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Linville Gorge, NC
(Linville Falls to Lake James) |
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Class
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Flow
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Gauge |
IV-V+
(3-4 @ VI) |
200-700
cfs |
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Runnable between 200 and approximately 700 cfs (or 1.4
feet and 2.4 feet on the guage at the take out). The upper-end
is an educated guess; no one I know has run it higher than 2
feet, and I have shown up and decided to paddle elsewhere when it
was running 2.3 feet. Two feet is the approximate breaking
point between a creeky run and a very steep run down an honest to
god river with a lot of push. Keep in mind that the gauge is
16.4 miles downstream of the put-in; it is an historical
record of the flow at the put-in six hours earlier. Use
caution when the level is rising, and expect less water at the
put-in than at the take-out when the level is falling. If
driving from a distance, expect the level to drop about 18% in six
hours when falling from 700 cfs and about 5% in six hours when
falling from the 225 cfs. |
| Character: |
Wilderness steep creeking at its finest |
| Scenery: |
Bottom of a stunning 1,600-2,000 foot deep
gorge, the deepest, longest and most rugged in the Eastern US |
| Distance from Downtown
Asheville (to take-out): |
65 minutes |
| Length: |
16.4 miles |
| Season: |
March - April |
| Other sections: |
None (what, 16.4 miles isn't enough?) |
| Put-in: |
In the olden days we put-in below Linville
Falls, hiking down the trail toward the falls, then bushwacking down
to put-in just below their base. The bushwack is very steep;
you'll probably lower your boats part of the way with a throw rope.
With the falls in the background this is a dramatic put-in, but it
is not very environmentally sensitive given the nature of the
approach.
Though it involves a longer hike, considering the lesser degree
of environmental damage and the fact that almost all of what is
eliminated is relatively flat water, the preferred put-in today is
from the Babel Tower trail, 4.4 miles downstream from Linville
Falls. Another advantage is that one draws less attention to
oneself putting in here, and there was talk that the rangers weren't
pleased the river was being boated. Use discretion when
putting in (un-load boats quickly, get them out of sight, and don't
linger or draw attention to yourselves).
Another common alternate put-in is from the Conley Cove trail.
This put-in cuts the run in half and avoids the steepest 4.7 mile
section.
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| Take-out: |
Upstream of the bridge at the confluence
with Lake James |
| Directions from Asheville
(to take-out): |
Take I-40 East to Exit 81, then Sugar Hill
Road into Marion. Turn left onto US 221 North, then one block
later right onto US 70 East. Stay on US 70 East five miles to
a left onto NC 126 North. Follow NC 126 11.5 miles to the
bridge over the Linville River. Take the road on the left just
before the bridge to get to the gauge and the take out. |
| Shuttle: |
Return about four and a half miles on NC
126 to the right onto Kistler
Memorial Highway (also known as SR 1238 and Old 105). Take
this very
rough road north to your put-in: approximately 10 miles to
the Conley Cove trail, 16 miles to the Babel Tower trail or 20 miles
to trails below Linville Falls. This is the only shuttle I
have ever done in which a four wheel drive truck with high ground
clearance was a virtual necessity. To get to the preferred
put-in, hike down the Babel Tower trail and turn left to head
upstream at the junction with the (unmarked) Linville Gorge trail.
Put-in just upstream of the major drop (the second well-defined drop
below Linville Falls and the first major drop). |
| Other access points: |
Babel Tower trail (1.3 mile hike from
Kistler Memorial Highway to the river; 5.3 miles downstream of
the Linville Falls put-in), Conley Cove trail (1.35 mile hike;
8.2 miles downstream), Pinch In Trail (1.5 mile hike; 11.4
miles downstream) |
| Camping: |
A free camping permit is required for
overnight stays in the Gorge from May 1 to October 31. Permits
can be obtained at the Information Cabin on the Kistler Highway, 0.4
miles after the turn from NC 183. Warning: do not
sleep in your truck by the side of the road -- people have been
issued tickets for doing so.
Linville Falls NPS Campground. Sites are $8 / night
per site for two adults plus $2 for each additional adult in the
winter (November 1 - April 30, campground closed when the Blue Ridge
Parkway is closed) and $8 / night per site for two adults plus
$2 for each additional adult in the summer. Located a couple
miles upstream of the Linville Falls put-in. Campsites are
first come, first served. There are fifty tent sites and
twenty RV sites. To get to the campground from the put-in,
take the Kistler Highway back to NC 183. Turn right onto NC
183 and follow it less than a mile to the Blue Ridge Parkway Spur.
The entrance to the campground will be just past the left onto the
spur. Additional information is available on the Blue
Ridge Parkway Camping Page and the NPS
Camping Page.
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| Gradient |
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Average: |
113 fpm over entire 18.4 miles
201 fpm over the 5.9 miles from Babel Tower trail to 2 miles below
Conley Cove, the point at which the river begins to flatten
143 fpm over the 8.2 miles from Linville Falls to Conley Cove
82 fpm over the 8.2 miles from Conley Cove to just upstream of Lake
James |
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By mile: |
16.4 miles:
50, 75, 78, 98, 143, 226, 246, 226, 159, 185, 94, 95, 67, 33, 37,
25, 25 fpm over the last 0.46 miles |
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Maximum: |
533 fpm (over 0.075 miles) |
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Maximum half mile: |
302 fpm |
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Maximum mile: |
260 |
| Guides |
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Online: |
American
Whitewater's Linville Gorge Page |
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Print: |
Bob and David Benner's Carolina
Whitewater: A Canoeist's Guide to the Western Carolinas |
| Maps: |
Sherpa
Guides Map of Linville Gorge (but note: the Conley Cove
trail is not marked! It is the trail from Kistler Memorial
Highway that meets the river just upstream of the words
"Linville River"). |
| Photos: |
Linville Photo Archive |
| Other: |
Linville Gorge is a great place for hiking
and climbing.
It was one of the first designated Wilderness Areas, and as such,
its managers have decided to leave the trails unmarked everywhere
but the trailheads.
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This is a long (16+ miles), demanding trip through the heart of
the Linville Gorge Wilderness Area. Generally run over two
relaxed days (put in to Conley Cove, then Conley Cove to take out)
or in one massive and rushed push. The (relatively!) flat
water at the top of the run can be omitted by putting in using the
1.3 mile long Babel Tower trail at the cost of only one well-defined
drop (a 15 foot class III). In theory the last five miles of
relatively flat water at the bottom of the run could be omitted by
taking out using the 1.5 mile long Pinch In trail, but this trail is
reported to be very rough.
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