mess up, you got to move out-of-state)
Class IV.5
Bedtime for Lothar, Cooper Creek Soddy-Daisy Tennessee
Lower Potter’s Falls, Crooked Fork, and Tennessee
Hallway Rapid, Santeelah
River, North
Carolina (High
Water)
Class IV.6
Pole Cat, Roaring Creek, Graysville, Tennessee
Cascades (Top to Bottom) Coker Creek, Turtletown, Tennessee (High
Water)
Hour Glass, Turtletown Creek, Turtletown, Tennessee
Confluence Rapid, Scarham
Creek, Alabama (High
Water)
Class IV.7
Iron Ring, Gauley
River, West
Virginia
Hammer Time, (6” or above) Richland Creek, Dayton Tennessee
Cascades Nantahala , (High Water), Topton, North
Carolina
Class IV.8
North Chick Falls,
North Chickamauga Creek, Chattanooga, Tennessee (Med-High
Level)
Sock-em-Dog, Chattooga Section IV, Georgia 2.3
ft or greater
Lamance Falls,
Crooked Fork, Tennessee
Boss, Boss
Hollow Creek Arkansas (High
Water)
Vertigo, Brush Creek, Graysville, Tennessee
Top Falls,
Turtletown Creek, Turtletown, Tennessee
Buying the Farm, Bald River, Tellico
Plains, Tennessee.
Class IV.9
Stinging Fork Falls,
Stinging Fork
Spring City, TN
Singley’s Falls, Overflow
Creek, Georgia
Pinball Rapid, Little River
Canyon, Alabama 4”
or above
Imodium Falls, Little Possum Creek, Bakewell, Tennessee
Cumnock Falls, McGill Creek, Graysville, Tennessee (Med-High
Level)
Gorilla Constrictor, Johnnies Creek, Alabama 3”
or below
Blockage, Town Creek, Town
Creek Alabama
Fish Bowl, Bear
Creek, Georgia
Class V.0
Suislide Falls, (Top to Bottom) Bald River Tennessee
Gorilla Constrictor, Johnnies Creek, Alabama 4”
or above
Whale Tail, Lower Cullasaja, Highlands North
Carolina
Marginal Monster, Overflow
Creek, Georgia
Stairway to Heaven, Bear
Creek, Georgia
Jones Creek Falls (Put-in) Alabama
Sunshine (200%) Narrows of the Green, Henderson NC.
Little River Canyon Falls,
near Fort Payne AL.
Gorilla (100%) Narrows of the Green, Henderson NC.
Casey Jones, Jones
Creek, Alabama
Class V.1
Vortex Rapid, Cain Creek, Soddy-Daisy, Tennessee
Eclipse, Lower Cullasaja, Highlands N.C.
Paraplegic Falls,
Miller Creek, Flat Rock Alabama
Cow Sh*t Falls
Wolf Creek, Alabama
Gorilla (200%) Narrows of the Green, Henderson NC.
Sunshine (100%) Narrows of the Green, Henderson NC.
Chili Pepper, Morgan Creek, Dayton, Tennessee
Class V.2
When in Doubt, Miller Creek, Flat Rock, Alabama
Crux, Deep Creek, Soddy-Daisy Tennessee
Double Drop, Little Possum, Bakewell, Tennessee
Class V.3
Asleep at the Wheel, Allen Creek, Pigeon
Mountain, Georgia.
Coming Home Sweet Jesus, Lower Meadow, West
Virginia
Holy Sh*t Rocky Broad, Georgia,
Trib. to Overflow Creek
Fuzzy Bunny, Roaring Creek, Graysville Tennessee
Class V.4
Factory Falls,
Bear Creek (West) Bear
Creek Alabama
Class V.5
Coo-Coo for Cocoa Puffs, Miller Creek, Flat Rock Alabama
Class V.6
Bald River Falls , Top to Bottom, Tellico River Trib., Tellico
Plains, Tennessee
Class V.7
Cutting edge; COULD be considered Class VI, but a line can be seen.
Class V.8
Cutting edge; COULD be considered Class VI, but a line can be seen.
Class V.9
Cutting edge; COULD be considered Class VI, but a line can be seen.
Class V.10
Cutting edge; COULD be considered Class VI, but a line can be seen.
Class VI
Unrunnable, or at least the present gear -boating skills limit the descent
at the moment.
Classification Rapid
Rating System; CRRS (Ser’ios) Notes:
Here are some e-mails and notes from the
peer review, not all are on here, just some that were either relevant or
help shed light on the thought process; when using this system or for that
matter when running a river. Remember my comment on using this a baseline, I
want this system to make people think, and how to judge and/or when
describing a rapid to someone. So here ya go…….
From Tracy Clapp:
“Relative
difficulty vs. danger is extremely difficult to gauge.
Much of the game is
head and body synchronicity that you have in the moment but sometimes don't.
You have to be in touch with where you are in that relationship.
The difficulty
shifts within depending on mad skills, emotion, physical condition [proper
awareness of], familiarity w/ river, and water level.
Sometimes something
not so hard will touch on one of these conditions and the difficulty changes
for that time and moment. It becomes subjective no matter how hard you look
at it. You have to know where you are to really safely gauge how you fit
in”.
From Milt Aitken:
“The real
difference between class 4 & 5 is not difficulty, it's danger. (and I have
to keep reminding myself of this also) For instance, Singley's
Falls (easy like falling off a rock) has only a little danger due to the
undercut on the right at the bottom. But LRC Pinball is a multi move
rapid with a hole and sieves and an undercut and some runout. While
Gorilla Constrictor is mutimove with a sieve”.
Typographical errors are subject to
correction