Wow. That word pretty much sums up the scenery in this river canyon. I think the whitewater and the natural beauty of this area are equally enjoyable, so even a non-paddling trip to this area is worth the effort.
The Little River Canyon runs down the spine of Lookout Mountain in northeast Alabama. It's been pointed out that it's strange to find a river canyon of this size on top of a mountain, but that's how it goes here. During the Little River's descent of the mountain, it carves through a beautiful gorge which is comparable to the Big South Fork.
There are two main sections of the Little River to run...the "Suicide" or "Avalanche" section, and the "Chairlift" section. The Suicide section is a six-mile stretch of solid class IV and class V whitewater which boasts not only treacherous drops, but plenty of undercut rocks and pin spots as well. The Suicide section isn't covered in this virtual tour...as I haven't gotten up the nerve to run it yet. Or the skill, in all likelihood.
But in direct contrast to the hellish Suicide section is the relatively placid Chairlift section, which is also about six miles. In this stretch will be long flatwater paddles broken up occasionally by class II and III rapids. There is one class IV rapid - Bottleneck - but it can be easily portaged.
The Chairlift section would make a good transition for a paddler trying to make the move from the Hiwassee/Nantahala grade rivers to bigger water like the Ocoee. Additionally, at lower water levels there will be a good dash of creeking practice stirred in for good measure.
And speaking of creeking, there are a couple of good creek runs which terminate in the Little River canyon's Chairlift stretch. Johnnies Creek, which has been featured in Southeastern paddling videos, is among them.
I can't say enough good things about the scenery here. No trip would be complete without a drive around the rim of the canyon. The road (Class VI, be careful on those turns) runs for the length of the rim and then drops down into Fort Payne, Alabama.
Directions:
From Chattanooga, take I-75 south to the I-59 splitoff, and take I-59 south to the Fort Payne exit, which is Highway 35. Take Highway 35 to Highway 273, and then watch for the signs. The turnoff to the Little River heads south to two possible takeouts: the abandoned Canyon Mouth Park or the bridge where the Little River crosses 273. On your trip be sure at some point that you stop by DeSoto State Park so that you can check out the gauge and DeSoto Falls. Don't put in under DeSoto Falls unless you want to run the Suicide section. Putin at the base of the old chairlift -- park at the overlook at the top of the chairlift and carry (or drag) your boat to the river down a trail near the overlook.
Highlights of the Little River:
Each of the hotlinks above describes a particular rapid and contains a picture. Unless otherwise noted all pictures were taken by me, and I was using a Sony CCD-FX630 8mm Handycam.
Enjoy!
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