nature, watch for strainers. For those into running waterfalls, there are two located in the 3 or so miles before you reach the backwaters of Lake Fontana. The first, a 12-footer, is about 200 yards below the recommended takeout. The banks are extremely steep, making it very difficult to carry. At a level approaching 3 feet, one may well be committed to run it without the option of scouting. If so, enter left of center, moving to the right immediately, then stay right. The fall is located at the rear of a private home, so do not trespass to scout. J. Johnson Falls, an 8-footer, is 1.5 miles below the CR 1307 bridge. It can be scouted on river left.
SHUTTLE: From Bryson City, drive south on US 19 to CR 1140 and turn left (southeast) onto the first bridge crossing the creek west of the community of Alarka. Return to US 19 and turn left; then drive 0.1 miles and turn right (northwest) on CR 1309 to the old CR 1309 bridge and take out.
GAUGE: The USGS gauge is below the CR 1307 bridge (0.8 miles below the takeout). The minimum for a solo run is a reading of 2.5. The creek can be run in later winter, spring, and early summer except after an unusually dry spring.
WHITEOAK CREEK
Whiteoak Creek is born high in the Nantahala National Forest between Split Whiteoak Ridge and Rocky Bald Ridge, a few miles west of Nantahala Lake. From its origin it tumbles steeply for a few miles, slows (somewhat) through a short valley, then picks up steam once more before joining the Nantahala. This last section is described below. Because of its small watershed, this run is available only after a long, heavy rainfall.
MAPS: Topton, Hewitt (USGS); Macon (County)
class: IV–V (VI)
length: 2.4 mi.
time: 1.5 hrs.
gauge: Visual
level: n/a
permits: No
gradient: 216
scenery: A
WHITEOAK DAM ON CR 1310 TO JUST ABOVE CONFLUENCE WITH NANTAHALA RIVER
DESCRIPTION: You’d better be strapped in tightly and extremely focused before slipping out of the put-in eddy, because you’re about to dance a 2.4-mile waltz with Captain Gravity. With vital statistics including a 216-foot-per-mile drop, a stream width of 30 feet, deadfalls and/or overhanging branches every 50 feet, small to nonexistent eddies, and two huge, kidney-reducing drops, Whiteoak Creek has everything the jaded hair-head could want. Actually, the gradient is very steady and generally unblocked and boat-scoutable, with a few exceptions.
You’ll often find yourself going a little faster than your comfort level would allow as you paddle into a semi-blind turn, with little hope of catching an eddy. About two-thirds of the way into the run, watch for a 10-foot drop that is best run in the center. Just downstream is a 25-foot, Class 5.2 drop consisting of four ledges practically piled on top of each other. None have particularly clean landings, though a route down the right center is barely feasible. This is serious full-contact boating. Hospital air. Scout or carry on the right. Below here the river resumes its steady downhill gradient for about 0.5 miles. The last drop above the confluence with the Nantahala is 28 feet of mega-gnarl that we’ll call Mean Mistreater. Make sure to take out at least 50 yards above this, as there isn’t much of an eddy to depend on closer to it. Then tiptoe carefully around and put in for a sane run down the Cascades, if you’ve got the energy. Mean Mistreater has been run, but not by people who put their skirts on like you and I do.
SHUTTLE: From Nantahala Outdoor Center, take US 19/74 south to CR 1310. Take a left onto CR 1310 and go 6.6 miles to Whiteoak Dam on the right. Take out just above the confluence with the Nantahala River on CR 1310.
GAUGE: None. Assuming a normal dam release, a level of 4.5 feet on the Nantahala River gauge may be a good indicator of enough water.
NANTAHALA RIVER
The Nantahala heads up just inside the edge of Nantahala National Forest before entering Nantahala Lake, reportedly the highest lake in North Carolina. From there some water is piped down the mountain to the power plant 0.25 miles above the Section C put-in. Sections A and B only run after heavy, extended rainfall, which results in dam spill-over from Nantahala Lake and heavy feeder-stream influence up high. The piped water meets the natural flow just above Section C, one of the most popular whitewater runs in the country. The water temperature on this stretch is generally 45° F due to the diverted water being pulled from the bottom of the lake. While Section A is recommended only for experts, Section B is challenging for high-intermediate and advanced boaters. Section C is suitable for intermediate-level paddlers and ends just above the Class V Wesser Falls. Below is Lake Fontana. Nantahala, meaning “land of the noonday sun,” was the name given to it by the Cherokee Indians because the deep gorge shuts out the sun for most of each day.
The cold water can create an unusual phenomenon on a very warm day. A fog rises about 3 feet above the water, sometimes cutting visibility down to a few feet. There is continuous whitewater from Patton’s Pool to the takeout below Nantahala Falls. A bailer—make that a big bailer—is a necessity for the canoeist running the Nantahala.
Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC) is located at the takeout below Nantahala Falls, and they conduct paddling clinics and raft trips down the river beginning in the spring and continuing into the fall. This is an excellent way for the uninitiated to try the river for the first time. NOC also has restaurants, stores, and motel accommodations. For those who wish to camp, Lost Mine Campground, which is privately owned, is located on CR 1103 only 1 mile from Wesser.
MAPS: Topton, Hewitt, Wesser (USGS); Macon, Swain (County)
class: IV–V
length: 1 mi.
time: 1.5 hrs.
gauge: Visual
level: 4.2 ft.
permits: No
gradient: 210
scenery: A
CR 1310 (GRAVEL ROAD TURNOUT 4.2 MILES ABOVE FOREST SERVICE PUT-IN) TO FIRST BRIDGE DOWNSTREAM ON CR 1310
DESCRIPTION: This section, known to the local boaters as the Cascades, is user-friendly only for confident experts. Though not in the top echelon of hard-water runs, this 1-mile stretch will test anyone’s skills. After a brief 0.3-mile warmup, you come to the first Class V rapid. Horns of Gods is a two-stage drop of 16 feet. The upper drop has one obvious slot while the second ledge has a bit more margin for error. A short way downstream is the largest, most difficult rapid on this run. Big Kahunah has a total drop of 22 feet. The line is down the right, blasting off the 9-foot ledge to finish. Almost immediately downstream is Chinese Feet, the last major rapid. Chinese Feet (the name has to be blotter influenced) is best run by hammering into the eddy on the left at the top and then running the 8-foot slot to the left of the boulder that splits the river. From here to the bridge, there is a lot of interesting, though less significant, whitewater. The run can only be done after extended rainfall and generally has a window of two days at best. The road parallels the river on this section allowing for easy scouting, portaging, and aborted trips.
SHUTTLE: From Nantahala Outdoor Center, take US 19/74 south to CR 1310. Take a left onto CR 1310 and go 4.2 miles to a small dirt road on the right where you can park. Take out at the first bridge downstream.
GAUGE: The USGS gauge located just upstream of Ferebee Park on Section C should read 4.2 at a minimum. This assumes a normal release of 3.2 feet from the power plant. See the gauge for Section C below.
class: III
length: 3.2 mi.
time: 2.5 hrs.
gauge: