Beginning as a small stream in the Appalachian Mountains near Whiteside Mountain in North Carolina, the Chattanooga River travels 50 miles to its end at Lake Tugaloo between South Carolina and Georgia, serving up some of the best whitewater in the country, including such classics as Sections III and IV. Now it’s celebrating its 50th anniversary as one of the country’s first Wild and Scenic Rivers, with American Whitewater giving it special kudos…
When Congress passed the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968 the Chattooga was identified as one of 27 rivers across the country to be studied for possible future inclusion in the new National Wild and Scenic River System. Following the study, the Chattooga was deemed eligible and on May 10, 1974, the Chattooga River became the first river in the Southeast designated as a Wild and Scenic River (WSR).
It’s gained more notoriety ever since, from the scene for the movie Deliverance in 1972 to Claude Terry, co-founder of American Rivers (and consultant and stunt double for John Voight in Deliverance), convincing former US president Jimmy Carter, governor of Georgia at the time, to join him in running the infamous Bull Sluice rapid in a tandem canoe. The trip fueled Carter’s appreciation for a a wild, free-flowing stream and spawned the film The Wild President, produced by American Rivers and NRS in 2017, that tells how the experience motivated him to push for legislation that would protect 57 additional miles of the Chattooga as Wild and Scenic.
What is Wild and Scenic River and why does it matter?
According the Chattooga’s milestone birthday story by AW, the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System was created to preserve certain rivers with outstanding natural, cultural, and recreational values in a free-flowing condition for the enjoyment of present and future generations. When a river is added to the National System, it is given a classification—wild, scenic, or recreational, which are measures of the level of development along the river at the time of designation (the Chattooga WSR has sections of the river representing all three classifications). Additionally, the Chattooga WSR is managed to preserve the following “Outstanding Remarkable Values:” ecology, geology, history, recreation, and scenery (for more details visit this website.) Commenting on the importance of WSR designation for the Chattooga, CEO of the outfitter Wildwater, Jack Wise states that “The Chattooga River would be a very different place today without the direct actions of a few pioneers. Today’s beauty and other special qualities of the Chattooga National Wild and Scenic River are due to the foresight of a coalition of river runners, state, and national legislators with the help of the US Forest Service.”
Read full story in American Whitewater HERE:
—(Photo courtesy American Whitewater)