only search W.R.W.W.     Turkey Creek- Tellico Trib.           Water Quality (1 bad 3 good) Scenery (1 bad 3 good)                                                 Here is a map of the area, so you can know the general area.     Class IV                                                Class IV.4 Length 3 Miles Avg. Gradient 160 fpm Max Gradient 360 fpm Put-in: Cheohala Skyway Take-out Turkey Creek Bridge Tellico River Internet gage: Please see our flowpage Paddler's gage: E.L.F. Level 4.5 ft (1500 cfs) Med-Low 5.0ft (1800 cfs) Med 5.5 ft Perfect 6 ft or higher Overview: This run was first run by the Rose Brothers of the old Dagger Harriman days (OC-1 and K-1) and Billy Burkhalter (K-1) in 1995 It's a 3 mile run with 1/2 of it being flat-water, from there the action picks up. The run is loaded with strainers, if you are a Tellico boater and expect no trees and portaging this isn't your run. Once the action picks up the drops start, boof make a move then plan another course of attack. Most are manky. There are some good ones and they will all go with the right amount of water. The problem is trees. Most seem to be be right where you need to be. This run since first explored in the early 90's, holds its trees. Epic floods come and go yet the trees stay. Most run this one once and don't come back.   Comments from Dooley Tombras:    "I did Turkey Creek from Cherohala Skyway last year.  It was great but it was horrible.  20 awesome rapids and 16 of them have wood so it was a portagefest and we barely got out before dark.  I would call it IV-V with a few solid V's.  It is 1.5 miles of flat water and beaver dams and then maybe a little over a mile of game on microgorge steep creekin with wood on every corner...       It's the closest I've ever come to not making it  out of a run before dark.  We underestimated the time it would take to  do the run due to the portages.  Some of them are time consuming  because the micro gorge is TIGHT!  It's so steep that you can't  portage at river level, you have to climb 30 ft up the mountain and  portage on a steep slope back down to river level.  We had to use  ropes on a couple of the portages.   It's too bad.  That run would be classic without the wood.  We were  shocked at how high quality and aesthetic the rapids were.  They would  make good pictures or video.  Also, I think there are one or two  rapids that won't go at anything but super high water because they  land on rocks.  I think we had 5 ft on the Tellico and I would have  called it a low-med level."     Camping: Can be had in the area.