Run Map

Run Time Estimate

Put-in

Take-out

Select put-in and take-out to estimate time.

Unlock Advanced Trip Planning

See wind-adjusted speed maps, forecast planning, and detailed time estimates.

Whitewater timing varies with scouting, portages, and group pace. Use as a planning baseline.

Description

While there is the high adventure approach from above, paddlers can also simply hike upstream from the main Deep Creek trailhead as far as you like and paddle back to the start.Deep Creek, at least the last three miles or so, is pretty and pleasant Class II/III. You can scout the whole run for wood and lines from the trail. It is an excellent packraft run. As one flow data point, 1100 cfs on the Oconoluftee at a fairly stable winter flow offered an good low side of medium flow. 700-750 is a good low end benchmark, 1000-1800 is typically medium, and over that it gets pretty fast and flushy. On October 24, 2005, Leland Davis reported on Boatertalk that he dropped someone off to run Deep Creek from the top, and the paddler reported a brutal hike-in, Class IV whitewater, and that it was not worth it for them. Watch: Smoky Mountains Bike and Packraft Mini-Adventure from KRC on Vimeo.