A number of weeks back, Kirk Eddlemon gave me a heads up on a new USGS gauge on Abrams Creek (USGS page, RP graph for the same gauge). This was exciting news without a doubt, as the section of Abrams between Cades Cove and Abrams Creek Campground serves up the largest slice of wilderness boating in the Smokies that doesn't require you to do a seriously masochistic hike into places like the creeks that drain into Fontana or the upper reaches of the Raven Fork. If you feel confident on class IV whitewater, put Abrams high up on the top of your hit list, just be sure to find an eddy above Abrams Falls. I hear that that Lower Abrams (downstream of the campground) has some excellent scenery and I hope to see it someday soon. If you paddle either section of Abrams, share your impression of the flow (low, medium, high) and the CFS of the USGS gauge on the AW page for the Upper and/or Lower.
Shortly after, word came in about another new USGS gauge in The Park: WEST PRONG LITTLE PIGEON R NR GATLINBURG, TN. (USGS page, RP graph for the same gauge). This new gauge is a substantial gain for Southeast boaters because the West Prong serves up several miles of nearly non-stop class IV and class V whitewater. The USGS gauge is only 5.5 miles downstream of the long-used visual gauge at the Chimneys Picnic Area. Also, there are only small tributaries between these gauges, so the two gauges are likely to be highly correlated. Only three data points have been gathered so far, but hopefully more will come in before the natural flow boating dries up in the summer. If you’re in the West Prong area even when it’s not running, please stop at the Chimney’s Bridge and send in a reading - the wider the range of readings the better. I’ve added the visual gauge to the Rain Pursuit map and the estimated reading are available here as a graph. I've also changed the eye icon that represents visual gauges to something that's (hopefully) easier to see:
