The Big South Fork River is a special place. I’ve paddled at all different water levels, from 400 CFS, which American Whitewater describes as too low to navigate, to flood stage waters (60,000+ CFS), defined as too high to navigate safely. This wild, free-flowing river has a lot to offer, from family-friendly Class I-II sections to the gorge with Class II-IV rapids, which I don’t recommend that you go down without experience. I’ve guided friends down occasionally, and I’ve only had one consider returning, not because of the beauty but due to the effort and challenges we incurred.

For more information on the Big South Fork, you can check out the BSF National Park website or jump over to American Whitewater main to see what paddlers have to say. I do the low water run to access some remote pockets for fun fishing.