Allen Creek                                            Water Quality (1 bad 3 good) Scenery (1 bad 3 good)            Maps:   Watershed Map (to find location and size of creek) Click Here Special thanks to Steve Zerfos for making the map.   Topo Map: Click Here A special thanks to Randy Hale of NorthRiverGeographic for the map     Class V.2   4 Miles   Average Gradient 250 feet per mile Max Gradient 400 feet per mile   Location: Page 21 of Alabama Gazetteer. That right :) your Alabama Gazetteer, you don't need the $12 dollars for a Georgia Gazetteer.                 Allen Creek Overall Description: Allen is a pleasure, it's a tough run by anyone standards. To me...it's like Johnnies Creek and Bear Creek got married and Allen was their offspring. It starts off tiny in the beginning , and in the end it's a wild ride. The run is also noted for it's shuttle, and for this it turns most people off, and  it can lead you putting on too late. It's not a Bear Creek or Johnnies Shuttle for sure. Pigeon Mountain Wildlife Management Area: You can be fined , if it is hunting season deer season (fall) and turkey season (spring) Due to this, this why Allen Creek is not a more popular run. It's a double-edged sword The Management area helps protect the run, but limits access. The reward of timing access is well worth it. Put-in: It's either a half-mile hike in, or with a 4x4 SOMETIMES you can drive it, but the road can be slicker that owl snot. And here is how to find that mysterious put-in road.   http://www.hanggliding.org/wiki/Pigeon_Mountain   The hanggliders have it figured out, their launch spot is on the way to the put-in, use their directions and the map from their website, once past their launch spot , you just keep driving. Their map once expanded will show even you the road to the creek and the Allen Creek Gorge.   *** Side Note*** you will see a small creek, coming in on river right while paddling Allen, it's in the beginning of the trip, Rocktown Creek is very cool, plan on hiking up on the river right side of Rocktown Creek, it's fast and fun.                                    Screen shot from Steep Creekin' of RockTown Creek                                                                                                  Paddler Brian Collins The Creek: In the beginning it starts off benign, and you think everything is going to be okay...then some fun slides and slot move start. Let this be your warning , because right around the corner is an arse kicker, that will be one of the harder rapids to run in the Chattanooga area. Chose your eddies carefully and one boat at a time, and grab your buddies boat.                                             Beginning of Allen Creek  Paddler Justin Howard                                   Asleep at the Wheel is coming up and was named by the Rome GA , boys who ran it blind at high water. Imagine a step below Double Drop on difficulty on Little Possum. It lands on rock, and then it's a straight shot for the undercut on river left. Portage on the right, and it's good to have ropes here for lowering boats                                                Asleep at the Wheel      Paddler Brian Collins                       Now you think the worse is over, because the gradient should have been chewed up with Asleep at the Wheel...ummmmm...it's going to get better...or worse ...depending on your flavor of Kool-Aid you like. The next major drop coming up is a 15 footer, that lands on rock, and has been run at higher water, but can be a painful experience at lower water. Now you have left the flavor of Johnnies , and now it starts to feel like the Gargoyle section of Bear Creek. Blind sections abound here, and team work boating comes into affect. The major rapid in this section is No Shoulder...if you are here you will figure out the line, it's a one-of-a-kind rapid that is about 6-7 ft, with a slot move that can hurt you...I'll let you guess what body part. Now thru this section, once again, you think you are off the hook. Nope Long slides now come up and they come fast, most have funk-up tripping rocks in them...it's time to get physical with the run...the run gets steeper...and seem to get harder...it may be because you are adrenalined out...but they seem to get harder. Now your next landmark. Dougherty Gulf Once you get to Dougherty Gulf, it seems it should be over. You are now paddling in the river valley. But it gets harder. Big boulders with rock piles , are here...it has the flavor of the Bowling Alley section of North Chick, but it micro, and very pushy. I found this for me to be the attention getter of the trip. This section is everyman for himself, stay close and on top of each other, the section can have trees in it, and scouting, is very hard. It is valley flat here, yet a tough run. Here is a atypical Allen Creek run out rapid …with blind approaches                                                                                                                            Now the P.I.T.A of the trip...if you didn't pay attention to the gage, you could run could be scrappy due to the limestone in the area. Before long, it finally flattens out and you are at the car. Take-out: Remember to stay in the Road Right of Way and don't trespass while at the takeout. Here is a picture of the takeout...it has old abandoned gage on it...too bad it's off-line :(                                                          Here is where you need to park and be discreet. Here is where you need to park and be discreet. Please contact the Schmitt family , before parking. They are the first family on the left driveway, after you cross the bridge, if the downstream side was on your left. They are a very nice family.                                                                        Here is some video from Adam "GranolaPaddler " Goshorn