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only search W.R.W.W.
   

Cooper Creek

Walden's Ridge Tennessee

 

 

 

 

 

 

Water Quality (1 bad 3 good)

Scenery (1 bad 3 good)         

 

 

                                       Paul Hubbard firing up Bedtime for Lothar

 

                 

 

                                                Photo by Robert Smith

 

 

 

 

                             

                      

                                           Jim Little rail grinding on Cooper Creek Photo by Brian Collins

 

Cooper Creek, just like most of the other ridge runs is getting screwed over due to the Tennessee Legislature not passing the bill that would make rock harvesting illegal. Tennessee mineral rights abide here. Meanwhile Mountain Stone is hauled off to make Taco Bells in Florida and Atlanta.

 

Barker Camp Rd to Bowater Parking Lot

Class IV-V+
5 Miles

Gauge Information

Cooper Creek
Barker Camp Rd to Bowater Parking Lot  IV-V+

 

 

                                                                                  Huckin' Lother

                                               

 

                                                     Photo by Matthew Wallace      Paddler Ben Davis

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

Need Directions? 

                                            Click on the map below that was  provided and donated by

                                                                   NRGS_Logo

                                                      Thank you Randy Hale for all of your hard work          

           

Not that this will make any sense - but I've built a database of creeks. This makes it very easy to uCellphonete. So if you can get

or if anyone using the website has uCellphonetes - GPS Locations, Trails (like the spots on Cooper and Cain) I can place them on the map pretty easily.......

 
Randy
 

For localized map of North Chick /Cooper Creek click on the map picture to blow it up

 

 

 

                                    

 

 

Here are some grid maps provided by Randall Hale of NorthRiver  Geographic

Click on it to blow it up to make it bigger...................

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://www.northrivergeographic.com/wrww/nchick_C5.pdf

http://www.northrivergeographic.com/wrww/nchick_C6.pdf

http://www.northrivergeographic.com/wrww/nchick_D5.pdf

http://www.northrivergeographic.com/wrww/nchick_D6.pdf

http://www.northrivergeographic.com/wrww/nchick_D7.pdf

http://www.northrivergeographic.com/wrww/nchick_E5.pdf

http://www.northrivergeographic.com/wrww/nchick_E6.pdf

http://www.northrivergeographic.com/wrww/nchick_E7.pdf

http://www.northrivergeographic.com/wrww/nchick_F4.pdf

http://www.northrivergeographic.com/wrww/nchick_F5.pdf

http://www.northrivergeographic.com/wrww/nchick_F6.pdf

http://www.northrivergeographic.com/wrww/nchick_F7.pdf

http://www.northrivergeographic.com/wrww/nchick_G4.pdf

http://www.northrivergeographic.com/wrww/nchick_G5.pdf

 

 

River Description

Contrary to other websites Cooper Creek is not a High water run. When Cooper is running  the North Chick Chick will be at a medium level, when it is, Cooper will be at a minimum level.

This run was first explored by Tim Williams, Tom Bowen, and Jon "Lothar" Clarady. Later Jim Little in an Open Boat later paddled  the run in the video Steep Creekin" for an Open Boat first descent.

Cooper Creek although just next watershed over from Cain Creek, and actually the same put-in area. Is quite the opposite from Cain and is more creeky in this authors opinion. The hike in seems not as bad and the paddle to the good stuff seems to come quicker.

Once in the meat of the gorge you will have the feel of more snowboarding that a kayaking trip. You have more rocks to work with to boof, and as shown in the picture above, more rocks to rail grind on.

Then in the meat of it all comes one of the best drops in the country, its clean and tall.

 

                                                          Top view of Bedtime for Lothar

                                        

 

                                                    Paddler Matthew Wallace  Photo by Ben Davis

 

Bedtime for Lothar is easy, straight forward , and is like land on pillows. The next drop is Last Temptation ,which is a cliff with water going over it, with a rock in the way. It is very photogenic , matter of fact the whole run is, and the creek goes into bedrock, so the scouting is easy and picture taking will leave you some for the wall.

As of now it has been reported that the run is choked full of trees due to the Southern Pine beetle killing so many trees in the area.

 

 

 

 

                               Footage from the video "Steep Creekin "

                 

                  

 

                          Footage provided by WaldensRidgeWhiteWater.com

 

 

 

                                        

 

                 

***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***

 

 

Our hemlocks are dying on the ridge due to the woolly adelgid infestation. You can find out more at the Save Our Hemlocks website: http://www.saveourhemlocks.org/

 

To learn even more click here

 

The Picture below is depressing to say the least...

 

 

 

dead5910o.jpg

 

Picture courtesy of KnoxNews.com

 

 

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