The Other Chick: North Chickamauga Creek

Strangely enough, North Chickamauga Creek and South Chickamauga Creek are not connected to each other. The South Chick flows into the Tennessee River from (gasp) the south bank. The North Chick flows into the Tennessee River from (double gasp) the north bank. Having previously paddled the South Chick, it seemed like a good idea to go and get the other Chick. What better way to do it than to go with two chicks. Stacy Stone and Emily Marsh decided to join me for a 3 mile paddle.

Since we are in a severe drought, the upper stretches of the North Chick are a no-go but the last three miles from Greenway Farms just off Hammill Road are deep with water backed up from the Tennessee River. The normal takeout near the river is blocked by construction right now, but since there is virtually no current it is possible to simply paddle back upstream to the put-in. This makes it about a 6 mile flatwater round-trip theoretically but it didn't quite seem that far to me.

Going was good and we talked, and talked, and talked. First I talked to this chick, then I talked to that chick, all while paddling the other Chick. Wait a minute, that didn't come out quite right! But we did have fun with a lot of time to socialize. Talking is the best thing to do on flatwater, except of course, to look at the scenery. The fall colors were beautiful.



The creek eventually escapes most of the housing and I was surprised at the forested character of the run with a couple of ridges visible over the treetops and a swath of blue sky overhead, and it's all right in the middle of the Chattanooga Metro Area. We saw a lot of wildlife. There were two whitetailed deer, many squirrels, ducks, Great Blue Herons, a small turtle, and a large hawk perched on a low hanging branch. Stacy paddled right underneath it, just 8 feet or so above her head and all it did was watch (lucky for her because she was in the bomb sights if you know what I mean).

We eventually got to the takeout, stopped for a break, then paddled back up to the launch. The 6 mile round trip took only a little over 3 hours by my calculation. This run is a great option for paddlers local to Chattanooga stuck in a deep, deep drought. It's close, it's pretty and it's a good place to swap stories with good friends.

Thank you Emily and Stacy for joining me on a lovely Sunday afternoon.


Emily Marsh cruising on the North Chick.


Stacy Stone smiling under an Autumn sky.