Watauga River
Watauga River below Wilbur Dam of TVA
Kakakfahrer at the Bee Cliff Rapids - "The Big Hole"
White water rafting on the "The Big Hole" in the Bee Cliff Rapids
The Watauga River is a river in North Carolina and East Tennessee.
It has a length of 97 km. Its source lies on the slopes of Grandfather Mountain and Peak Mountain in Watauga County.
Hydrographic
The Watauga River is formed by the confluence of Shanty Spring Branch and Green Ridge Branch in Watauga County. The river crosses the border with Tennessee in Johnson County. There he is from Watauga Dam, which is operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA ), the 26 -acre dammed Watauga Lake. Two other rivers flowing into the reservoir: Elk River and Roan Creek.
About the Watauga Lake in Butler Bridge leads the Tennessee State Route 67, the Appalachian Trail crosses the Watauga Dam.
Below Watauga Dam is the Horseshoe section of the river. Here there is another dam, the Wilbur Dam, also operated by TVA, which forms a much smaller reservoir, the Wilbur Lake. In the dry summer months, flowing about 3.7 m³ / s of water retained in the Watauga River.
The Watauga River flows predominantly in the north and later in the west. He reached Elizabethton, where it receives the Doe River. Further downstream is the old TVA Watauga steam power plant. Then the Watauga River meets the South Fork Holston River.
History
The word " Watauga " is derived from the Cherokee, the then named several places, including the present-day Elizabethton. This was known as the " Watauga Old Fields " and was first visited by Daniel Boone and James Robertson in 1759. A larger Cherokee settlement called Watauga was on the Little Tennessee River near Franklin. At the site of Wilbur Dam, the first dam in Tennessee was built which served to generate electricity. This was (acquired in the late 1930s by TVA ) 1909-1912 by the Tennessee Electric Power Company erected. Elizabethton received at that time because of the early access to electricity ( from Wilbur Dam ) nicknamed " City of Power".
Activities
Whitewater rafting, whitewater kayaking and whitewater canoeing, fly fishing and fishing are popular activities on the Watauga River. Rainbow trout, brown trout and striped bass can be caught in the Watauga River.
Whitewater
The Watauga River below the two TVA dams attracts many commercial rafting outfitter in Northeast Tennessee and western North Carolina during the summer months. Commercial fishing guides on the river are held throughout the year.
The Bee Cliff Rapids with a difficulty of II are between Wilbur Dam and Siam Bridge southeast of Elizabethton on the Watauga River.
Commercial whitewater tours have their starting point usually at the Carter County "put - in " directly from the effluent TVA Wilbur Dam. A popular endpoint ( " take-out " ) is 2 to 2 ½ hours downstream (depending on the amount of water in the river ) to the " Black Bottom riverside portions of the city linear trail park " in Elizabethton. The case covered distance is 7 miles. The route can be divided into the following sections:
The Watauga River offers above the Watauga Lake a river section with the Class IV -V, which is popular with experienced whitewater kayakers. However, the practicability of this section requires a sufficient amount of water in the river, which is only guaranteed after heavy rainfall.
TVA Recreation Areas
The Tennessee Valley Authority maintains a public campground below the Watauga Dam.
Weather conditions
The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA ) regulates the amount of water in the Watauga River. You can water it from from their two reservoirs. The TVA guarantees a minimum amount of water, so that commercial whitewater rafting companies to dodge in the summer months from other rivers (eg the Nolichucky River), the temporary lead during the summer season, too little water, on the Watauga River.