Water Quality (1 bad 3 good)
Scenery (1 bad 3 good)
Obed River:
D.B.T (Devil's Breakfast Table)
Rockgarden Rapid Picture taken in 1981
Photo by Mike "Louie" Lewis
Length:
12 miles long
Gradient:
Min: 30
Max 45
Class III.5
Video:
If you would like to see some nice video footage of
the Obed-Emory streams and other East Tennessee streams please enjoy
Chris Arp's website CLICK HERE.
Access Issues:
You need to know when it is hunting season in Catoosa Wildlife
Management Area.
http://tennessee.gov/twra/pdfs/wmaseasons.pdf
Level Needed:
Please see our flowpage.
Note the G.D.I. Canoe Club, once put on this section about 20k cfs and
rising. Only one made it to the
take out that night with his boat, using someone else's paddle.
1500-3500 cfs is the norm.
Shuttle:
Remember to always use I-40 and Hwy 27 as your base guideline to get
your bearings.
Put-in:#1
(During Closed Hunting Season)
From Crossville
Take Peavine Road.
From Wartburg.
Find the Catoosa Road ,leaving Wartburg Tennessee, then once driving,
you will come across Nemo Bridge.
cross the Emory .Keep driving while heading right when you come in
doubt. You really need your Gazetteer
to help give you that warm fuzzy feeling. Remember right "but never
straight" is your motto on this shuttle.
Take-out:
Leaving Wartburg,
Find the Catoosa Road ,leaving Wartburg Tennessee, then once driving,
you will come across Nemo Bridge.
Drive across Nemo. Leave your car at Nemo bridge.
Overview:
This section of the Obed gives you three different runs in one day. You
put on Daddy's Creek, paddle
into the Obed, and finish up on the Emory. You will be paddling in some
of the most remote sections of
the Obed-Emory system. It's canyon walls are awe inspiring to say the
least. The water is on par on difficulty
of that of the Ocoee with normal water. The more water this section gets
tho' the harder they get.
This section is drop-pool in nature unlike the Ocoee.
The Creek:
Daddy's Creek to the Obed Junction:
Daddy's Creek to Obed is about two and half miles of Class II.5
whitewater.
Obed Junction to the Emory:
The first 3.5 miles are mainly once again II.5 whitewater. From here the
canyon walls will start to get taller
and taller. Let this be your benchmark. You will have about 1.25 miles
of good whitewater now.
Rapid 90 Right-90 Left:
Rapid 90 Right-90 Left is your first bigh one, and I will let you guess
on how to run it.
OMG:
Oh my God. Is a busy rapid compared to the relative flat-water you just
paddled in the upper section. It's looks bad.
It's not ...stay left , on the left , heading left. When in doubt, you
guessed it, head left.
Rockgarden:
Rockgarden is probably the hardest one on this section. Most who mess up
here under estimate the direction and
the strength of the current, and float, when they should be digging.
This rapid has killed. It shouldn't be
underestimated. It doesn't look that bad until you realize you messed
up. The trick here is to stay on the gas and
dig and work the currents to your advantage, and scout the rapid
beforehand.
Rockgarden Rapid era 1981 Paddler Bailey Johnson photo by Mike
"Louie" Lewis
Clear Creek confluence:
Once you come to Clear Creek you are off the hook, so enjoy the scenery.
You will run a Class II.6 rapid named
Widowmaker. It's overly named , enjoy this fun rapid.
Emory Confluence:
You can swim to your car from here.
