Gauge Conditions

Oconaluftee River at Birdtown, NC Downstream Primary

Runnable: 950.0 – 2,000.0 CFS

This flow is an estimate. Most of the runs on this side of the Smokies are good between 1,000 and 2,000. Pack rafters will likely have fun down to 800 or so.

Data from American Whitewater & USGS

Run Map

Run Time Estimate

Put-in

Take-out

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

Description

The final three miles or so of Forney Creek offers remote, scenic, and continuous class III/IV whitewater. Expect some class III boogie, a few more challenging sequences, a bit of wood (2019), and a fast descent. The creek is generally trailside so portaging and scouting are a breeze. More adventure surely lies upstream. The creek can be accessed by paddling 3 miles across Fontana Lake or by hiking in 2-3 miles from the end of the Road to Nowhere. Forney is a step up in difficulty from nearby Deep Creek, and more continuous than Hazel Creek. All are ideal packrafting runs if you have the appropriate skills. _Lat/longitude coords are a rough guide, to get you into the ballpark. Scout, explore, enjoy._

Difficulty

Class III-IV

Length

3.8 mi

Rapids

Access Points

Difficulty Classes

I Easy II Novice III Intermediate IV Advanced V Expert/Extreme VI Unrunnable

Current Conditions

5-Day Forecast

Whitewater data from
American Whitewater

Trailside