Cumberland
Cumberland River
Saturday, May 12, 2007 Trip Reports
'07
1700cfs
7 of us paddled the Cumberland below the Falls this Saturday. The weather was great, a little overcast at first but the sun came out later for a beautiful day on the water. Everything was in, Last Drop, Screaming Right, Stairsteps, all the way to the class II stuff at Bark Camp.
We paddled all the way out and it wasn't bad at all. The last 5 miles or so of the Cumberland is usually flat water, but now with the lake being low, a lot of that flat water is moving current. It took 4 hours to run, put-in to take-out.
I'll be back on The Cumberland again this year, probably more than once. I have some video from Screaming Right and Last Drop up on YouTube.
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Lower Cumberland, More Rapids
Tuesday, January 23, 2007 News '07
Fearing a dam break that could cause catastrophic flooding in Kentucky and Tennessee, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began lowering the water level on Lake Cumberland on Monday.
If the dam, which is nearly a mile long, were to break, flooding in communities downstream along the Cumberland River could kill people and cause an estimated $3.4 billion in damage, Roemhildt said. Cities along the Cumberland include Nashville, Tenn.
The level of the lake will be drawn down to 680 feet immediately, the corps said, 10 feet below the normal level of 690 feet in the winter. The normal level in the summer is 723 feet.
Thus, after the reduction, the lake’s water surface would be 43 feet below the tree line during summer months. That could edge Lake Cumberland out of the list of the nation’s largest freshwater lakes, said Craig Shoe, resource manager for the Corps of Engineers.
This will be the lowest Lake Cumberland has been since 1981, it seems. They are keeping it high enough to generate power. If it gets even lower than prediction, 680, Pitman Creek may have some surprises to uncover. It gets steeper as it approaches the old river channel, but most of it will still be under the lake. Even at 680, that will make the lake at least 100 feet deep in that area.
The Vikings and I, on the Cumberland
Saturday, September 02, 2006 Trip Reports
'06
Flow: 580cfs
Lake Level: 705' (Last Drop was in)
I joined up with the vikings this day for a trip on the Cumberland. It was a great run with all of the rapids in all the way down to last drop. Surfers was good and we spent an hour and a half at just that one rapid. Surfers would be the perfect example of rapid for the Whitewater Park.
Screaming right was still the hardest rapid out there. Not that it was hard, but we had lots of flipping going on in our group at that rapid. Center Rock had some carnage as well.
Stairsteps and Last drop were good, they make the trip better since it is quite a hassle to get towed out on the boat and all. It is nice to have a couple more rapids to run.
Lake Level: 705' (Last Drop was in)
I joined up with the vikings this day for a trip on the Cumberland. It was a great run with all of the rapids in all the way down to last drop. Surfers was good and we spent an hour and a half at just that one rapid. Surfers would be the perfect example of rapid for the Whitewater Park.
Screaming right was still the hardest rapid out there. Not that it was hard, but we had lots of flipping going on in our group at that rapid. Center Rock had some carnage as well.
Stairsteps and Last drop were good, they make the trip better since it is quite a hassle to get towed out on the boat and all. It is nice to have a couple more rapids to run.
Cumberland - Mohawk Canoe #2 R.I.P.
Saturday, June 17, 2006 Trip Reports
'06
We lost a valuable friend today. The green Mohawk now
rest beneath a log on the Cumberland. Maybe one day
we will see it again. But until then we only have
it's matching partner Mohawk Canoe #1. Their will
never be another #2, nothing will
compare.Read
More...
Cumberland Below The Falls
Sunday, July 10, 2005 Trip Reports
'05
1500cfs
Jay, Scott and I headed for Corbin, KY yesterday and ran the section of whitewater below the Falls of the Cumberland. It's a bout a 3 hours door to shove off after gearing up, checking in, walking down to shore from the parking lot. We set up a shuttle through Sheltowee Trace, it just sucks having to wait around after the trip for a ride back to our car and to waiting for the kayaks to come back to the outfitter. But the trip was well worth the visit. We had a great time, Jay sam Center Rock, Scott styled it. Scott swam Screaming Right, Jay styled it. I was flipping all over the place improving on my combat roll. I thought I had taken a bad line on Screaming right, but it turned out to be okay. We really should be running this stretch more often since it is so close to home. But it still falls short to the Rockcastle.
Jay, Scott and I headed for Corbin, KY yesterday and ran the section of whitewater below the Falls of the Cumberland. It's a bout a 3 hours door to shove off after gearing up, checking in, walking down to shore from the parking lot. We set up a shuttle through Sheltowee Trace, it just sucks having to wait around after the trip for a ride back to our car and to waiting for the kayaks to come back to the outfitter. But the trip was well worth the visit. We had a great time, Jay sam Center Rock, Scott styled it. Scott swam Screaming Right, Jay styled it. I was flipping all over the place improving on my combat roll. I thought I had taken a bad line on Screaming right, but it turned out to be okay. We really should be running this stretch more often since it is so close to home. But it still falls short to the Rockcastle.
Cumberland Below the Falls
Saturday, September 04, 2004 Trip Reports
'04
550cfs (falls gauge)
370cfs (williamsburg gauge)
Me and 29 other Viking Canoe Club members ran the Cumberland river. It was a great day boating. The rapids were not too hard or scary. Though they could change a lot at higher levels. Jim Gunn dislocated his shoulder on Screaming Right, playing in the hole as we left after an hour of playing in that hole. The raft company took him out. The shuttle is slow. I guess that by paddleing out you could save time and money, but be extra tired after a long 5+ miles of flat water paddling. I think the lake needs to be lower than 705' for all the rapids to be in.
Cumberland Falls - Class V-VI - Put in below here
Eagle Shoals - Class I+
No Name - Class II
Initiation - Class II
Center Rock - Class III
Bradfords Rock - Class II
Willy Nelson - Class II
Dog Slaughter - Class II
Surfers - Class II
Pinball - Class II-III (Level Dependant)
Screaming Right Hand Turn - Class III-IV (Level Dependant)
Stair Case - Class III
The Last Drop - Class III
370cfs (williamsburg gauge)
Me and 29 other Viking Canoe Club members ran the Cumberland river. It was a great day boating. The rapids were not too hard or scary. Though they could change a lot at higher levels. Jim Gunn dislocated his shoulder on Screaming Right, playing in the hole as we left after an hour of playing in that hole. The raft company took him out. The shuttle is slow. I guess that by paddleing out you could save time and money, but be extra tired after a long 5+ miles of flat water paddling. I think the lake needs to be lower than 705' for all the rapids to be in.
Cumberland Falls - Class V-VI - Put in below here
Eagle Shoals - Class I+
No Name - Class II
Initiation - Class II
Center Rock - Class III
Bradfords Rock - Class II
Willy Nelson - Class II
Dog Slaughter - Class II
Surfers - Class II
Pinball - Class II-III (Level Dependant)
Screaming Right Hand Turn - Class III-IV (Level Dependant)
Stair Case - Class III
The Last Drop - Class III
