Raven Fork near Cherokee TN
| River: | Raven Fork |
| Skill: | Intermediate+ |
| Trip Date: | 05/04/2025 |
Participants
Jim Mazzola, Jeff Hatcher, Wayne Jones, John McDonald, Tammy Laurick, Jim Wendling and me (Mort Barlaz)
Sometimes you get lucky and are in the right place at the right time. Things came together on Sunday May 4. The Raven Fork in the Smokies has just enough water. I had paddled this section a year ago and kept hoping to get back. Jim Mazzola knew the run and has done a wonderful job of cutting out wood when necessary (thanks Jim).
The Raven Fork is a 9 mile paddle that starts below the class 4/5 section and is largely a class 2+ with some class 3 rapids mixed in. It is a narrow creek with lots of potential strainers. It runs through the Cherokee Reservation, into the Oconaluftee and then into Cherokee, TN. While not pushy, excellent boat control is essential as there are lots of rocks to maneuver around. There is 1 significant rapid (Crack in the Rock) that requires scouting to confirm that it is strainer free. Otherwise, lots of long rapids with eddy hopping and boat scouting required. The creek passes through a number of campgrounds and there are lots of people trout fishing along the way.
Read more about this creek on rivers.run, including the story of why it is open to paddlers after many years when it was assumed that paddlers were not allowed. Here too, thanks to Jim Mazzola for getting this sorted out. The following text was copied from Rivers. Run and clarifies that it is just fine to run the river.
The entire Raven Fork River is able to be run at any time. Permission is not required to run this river. The ‘prohibited’ aspect of running this river was that no Commercial rafting was allowed. Through the ‘grapevine’ it became mis-construed to believe ALL paddling was prohibited, it is NOT.
Due to the fact this river sits inside Cherokee Reservation property, it has been suggested that we call the Natural Resources Department and let them know we are out there as there are some folks who still to this day, misunderstand that Non-commercial paddling is PERMITTED. It’s the Commercial activity that’s been forbidden.
Contact person to tell them you are running it is Sgt. Jonah Bird (J.Bird)
It was suggested to call him before running the river so that the Eastern Band Cherokee Indian Natural Resources (EBCI) folks and Law Enforcement know we’re out there in case there are any misunderstandings with Cherokee Tribal residents.
Phone number 828 497-4131 (General Non-Emergency Dispatch number)
Maybe we will get enough rain for this creek to be an option at Week of Rivers!