Start
Suck Creek Boat Launch
River Mile: 453.3
GPS Coord: 35 06'34.69”N 85 21'56.12”W
Location: U.S. 27 South/Suck Creek Road
Access: Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency public power boat launch. Free overnight parking.
Finish
River Mile: 443.3
The official finish is in the River at a large orange buoy next to Living Water Private Property.
The Pot House
Parking and after party at the Pot House (Pot Point Cabin). Mile 6.1 on the road after the Suck Creek Boat Luanch. Parking on the right, small walking trail on cabin side. SWIM HALF WAY POINT. Swim has 5 miles to go from here.
About the old rapids in the TN River Gorge:
“Beginning with Williams' Island and the sandbars on either side of that, these obstructions included Tumbling Shoals, the Holston Rock, the Kettle, the Suck Shoals, the Deadman’s Eddy, the Pot, the Skillet, the Pan, and, finally, the ten-mile Narrows, ending with Hale's Bar. Of these, the Kettle, or the Suck as it is better known, at the mouth of Suck Creek is the most infamous, drawing notice from even Thomas Jefferson, who had never been anywhere near the area and lending its name to the entire stretch of treacherous river.” (courtesy of Wikipedia Tennessee River Gorge).
Immediate Surroundings:
“The Tennessee River Gorge Trust is a local non-profit that protects the ecological diversity, scenic beauty and historic past of the nationally significant river canyon. Through the cooperation of landowners and the generosity of the local community, the Trust has protected 17,004.81 of the 27,000 acres of land in the Gorge and the surrounding area. The Tennessee River Gorge, 27,000 acres of land carved through the Cumberland Mountains by 27 miles of the Tennessee River, is one of the most unique natural treasures in the Southeast. It is the only large river canyon bordering a mid-size city (Chattanooga) and is the fourth largest river canyon east of the Mississippi. The Gorge begins approximately 5 miles downstream from downtown Chattanooga, right across from Williams Island, and continues 27 river miles to Hales Bar Dam Marina near Nickajack Lake. The primary project area of the Trust includes the land that is located on either side of the river up to an elevation of 1,700 feet.”
From http://www.trgt.org/page/about-us/)
If you plan on spending any extra time in Suck Creek area, there are plenty of day hikes in Prentice-Cooper State Forest and Raccoon Mountain, swimming blueholes of Suck Creek (if water levels are low), mine ruins, and some of the best rock climbing the south has to offer at “T-wall” in Suck Creek (http://www.outdoorchattanooga.com/180.htm). For more information on outdoors activities to do in the Gorge and in Suck Creek, check Outdoor Chattanooga’s website (http://www.outdoorchattanooga.com).
