River Report: Green River (Lower Green) April 17, 2004

Length of Run:

6 miles

Rating of Difficulty:

Class I-II

River Level:

200%

Scenery:

Location:

Located in the beautiful Green River Gorge

Directions to Put in:

From Asheville: I-26 to the Saluda exit, take a left. The 2nd road on the left is Green Cove Road, and you follow a windy narrow road down the mountain until you reach the Fishtop Falls Access Area. This is the take out for the Green Narrows, and the put in for the Lower Green. Despite what some online sites say and a few whitewater books, Green Cove Road is paved!

Directions to Take out:

6 miles further down Green Cove Road, there is a large parking area for boaters only.

Description:

The lower Green River is cool. During summer months, there are tons and tons of people, lots of beer, nudity, tattoos, you name it. The Green is one of the more popular rivers to paddle next to the Nantahala River. During the week though, things seem to be pretty calm, and the river is much more enjoyable.

The rapids on the lower Green are in the upper class 2 range. Heath at Pisgah Whitewater has a great description available to his students that goes over in detail just about every rock on this river. The lower Green is also one of the most friendly rivers to learn and hone your skills on.