As Jake Kirinovic and I were planning trips together in the Big South Fork area of Tennessee, I noticed something I hadn’t before. The way the New River (but not that New River) bent sinuously through the landscape invited a quick little bushwhack to connect it to the Clear Fork, skipping the languid flat-water section of the New entirely and plopping us down right at the start of the whitewater. I’ve spent weeks exploring in the area and was elated to finally see what was right in front of me the whole time – the best whitewater packrafting route I’ve discovered yet in Tennessee. Unfortunately Jake wasn’t able to run it with me, but the time was available to me so I took the opportunity and ran it by myself.

This 26 mile Clear Fork to New Fork to Big South Fork Cumberland packrafting route shows off the best paddling available in the Big South Fork area (if you’re into whitewater), in addition to covering one of the best sections for hiking in the park, the Honey Creek Canyon area. With a great 12:14 ratio of hiking miles to paddling miles, you can paddle almost every Class III rapid in the area without stressing your legs too much, and finish easily in 3 days or less.

To further cement this as one of the best backcountry packrafting routes in the area, there are two hiking sections and two packrafting sections. The first boating section involves the beautiful Class II Clear Creek as a nice warmup to the second paddling section; the more playful Class II-III New River which flows directly into the main reason you’re here: the canyon section of the Big South Fork, with its named Class III and IV rapids and beautiful scenery. The hiking portions involve a top-tier section of the Sheltowee Trace that explores the close confines of Honey Creek Canyon, with its “fun” terrain and nearly four-hundred foot walls rising close on either side. There is also a relatively easy 2 mile off-trail bushwhack to connect the two packrafting sections together.

For those hesitant to undertake this trip for boating skill-level reasons, there’s only a single Class IV on this route and it can be portaged (and was, in the video above). The Class III’s are almost all pool-drop in nature, with calm recovery pools at the bottom of each drop. The rapids that are more continuous have plenty of eddies to allow things to be slowed down and scouted if necessary. If you’re confident in your class II skills and you’ve run a few Class III rapids upright, you may be able to take this route on as long as you stay smart on the water, scouting and portaging when necessary. That was my skill level the first time I ran the Big South Fork, and I was able to stay upright on every rapid I chose to run. There is an easier paddling variation of this route (explained near the end of this post) that avoids the more difficult Big South Fork paddling section entirely by cutting 8 miles out.

First Section: Hiking the Sheltowee

The Sheltowee Trace proceeds immediately across the bridge, where you can scout the final rapid of the trip on your first steps. There are several trail junctions that need to be successfully navigated, but the signage through here is generally well done. After a hill climb, a waterfall, and some ridge hiking you’ll begin to descend into Honey Creek Canyon. 

This is a popular loop trail, and you’ll most likely see others here. You’ll be going the “wrong way” around the loop, as the signage is mainly directed at hikers going the other direction. Keep looking backward for clues to the route. It often follows the creek but will occasionally stray up 50 feet or so before coming back down. You’re looking for small green plastic signs and orange graffiti. 1 mph through here is a solid pace. I don’t recommend trying Honey Creek at night, as I once got lost here in the dark and the only place I could find to sleep was 80 feet above the canyon floor. You can hike the other way around the loop if you like, which is easier but avoids much of the best scenery. Both ways come out on the Sheltowee headed south though. 

The rest of the hike is typical pretty Tennessee ridge top hiking, with a view or two down into the Clear Fork before you cross a road. The final half-mile of descent will bring you down to within sight of Clear Creek. Take advantage of the nice beach area at the bottom of the hill to transition your gear to packrafting mode. The campsites between the trail and river here aren’t great, and much of the area was “modified” by the ‘21 flood, but there should be a few flat spots here and there if you look persistently. The ethereal atmosphere of putting on Clear Creek shortly after dawn on a misty day is worth the hassle of finding a camp site by the river.

Second Section: Paddling Clear Creek

This section is 4.8 miles of Class I and II water, with one or two Class II+ rapids. Those stretching their boating skills here will probably want to shore scout Swimmer’s rapid, which comes immediately after a small S-turn rock garden. The rest of the run continues down the narrow and interesting banks as the scenery slowly slides by. This section has some of my favorite views in the Big South Fork.

After about 3 hours of paddling you’ll come to your take-out. Look for the uniquely shaped rock on river left, then take out on the shady beach on river right. You should be able to make out the outline of the pass on river right through the trees.

Third Section: Connecting Bushwhack

No need to do a great job of packing up here. This next section is somewhere between one and two miles long, depending on your route choices. Just make sure nothing will fall out of your pack as you negotiate the steepish terrain. Find the creek bed and head up it, using your judgement to route around impassable terrain like the waterfall. After the waterfall it gets a little easier. I like to walk directly in the creek bed to avoid the vegetation and the sidehilling. The creek bed is filled with life and movement and is a joy to follow.

There are only 500 vertical feet of gain here. Once you reach the top you’ll follow the road down, go past the gate, skirt just around the cliffs to your left, and then walk right in between the massifs. Or just find your own way down to the river if you like. This hike took me about an hour and a half without breaks.

Fourth Section: Paddling the New River and Big South Fork

The New River you’ll be paddling for the next 3.9 miles is a bit different than Clear Creek. Wider, with more pronounced undercut cliffsides, and longer rapids with slightly bigger drops, you’ll have to level up your paddling a bit here. There’s a reason American Whitewater lists this stretch as having somewhere between 2 and 4 Class III rapids – it’s tough to tell if some of these are Class II or Class III. Higher water will have the number closer to 4, while lower water spaces them out and things move more slowly. Remember to make use of eddies to boat scout frequently in the middle of rapids so you’re not surprised by anything. These rapids are long and fun, or long and full of tension if you’re pushing your boundaries here. You can paddle underneath all the overhung cliff faces if the water is low/slow enough, and paddle a ways up some of the side creeks.

The southern peninsula at the confluence is a nice place to take a break or possibly make camp, although flat spots here are also a bit difficult to come by. Try walking a way up the Clear Fork if you need to camp. The paddle to here took me 2 hours with a couple breaks. There are two bail spots marked on the map near the confluence if you’re feeling in over your head. The next section is harder to paddle and more difficult to bail from, so remember there’s always next time if you’re not feeling it today.

The Clear Fork and New River join to become the Big South Fork of the Cumberland River. Hopefully you’ve built some confidence through the previous paddling segments as you’ll be using it over the next 4.7 miles. There are a few warm up rapids before you get to the big three: Double Drop, Washing Machine, and The Ell.

These three almost bleed into one rapid, but they do have recovery pools in between and should be treated separately by all but those with excellent skills. Double Drop (III) can always be snuck on far river left, as can Washing Machine (III) if the water level is below 1500CFS. Above 1000CFS Washing Machine is fairly tame; just an almost blind drop down a 6 foot wide chute into a wave. On The Ell, the lone Class IV of this trip, you’ll need to run the meat or portage. Scout it from river right. Remember if you flip on the approach you’ll be swimming through the rest of the rapid. A good sequence here for those who aren’t yet ready to take these three on is to sneak Double Drop by running the Class II rock garden on far river left, then begin your portage from the recovery pool at the end. You can skip Washing Machine and put in again directly below The Ell. Portaging here takes 5 to 10 minutes.

From Oh Shit (III), you may be able to see the Honey Creek Overlook on the cliffs in the distance. Honey Creek Rapid (III) is my favorite of the bunch because it offers a plethora of route choices and is fairly continuous, without being too difficult. It’s basically an extended II+. Don’t underestimate Ass Kicker (III+), it can be scouted (and portaged) from river right. The same thing goes for Jake’s Ledge Hole (III+), as it can be quite technical depending on the water level. Deliverance (III) and O&W (III) rapids are the cherry on top of this run, as by now you should be able to read and run them without hesitation. Paddling from the confluence to the bridge can take between 2.5 to 5 hours depending on breaks and your scouting style.

Takeout is easiest on river right just past the bridge. The first time I ran this section of the BSF was also the first time I had ever run Class III whitewater in a wilderness style. It was a big accomplishment for me and something I still think about years later. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Logistics

Nearby Oneida has surprisingly good restaurants for a small town. I can heartily recommend Mi Rancho for Mexican or Baby J’s for Pizza.

Parking is available at the Burnt Mill Bridge, Honey Creek Trailhead, or on either side of O&W bridge. O&W is the preferred start/end point for trip pacing reasons. It places the longer hike first and the most difficult section of whitewater last, as it should be for narrative / trip arc reasons.

Backcountry permits are available online here, or in person at 7 different visitor centers. $5 for up to 14 days for up to 6 people. 

I’ve made printable PDF’s in 11 x 17 and 8.5 x 11 format. Check Andrew Skurka’s post for how to print the 11 x 17 version for cheap at FedEx. Here is the CalTopo electronic version of the map, which can be viewed on desktop or mobile browser for free, or with a subscription can be downloaded in advance through the app for use in the field. Having an electronic version helps greatly with exact positioning for rapids on the river.

Flat camp sites can be hard to come by along the rivers, even more so after the ‘21 flood, so it helps to have a smaller group and bring shelters with small footprints. Tarps can be  ideal here for the flexibility they provide.

In case of injury, over-estimation of skills, or flagging spirits, there are bail alternatives shown in black on the map that will lead to a road and hopefully an interaction with a friendly local driver.

11 x 17 Map file (geospatial PDF)

8.5 x 11 Map file (geospatial PDF)

Water Levels and Timing

All CFS numbers in this post reference the Leatherwood Ford gauge. American Whitewater says the BSF is runnable down to 400CFS, but I’ve been on it at 380 and barely scraped bottom. It may go with packrafts at levels even lower than 300. The river was at 1300 CFS during the BSF section of the video above, for reference. This river likes to spend a lot of its time in the spring between 1000 and 2000 CFS, which is a very runnable range. Lower levels generally make the rapids easier to handle, with Washing Machine being a notable exception. The Ell is a Class III+ at 400 CFS. Higher water levels will make larger waves and holes, extending wave trains and reducing the length of some recovery pools. Check the gauge at the link above before you go, and use your discretion to postpone the trip if the water is too high. The highest I’ve been on this river is 5000, and the rapids were all recognizable, with increased but reasonable difficulty levels throughout.

The video above shows a late March trip. March and April have a good combination of good rainfall, good temperatures, and thinner brush. May has warmer temperatures but thicker brush. June through October is iffy as the water level frequently drops too low. The winter is an option as well for those with drysuits.

I’ve paddled the BSF in rain gear without a drysuit, but I am practiced at re-entering my boat very quickly. With warm weather and lower flows, it’s not unreasonable to do the same. You can take bigger risks and have more fun with a dry- or wetsuit, though.

Route Variations

For easier paddling: 9 miles hiking, 9 miles paddling. If the Class III (IV) canyon section of the Big South Fork sounds like too much for your skill level, you can avoid it and shorten the trip while still seeing a good amount of the Big South Fork area. Park at the Honey Creek Trailhead (marked in the Bail Info section of the map) and hike 5 miles south to the Clear Fork. Paddle the Clear Fork, take the Bushwhack Route, and paddle the New River as normal. You may want to portage any rapid that looks too dicey on the New River, as some of them can be continuous. When you near the confluence of the New and Clear, stay river left and ferry across the Clear to the western shore line. You’ll see a tiny stream entering just upstream of the Confluence. This is marked on the map as “Cliff Bail.” The first 100 or so vertical feet are a little winding through cliff bands (go right of the waterfalls), but require no actual climbing. Then you can simply follow the creek up to the trail, where you’ll have less than a mile of on-trail hiking back to your car. 

For less hiking: 4 miles hiking, 14 miles paddling. Run a car shuttle. Park a car at O&W bridge, then drive down to Burnt Mill Bridge. You can start paddling directly from Burnt Mill Bridge, or do the two mile jaunt west on the Sheltowee to the mapped put-in if you want to get 2.2 more miles of paddling in. I recommend the two mile hike, as it puts you on some really pretty water that you would otherwise skip. Continue the trip as written. This variation removes 8 miles of hiking, leaving behind the difficult but memorable terrain of Honey Creek Canyon. 

For even less hiking: 0 miles hiking, 11 miles paddling. Another car shuttle idea. Park a car at O&W, then drive to and start from Burnt Mill Bridge. Paddle the Clear Fork directly in to the Big South Fork, skipping the 2 mile bushwhack and the New River. This adds “The Flume” rapid, which is skipped in the other routes. 

For the Full Gnar: Try to time your trip during several days of rain, and add in Pine Creek (Class II-V) and White Oak Creek (Class II-III). These only run shortly after rain, so timing is key. Pine Creek enters on the east after Ass Kicker rapid, and can be accessed by hiking up O&W road. The top 2/3 of this creek is Class II+, but watch this video for warnings about the lower third. It adds about 4 hours round trip, not including transitions. White Oak Creek enters on the west just a mile downstream of O&W bridge, and has a 2 track you can hike upstream the entire distance of the creek. It has numerous undercut rocks in the main current and should only be paddled by those with decent Class III skills if the water is fast. Otherwise, it’s a nice easy Class II run. It adds about 6 hours round trip, not including transitions. Both runs are beautiful and engaging and can be done as day trips as well.