This morning I watched a episode of Tennessee Uncharted ( if you haven't watched it before you must ) and the episode was about the Ocoee River and Whitewater Center. The episode made me think of the day Jesse and I were there, so I decided to share our experience.
This post features two rivers both known for their whitewater rafting and kayaking. The Hiwassee actully begins in North Carolina, crossing into Tennessee and the Cherokee National Forest, while the Ocoee flows from Tennessee down into Georgia also through the Cherokee National Forest. This means much of their water is drained from mostly forested land. Both rivers bear Cherokee names: Hiwassee means "a meadow place at the foot of the hills" and Ocoee means "apricot place."
The Hiwassee, while popular for rafting, is better known for for its trophy worthy trout. The Ocoee's rapids, on the other hand, were the site of the canoe and kayak slalom races for the 1996 Olympics held in Atlanta.
On January 14th, we made the 123 mile drive to the Hiwasee and Ocoee Scenic River State Park. It was one of those days that we felt like we were in the car forever, mainly because the GPS decided that she wanted to take us the "scenic" way there. Some roads were odd and curvy but we did see some pretty views along the way.
Hiwassee/Ocoee Scenic River State Park was the first river managed in the State Scenic River program. A 23-river mile section, from the North Carolina to U.S. Hwy. 411 north of Benton, has been declared a Class III partially developed river. This stretch of river offers canoeing, rafting, fishing, hiking and nature photography. A scenic portion of the John Muir trail winds through the river gorge. Numerous public access sites provide boat launch ramps. Hiwassee/Ocoee Scenic River State Park is also a popular fishing stream and anglers of all ages enjoy fine catches of large-mouth bass, yellow perch, catfish and brown and rainbow trout. The latter two species are stocked by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. The Gee Creek primitive tent campground has 47 campsites, each with a table, fire ring and grill. Adjacent is the Gee Creek Wilderness of the Cherokee National Forest.
The State park can be found at 404 Spring Creek Road in Delano, Tennessee. For more park information or camping reservations, call (423)263-0050 for the park office.
After leaving the park, we drove to the Chilhowee Mountain Overlook. The Chilhowee Mountain is a low ridge at the outer edge of the Great Smoky Mountains that stretches between the Little Tennessee River (specifically Chilhowee Lake) to the west and the Little Pigeon River watershed to the east. While not part of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the mountain's crest is traversed by the westernmost section of Foothills Parkway.
While the mountain is 35 miles long, it rarely reaches a width of more than 3 or 4 miles. Little River cuts a large gap in the middle of the mountain (near Walland), dividing it into eastern and western sections. The highest point on the western section is 2,650 ft at a knob known as Look Rock. The highest point on the eastern section, known as "The Three Sisters," rises to 2,843 feet and is a prominent landmark visible from nearby Maryville, Tennessee.
Chilhowee Mountain derives its name from Chilhowee, a Cherokee village in the 18th-century and before that possibly the Creek village called Chalahume by Juan Pardo. In English spelling it has also been written "Chilhoe". The origin of the name is unclear and there are various theories. It is probably derived from Muskogean or Cherokee.
My photos do not do this view justice, it was absolutely breathtaking.
Our last stop on this adventure day was a stop at the Ocoee Whitewater Center in Copper Hill. The Ocoee Whitewater Center was the canoe slalom venue for the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta and is the only in-river course to be used for Olympic slalom competition. A 1,640 foot (500 m) stretch of the Upper Ocoee River was narrowed by two-thirds to create the drops and eddies needed for a slalom course. Today, the course is watered only on summer weekends, 34 days a year, for use by guided rafts and private boaters. When the river has water, 24 commercial rafting companies take more than 750 raft passengers through the course each day.
No longer used for slalom, the hanging slalom gates have been permanently removed. Because the river is dry most of the year, the Center, now operated by the U.S. Forest Service, also serves as a site for hiking, mountain biking, conferences, weddings, and receptions. It receives about 300,000 visitors a year.
The bridge was sadly closed this day so we were unable to walk across it. It was still interesting to see though!
Whitewater rafting on the Middle Ocoee, downstream from the Whitewater Center, first became a thriving industry in 1976, when the wooden flume between Dam #2 and its powerhouse was shut down for renovation. The power generation system for Dam #2 is similar to that for Dam #3. In both cases water is drained from the lake behind the dam and transported with little loss in elevation to a penstock and powerhouse several miles downstream. From Dam #2 the water travels through an above-ground wooden flume, rather than through a tunnel. In both cases, the riverbed between the dam and powerhouse, which drops about 250 feet in elevation, is deprived of all the water used in power generation.
From 1913 when Dam #2 and its flume were completed, until 1976, when the flume was shut down for repair the 4.5-mile section of river below the flume was waterless most of the time especially in the summer. In 1976 the sudden appearance of water in the long-dry Middle Ocoee river attracted private canoers, kayakers and commercial rafting operators. When the flume was put back in service there was enough money to strike a deal with TVA for regular recreational releases during the summer months. Thirteen years later, when the 1996 Olympic Games came to the Upper Ocoee, recreational releases were scheduled for the upper section of the river as well. According to a 13-year agreement that is now in force, the Upper Ocoee has mid-day water 34 days a year on summer weekends. The Middle Ocoee, below Dam #2 has water 106 days a year and contains 26 Adventure Class rapids. On the days when the Upper Ocoee is also watered, the Middle Ocoee has water into the early evening (its own release plus the extra water from upstream). Most rafting activity takes place on the Middle Ocoee, which has a 1% slope of 50 ft/miles. Rafting down the Upper Ocoee and through the steeper Olympic course, is offered as a more challenging alternative.
Whenever the Ocoee River has water, private boaters are free to use the river without charge.
Pictured below are two photos I found online from the 1996 Ocoee Whitewater Olympics, That would have been exciting to see!
If you would like to watch the episode of Tennessee Uncharted about the Ocoee River and Whitewater Center that I watched this morning, I will share the video below. When you have the chance, check out some of their other episodes as well.
After writing this post, I am now very eager to get out on the water. Hopefully this cold spell will not last long and we can all get our kayaks and canoes out very soon!
- Tessa