“C” is for Chattooga River

“C” is for Chattooga River. The Chattooga River begins as springs and rivulets near Cashiers in the North Carolina mountains. It flows a narrow, twisting mostly southwestwardly route before joining the Tallulah River in Lake Tugaloo. For most of its forty miles, the Chattooga forms the boundary between Georgia and South Carolina. The river’s watershed includes approximately 278 square miles. The 1911 Weeks Law, which authorized the Forest Service to acquire land to form the Nantahala, Sumter, and Chattahoochee National Forests helped protect the Chattooga’s path through the three forests. In 1974 the Chattooga was designated a National Wild and Scenic River, the first east of the Mississippi. The Chattooga River is considered one of the best white-water rivers in the southern Appalachians, with challenging Class III to Class V rapids along the lower section.