Information on Little Mill Cr., West Fork
Rating: III+ (IV) *
TDCR: ????
Location: the put-in road is off Hwy 215 4 miles from the Mill Creek
bridge. Take-out is the same as the Little Mill take-out.
An optional put-in may be accessed 2.7 miles from Mill Creek
Bridge but is 4x4 only and may not get you to the creek
without a hard hike.
Topo Quad(s): Mounatinburg SW
Gradient: 228 fpm
Length: 1.6 mi. (plus 2.75 mi on Little Mill Cr.)
Season: FLOOD
Gauge: The Mulberry should be huge (8 feet) and rising on the USGS
gauge at Mulberry to catch the West Fork of Little Mill.
Little Mill Cr. should almost be covering all of the concrete
of the slab at the takeout. You can also check Fern Gulley -
if it is at a runnable level, the West Fork should be too.
Hazards: continuous rapids, undercuts, and of course a bunch
of logs!
Description: This creek was first run on January 4, 2005
by Steve "Dog" Robertson, Steve Runnles and Sammy Wellborn.
It is 1.6 miles of nearly continuous class III with a
couple of drops besides the big one at the bottom that
approach class IV in difficulty. The big drop comes
right before the confluence with Little Mill, and is
formed by a boulder pile. There is an undercut on river
right, but most of the current blows by it. At high water
the whole run might be bumped up to class IV. This is
a great alternate run for those not yet ready to handle
the more serious hazards on Fern Gulley or Mormon Creek.
Those comfortable on Little Mill and Spirits Cr. could
make the step up to this creek when the water is high in
the area - just watch out for the fast pace of drops and
the high potential for logs blocking the streambed.
The run is WAY fun, has plenty of challenging whitewater,
and there is no hike in. What more can you ask for? Oh
yeah, how about three miles of Little Mill Creek running
high to boot! Thanks to Steve Robertson for information
on this and the entire Little Mill drainage!
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