Tennessee whitewater - Spivey Creek, Great Smoky Mountains, Unicoi County

Unicoi county, Little Bald Creek to Tumbling Rich Gap Brook section whitewater kayaking, rafting, and paddling information.

 

CLASS V+     1.8 miles
  If you're coming from Johnson City it's not a long drive at all to the put-in location, there's a road map further down the page with more info on that. The scenic beauty of Unicoi County and the beautiful way the water current moves down the stream are reasons enough to come here and paddle. This stretch of Spivey Creek in Unicoi County is 1.8 miles long and it is classified as a class V+ section by American Whitewater. You can pitch a tent or park your RV at a nearby campground. If you've been out of state whitewater rafting and kayaking you might
    find the rivers here more demanding, so you'd better keep in mind that a lot of the rivers here are not suitable for beginners. This section is quite short so better bring some good walking shoes. This is the only paddling stretch along Spivey Creek. Not too many hotels nearby,
you'll have to drive a bit to get to one, but do book a room before you come because it is a very popular destination. Since you're on this site you are probably into whitewater rafting or kayaking, either way in this general area you'll find lots of paddling rivers. The river winds through the Great Smoky Mountains and you get great scenery. A bit of exercise and spending some quality time in nature have a lot of people coming here.

Briefly about the general area:
Life's too short to enjoy all the entertaining stuff in the Great Smoky Mountains.
 
The Granny Lewis Trail offers hiking at its best, and there's good hiking along the Bald Mountain Trail. At Spivey Creek through the warmest time of the year highs are in the 80's. Through the moonlight hours it's frequently in the 60's. During the wintertime highs are typically in the 40's, and night lows in the 20's for Spivey Creek.
Spivey Creek gets a good deal of water; July is the wettest month with most rain, and the driest of the months is October. A short spree to Spivey Falls is always worthwhile; a tremendous place is Big Cove. Coming to this river is always a good idea.

Spivey Creek, Little Bald Creek to Tumbling Rich Gap Brook road map
Printable road map with the put-in and take-out locations clearly marked.

QUICK STATS
AW Class: V+
Length: 1.8 miles
Average Gradient: 260 fpm
  
Putin Location Coordinates:
Latitude: 36.0415
Longitude: -82.46631

Takeout Location Coordinates:
Latitude: 36.0385
Longitude: -82.4919

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Current weather conditions at Spivey Creek, Great Smoky Mountains, Tennessee
WXPort

Local climate location: GREENEVILLE EXP STN 2 miles away


RAFTING TRIP OUTFITTERS

There are no whitewater outfitters currently listed for this river.

Holiday Inn Express Erwin I-181 / I-26 (Exit 15),, Erwin
5 miles away
Just imagine....waking up to the scent of fresh mountain air and listening to the sounds of silence. Wake up at the Holiday Inn Express Hotel Erwin where every room has a mountain view. Conveniently l...

Super 8 Motel - Erwin, Erwin
8 miles away
A quiet scenic location in a friendly peaceful community we are located just 14 miles from Johnson City one of East Tennessees fastest growing cities and just 15 miles from Jonesborough the oldest tow...

Comfort Inn Mars Hill, Mars Hill
13 miles away
Conveniently located to Wolf Ridge Ski Resort, Blue Ridge Parkway, mars Hill College and Ashville. Guests will enjoy free continental breakfast featuring hot fresh waffles. Hotel amenities include a s...



OTHER_INFO
  Great Smoky Mountains Whitewater
Complete list of all the whitewater kayaking and rafting spots in the Great Smoky Mountains.

Great Smoky Mountains Outdoors Info
Complete outdoors info for the Great Smoky Mountains.

All Tennessee Whitewater
Complete list of all the whitewater paddling spots in Tennessee.
Books about whitewater paddling on Spivey Creek, Tennessee
List of books from Amazon.com that cover whitewater paddling on Spivey Creek, Tennessee.
Find a whitewater outfitter in Tennessee

Whitewater Basics
If you're new to whitewater paddling please take a look at this basic whitewater info.
Outdoors Recreation Near Johnson City, Tennessee
Very comprehensive list of a variety of outdoors recreation in the vicinity of Johnson City, Tennessee, the metro area neareast to Spivey Creek. Find info on campgrounds, hiking trails, ski resorts, lakes, beaches, parks, whitewater and more.
 

   

OUTDOORS
These outdoors activities are available near Spivey Creek.
 Whitewater Near Spivey Creek:
Nolichucky River, Unicoi County , 5 miles away, Class I-II(III) - 3 miles long (Nolichucky Gorge Campground to Jackson Love Bridge)
Nolichucky River, Unicoi County , 6 miles away, Class III-IV - 8 miles long (Poplar North to Nolichucky Gorge Campground)
Nolichucky River, Mitchell/ Unicoi County , 7 miles away, Class III-IV - 8.1 miles long (Rt 197 Poplar to 19/23 Close to Erwin)
Nolichucky River, Unicoi/ Washington County , 8 miles away, Class II+(III) - 0 miles long (Big Rocks)
Brush Creek, Madison County , 20 miles away, Class IV-V - 5 miles long (to French Broad River)
Walnut Creek, Madison County , 20 miles away, Class III-IV(V) - 4 miles long (US 25/70 to Barnard)
Toe River - South, Avery/ Mitchell/ Yancey County , 22 miles away, Class I-II - 22.5 miles long (Carolina Hemlocks Camp to Route 1131)
French Broad River, Transylvania/ Henderson/ Buncombe/ Madison County , 22 miles away, Class I-III - 6.5 miles long (North Carolina Route 251 to Route 1634)
Big Laurel Creek, Madison County , 23 miles away, Class III-IV - 7 miles long (Hurricane to Hot Springs)
French Broad River, Transylvania/ Henderson/ Buncombe/ Madison County , 23 miles away, Class III-IV - 8.1 miles long (Barnard to Hot Springs)
 Ski Areas Near Spivey Creek:
Wolf Laurel, North Carolina , 5 miles away, 700 vertical feet
Ski Beech, North Carolina , 42 miles away, 830 vertical feet
Sugar Mountain, North Carolina , 43 miles away, 1200 vertical feet
Hawksnest, North Carolina , 45 miles away, 619 vertical feet
Cataloochee, North Carolina , 50 miles away, 740 vertical feet
Appalachian Mountain, North Carolina , 57 miles away, 365 vertical feet
Ober Gatlinburg, Tennessee , 77 miles away, 600 vertical feet
Scaly Mountain, North Carolina , 81 miles away, 225 vertical feet
Sky Valley, Georgia , 85 miles away, 210 vertical feet
Winterplace, West Virginia , 128 miles away, 603 vertical feet
 Hotels Near Spivey Creek:
Holiday Inn Express Erwin I-181 / I-26 (Exit 15),, Erwin , 5 miles away
Super 8 Motel - Erwin, Erwin , 8 miles away
Comfort Inn Mars Hill, Mars Hill , 13 miles away
Carnegie Hotel, Johnson City , 17 miles away
Comfort Inn Johnson City, Johnson City , 18 miles away
 Camp Grounds Near Spivey Creek:
Bald Mountain Campground, Yancey County, 4 miles away
Nolichucky Gorge Campground, Erwin, 4 miles away
Bigrock Campground, Jonesborough, 9 miles away
 Trails Near Spivey Creek:
Bald Mountain Trail, Unicoi County , 2 miles away
Granny Lewis Trail, Unicoi County , 2 miles away
No Business Trail, Unicoi County , 3 miles away
Nolichucky River Trail, Unicoi County , 5 miles away
Patty Ridge Trail, Unicoi County , 6 miles away
 National Parks Near Spivey Creek:
Blue Ridge Parkway, Asheville - NC , 25 miles away

Outdoors related information copyright © Stratus-Pikpuk, Inc. - Detailed hotel information copyright © Interactive Hotel Solutions
Some content, including Reach Name, Class, and Length, comes from American Whitewater