River DescriptionA run for the jaded creeker and beginning creeker to make a run together. If you are hair boater you won't be slumming here, and if you are trying to paddle harder runs before you tackle say Little Possum, Roaring is for you. Probably one the best runs in the area, this stream has one Class 5 rapid called "Fuzzy Bunny." Lots of good boaters are happy to walk this one. The creek can be seen on the video "Falling Off Walden's Ridge". It was first run by Micheal Cawood (OC-1), Jeff Richards, (OC-1), Steve Smith, and Mark Cumnock.
Here is how to find the take out...leaving from Chattanooga or coming from Dayton Tennessee.
Off of Hwy 27, look for Hwy 303. Left from Chatty, Right from Dayton. Hwy 303 is in Graysville TN.
Take 303, then take a left onto Pikeville Ave, when in town. Stay on Pikeville Ave. Follow the sidewalk, and double
yellow road, it bears to the right, don't go straight. Follow it... then it turns in Brayton Mnt Road for some reason. In 30 seconds you will drive over Roaring Creek
PUT-IN:Get your Gazetteer out on Page 41
Two ways to get there.
The Easy Way:
Get your Gazetteer out on Page 41 , look for Shaver Road.First find Hwy 303 in Graysville, then you drive into Hwy 30 leaving Dayton, on top of the mountain, you will see Ogden Road, following , until it goes by Shaver Road , which will be on the right. Turn here and drive down Shaver Road. DRIVE SLOW down Shaver Road. You will come to a gate, do not block it. Ask for permission to park. Past the gate, a small road goes to the right. You will walk down the powerlines to the creek.
The Harder Way:
Leave the take-out, go up Brayton Mountain Road, follow it out, you will cross Roaring after 20 mins, keep driving, you will see Ogden Road, turn left onto Shaver Road , which will be on the right. DRIVE SLOW down Shaver Road. You will come to a gate, do not block it. Ask for permission to park. Past the gate, a small road goes to the right. You will walk down the powerlines to the creek.
The Roaring Creek Gage:
Thank to Tony Robinson for making and installing this gage. It is located at the takeout , on Brayton Mountain Road.
2 ft is big level. 1.5 is nice level.
Also check our flowpage.
The Coulterville Gage:
Here is an estimated correlation between the Coulterville gage and the North Chick U.S.G.S. gage.
7.5 ft 725 cfs elf
8 ft 950 cfs low
8.5 ft 800 cfs med
9 ft 1162 cfs med-high
9.5 ft 1525 cfs high
10 ft 2252 cfs very high
10.5 ft 2978 cfs expert
Upper Section of Roaring Creek
Paddler Bailey Johnson
Water levels on this one drop quickly. I have put on with the water too high, and watched it drop while paddling to the takeout. Roaring Creek makes the local news a lot for flooding the local trailers and may be in danger from the state for "stream improvement." Another problem for Roaring is that the clear cutting and Mountain Stone Mining have hurt the headwaters. (Water levels weren't always so quick to drop.)
Middle Section of Roaring ...screen shot from Falling Off Waldens's Ridge
The first rapid is is a fast slide along a cliff which gives you the flavor of what's coming. The first major rapid is Crunch-n-Munch. Munch is the first solid Class IV and can be walked on river right. After Munch, the pool/drop nature of the run kicks in. Here the jaded creeker can teach boat scouting to his up-and-coming buddy.
Scene from Falling Off Walden's Ridge
Once the gorge becomes more defined, your concentration level needs to pick up. The rapids are now solid Class IV. When a slide comes up, eddy out and scout on the river left. The major rapid here is Polecat (named after a local swimming hole), a drop that lands on a rock shelf. You need to know where this is because Fuzzy Bunny is coming up. You will notice the river bearing off to the right and the valley will start to appear. Take your time and scout on river left. Many mere-mortal boaters will get their rear end handed to them here.
From back in the day...Bailey Johnson running Crunch-n-Munch
Roaring can be run at extremely high levels, and if the others around are too high, this is the place to be. The nature of the run completely changes and reminds me of a West Virginia run.
Middle Section of Roaring Creek...paddler Bailey Johnson
The put-in is on Shaver Road. The Shaver family owns the property there. Be extremely courteous here. "Yes Sir", and "No Sir" will be your passport. If you lucked out, the gate for the Mountain Stone company will be open, and they will let you park there.
Lower Section of Roaring Creek Scene from Falling off Walden's Ridge
Paddler Jim Little at age 15
The take out: if the bar is open park there. The owners are cool (they will often want to hear about the run) and it is a good place to get warm. If you make friends you may get a phone number to see if Roaring is running for your next time.
Crunch-n-Munch Rapid
Little SIDE NOTE: I have never run Roaring Creek too high, when other runs in the area start to wash out, Roaring fills up and gets pushy, but it's manageable. For boaters who run it high, the river is not the same at regular levels and should be revisited. It is one of the few that really changes from a high to regular level in one creek bed
The infamous Fuzzy Bunny
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***Warning label***
Whitewater
paddling is VERY Dangerous, and you should get
instruction before ever attempting even to
paddle flatwater. One of contributors to this
web site has personally helped bury 3 kayaking
friends, this isn't a joke. Whitewater paddling
can ruin your life through accidents and can
effect your family and friends throughout a
lifetime.
The
information on this page is incomplete,
inaccurate, and very unreliable. Use
with caution. Whitewater paddling is a
dangerous sport and the information here is not
a substitute for actual knowledge and skill.
The authors are not liable for your actions. Go
ahead and kill yourself if you want to, but
don't blame others for you actions and decisions
that you will make on and off the river.
***Warning label*** |
