The grand finale of a rafting trip down Section IV of the Chattooga National Wild & Scenic River, Five Falls also serves as a final exam for paddlers who have been honing their skills and teamwork all day. In less than ¼ mile, the Chattooga drops more than 75 feet as it crashes through five consecutive Class IV and V rapids.
The Chattooga River rises high on Whiteside Mountain in North Carolina and gains strength quickly as it crashes down Blue Ridge Escarpment. At Ellicott Rock, the river leaves North Carolina, and for the next 40 miles forms the border between Georgia and South Carolina. The lower end is well known for its whitewater, made famous in part as the filming site of Deliverance, and the final 7.5-mile run (designated as Section IV) gets national acclaim as an elite whitewater rafting destination.
Steep, powerful and highly technical rapids understandably garner the most attention, but unlike some popular whitewater rafting destinations, the Chattooga offers much more than a wild ride. A drop-and-pool river that cuts between cliffs and steep forested shores, the Chattooga offers placid pools that are as spectacular as its rapids are thrilling. The banks are completely undeveloped, and even access by foot is very limited because of Wild & Scenic River protection and the ruggedness of the river gorge.
Only three companies have permits to run commercial rafting trips, and those trips are limited and timed to remain out of sight of one another. Although some highly skilled boaters do run this section and hikers and fishermen can reach the river in a couple of places, during many trips, rafters see no one else from the time they carry their rafts down to the river’s edge until they cross Lake Tugalo at the end of the trip.
A Section IV trips runs about 7 hours, including instruction time, shuttles to and from the river, the river trip itself and a few stops along the way. Those stops always include a big sandwich buffet on a riverside rock – typically in the shadows of towering Raven Cliffs – and a short walk to see Long Creek Falls, a beautiful waterfall on a Chattooga tributary.
It’s important to note that the Section IV run features 10 rapids of Class IV or higher and varies enormously in character with changing water levels. It is a difficult and potentially dangerous river that is suitable only for highly experienced boaters with proper equipment, taking all precautions. For most people, a commercial rafting trip is the only suitable way to run the river.
Visit Southeastern Expeditionsfor rafting trip details and to make reservations.
