Morgan Creek

Dayton Mountain (Snow Falls) to the Richland Creek Take-out

 Min Level

 6” new gauge

 0” old gauge

 Gradient : Steep

Almost 2 miles in length

 Class V

Creek Overview:

Well after you run this one for the first time, your paddling career will take a fork in the road. You either love this run or hate it, and it will define your taste of whitewater from the day you paddle it. This run is a boat assisted hike. It’s brutal on gear, people and nerves. The rapids are intermediately placed, with portages in between, but the rapids are world class in the world of dirty creekin’. Most are tight, and   land or bounce into rocks. The run has been showcased in several videos, Falling Off Walden’s Ridge, Vertical Addiction, and Local Hero and is the star on many YouTube videos as well. The rapids are dramatic to say the least, you will remember Decapitation and Chili Pepper for the rest of your life, even  if you don’t run them, they redefine what is runnable on your paddling resume. You will also remember the portages, of looking back up, and seeing a rapid you missed but you continue on due to not wanting to carry back up after the work you just performed.  If you wind up loving this run, you are ready for the next step of the Raven’s Fork and Lower Cullasaja in North Carolina, Miller in Alabama and the real Brush Creek on the ridge. If you hate it you will stick with the Bear in Cloudland Canyon in Georgia and Jones in Alabama type of runs. It’s a dividing creek in the boating community when it comes to different tastes. The above statement would start a discussion at any campfire circle. See how it divides when you are only reading this, just wait until you paddle it. For me its one of my favorite runs on Walden’s Ridge.

             Screen shot from Falling Off Walden's Ridge    Rapid: Rocked and Rolled

                                                       Paddler Mark Cumnock

The Put-in:

***First we need to get this out of the way, local landowner issues are becoming a problem at the put-in so be careful and considerate here , and try to only to take one car, dress at the take-out, un-load quickly and get going***

It is easy to find just go up Hwy 30, once on top of the mountain take a right on the state hwy, then get your Gazetteer out and look for the creek...Trust me ...it's easy!

 The Take out:

 Your takeout will be the Richland Creek take-out.

 You need to look at your Tennessee gazetteer atlas, and find Dayton Tennessee on page 24, then look for Back Valley Road, from there, once on BackValley Road you will see a small white sign directing  you to the Pocket Wilderness area, this is the same area you will paddle. The sign gets knocked down sometimes, so another landmark is small white church, across from the church; is a dirt road going up   a hill. Take this road.

 This is also the take-out for Morgan Creek, Polebridge, Paine and Henderson Creek. You really can  have a plan A, B, C, D, and E when paddling this watershed, and just down the street in Graysville, Tennessee is the Roaring Creek watershed, so there are plenty of things to do.

 *** Extra Gear***  Don’t laugh but motocross knee guards work well in the gorge in helping you scout,  it will speed your scouting time up considerably and will help save your dry pants.

      Screen shots from Falling off Walden's Ridge     Battle damage from Chili Pepper

 Gauges:

 The gauges are located at the bridge that crosses Richland Creek in Morgantown, near Dayton, which  is also on Back Valley Road.

 There are two gauges.

 The old gauge is painted on the bridge. Its min. is 0” and was dialed in after a low water run.

 The new gauge is at the bridge also but just upstream. Its min. level is 6” …6” is a brutal level, but a good first time level to learn the lines.

 There is now an Internet gauge tie-in to see if it’s running via the internet CLICK HERE

                 Screen shot from Falling Off Walden's Ridge    Rapid: The Falls

The run:

 First after hiking down into the gorge, past and below Snow Falls on river right; you will come to a cave rapid on river left, you paddle thru the cave, and this sets you up for the next one. You accelerate your boat and boof a slide into a pool that bounces you into a rock. The slide is about 11-15 feet long/tall.

 If this isn’t your cup of tea, this is the time to turn back, because what you thought was tight and congested paddling, landed on rock. Well it’s about to get tight, technical and dirty. The hiking out after this, really isn’t an option and it’s easier to hike to the car after this point, because the bottom is about  to drop due to the steepness of the gorge.

 After this you need to be on the lookout for rapids as you hike and scout. Once you come to an open spot or see more daylight in the streambed than is usual…look for a rapid. If you got the skills to paddle here you really don’t need a play by play. I hope that didn’t sound cheesy, but it’s kinda true.

 But after this you will experience Decap, Chili Pepper, Rocked and Rolled, Mother of All Portages, Stairstep and The Falls. There are some just as big, as the ones just mentioned in there. They just don't have names given to them…so get in there and enjoy the run.  

After you leave Morgan Creek you paddle into Richland Creek with one more hard rapid, that will seem like the Gauley after paddling tiny Morgan, and then you paddle to the parking lot and look back and reflect on an eventful paddling trip.