So technically, I didn't run either of these falls. I felt the start of a back spasm coming on, which did fully on my drive home, and did not want to run a 20 footer and an 18 footer that you MUST land flat on to avoid hitting the bottom as the pools are only a few feet deep. But, as I set safety and took pics, I feel like I participated in the descents enough to write it up. Plus, the info is on other sites so the more people appreciating these places the better.
So there are two park and hucks that are on this stream, the rest of the river is not worth paddling. The first is driven over all of the time by boaters heading up to Wartburg. It is 20 feet downriver of Highway 62, after the river crosses under it. The second is several miles downstream, in a private residential area. Both require large amounts of rain, like 2-3” in the prior 6 hours for these to run, and they both run with the same amount of water.
After the falls, we headed over for a little park and huck for Alex on South Geise Creek. Just a small little creek, but I will leave this pic for you.
Mi N/A:
- Middle Fork Falls (V). Most will seal launch in immediately downstream of the bridge. The line is to drive hard left to right and boof the far right side of the ledge with right momentum. The hazard is that there is a rock shelf extending 80% of the landing from the left. So you want to clear that to the right.
Access: 2.3 miles north of Coalfield TN on TN-62, you will come to a bridge over the creek. Park on the left, just before the bridge in the little turn out area. It is just a 20 foot walk to the falls. There is a trail to the base of the falls for access back up.
Mi N/A:
- Coalfield Falls (V to V+). This drop is bigger than the one upstream, as it is two part. The first drop is a rolling 18 footer that needs to be boofed flat, in the center. This then quickly moves the 50 feet downstream into the second tier which is a 25 foot tall cascade that needs to be run far left where there is a smooth slide around the nasty middle part of the cascade and then deposits you in a large hole that you want to be far left on. Boat around the corner to then walk up to the private property, assuming permission was given to you.
Access: From TN-62 in Coalfield, drive 0.7 miles south on Fairview Rd. Just before you cross the creek, park on the right (upstream, river left) side of the bridge, out of the way. Now, you can put in just below the bridge. But, to scout, set safety, and egress from the river, you will need to talk to the landowners on the left at the falls. They were super nice, and super excited for kayakers. I am now facebook friends with Phyllis and she has mentioned to me when it is running a most recently. Super nice folks. So lets not ruin their willingness to allow us to walk through their property to scout as well as to exit the river. To exit, boat around a corner until there is a easy way up to the back of the property.
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