Print it. Bag it. Bring it.Phones die, screens crack, and most of this water has no signal. Print this map, fold it into a zip-top bag or dry bag with your license, and you have a backup your electronics can’t give you. Every marker is numbered so you can say exactly where you are.
| # | Point | Type | Lat, Lon | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Last Chance Nolichucky Gorge rapid | Dam / hazard | 36.08456, -82.35221 | Named rapid in the gorge below the state line. |
| 2 | On the Rocks Nolichucky Gorge rapid | Dam / hazard | 36.08355, -82.35570 | Named rapid in the main gorge run. |
| 3 | Jaws Nolichucky Gorge rapid | Dam / hazard | 36.08222, -82.35736 | Named rapid in the main gorge run. |
| 4 | Quartermile Rapid Nolichucky Gorge rapid | Dam / hazard | 36.07817, -82.36090 | The long rapid the gorge run is known for. |
| 5 | Murphy's Ledge Nolichucky Gorge rapid | Dam / hazard | 36.07771, -82.36365 | Ledge drop in the gorge. |
| 6 | Roostertail Rapid Nolichucky Gorge rapid | Dam / hazard | 36.07422, -82.37263 | Named rapid low in the gorge. |
| 7 | Souse Hole rapid below the gorge | Dam / hazard | 36.08439, -82.42370 | Named hole below the gorge. OSM carries two nodes with this name about 2.7 km apart; only this one sits on the channel. |
| 8 | Nolichucky Gorge Campground and Cabins river right above Erwin | Campsite | 36.09891, -82.43261 | Riverside campground at the gorge take-out; the usual base for the gorge run. |
| 9 | Cowbell Rapid rapid above Erwin | Dam / hazard | 36.10086, -82.44773 | Named rapid on the run out to Erwin. |
| 10 | Nolichucky Hostel and Outfitter Erwin, on the river | Outfitter / canoe rental | 36.10566, -82.44848 | Outfitter and hiker hostel on the bank where the Appalachian Trail meets the river. |
| 11 | Jackson Love Highway crossing at Erwin | Bridge crossing | 36.12342, -82.44327 | |
| 12 | James H. Quillen Parkway US 23 crossing at Erwin | Bridge crossing | 36.12648, -82.44389 | |
| 13 | Eugene P. Price Kiwanis Park Erwin town park | Park / conservation area | 36.14421, -82.42652 | Town park on the bank at Erwin, close to the gorge take-out. |
| 14 | Erwin National Fish Hatchery US Fish and Wildlife Service, 4.7 km off the river | Agency / conservation office | 36.16577, -82.38777 | Federal hatchery at Erwin, re-typed from its OSM aquaculture tag; the nearest federal fisheries office to this reach. |
| 15 | Unicoi Wildlife Management Area state wildlife management area | Park / conservation area | 36.16066, -82.45347 | Conservation land along the river, re-typed from its OSM protected-area tag. |
| 16 | SR 81 / SR 107 crossing below Erwin | Bridge crossing | 36.17821, -82.45553 | |
| 17 | Alfred A. Taylor Bridge named highway bridge | Bridge crossing | 36.20716, -82.47348 | |
| 18 | River View riverside RV park | Campsite | 36.19664, -82.48475 | Private caravan park on the bank; mapped in OSM only as River View. |
| 19 | Jackson Bridge Road county crossing | Bridge crossing | 36.18006, -82.53447 | |
| 20 | Bailey Bridge Road county crossing | Bridge crossing | 36.15615, -82.59039 | |
| 21 | Snapp Bridge Road county crossing | Bridge crossing | 36.18570, -82.60881 |
| # | Point | Type | Lat, Lon | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 | Corby Bridge Road county crossing | Bridge crossing | 36.19326, -82.63253 | |
| 23 | Smith Bridge Road county crossing | Bridge crossing | 36.19683, -82.63793 | |
| 24 | Davy Crockett Birthplace State Park Tennessee State Parks | Park / conservation area | 36.20808, -82.65811 | State park on the river with camping and the best-known access on the middle river. |
| 25 | Chuckey Pike crossing at Chuckey | Bridge crossing | 36.20506, -82.68325 | |
| 26 | Erwin Highway crossing above Kinser Park | Bridge crossing | 36.15612, -82.72561 | |
| 27 | Jones Bridge Road crossing above the dam | Bridge crossing | 36.11724, -82.78151 | |
| 28 | Old Asheville Highway crossing above the dam | Bridge crossing | 36.08617, -82.82431 | |
| 29 | Kinser Park Greene County park above Nolichucky Dam | Park / conservation area | 36.08214, -82.85105 | County park and river frontage on the reach just above the dam. |
| 30 | Nolichucky/Unaka Ranger Station USDA Forest Service ranger district | Agency / conservation office | 36.08739, -82.87231 | Forest Service ranger station for the Nolichucky and Unaka districts, 1.5 km off the river. |
| 31 | Nolichucky Dam TVA dam at the head of Davy Crockett Lake | Point of interest | 36.06522, -82.86668 | Dam across the river below Kinser Park; the river is impounded above it. |
| 32 | Asheville Highway crossing at Nolichucky Dam | Bridge crossing | 36.06521, -82.86804 | |
| 33 | West Allens Bridge Road crossing below the dam | Bridge crossing | 36.05963, -82.90764 | |
| 34 | Newport Highway crossing on the lower river | Bridge crossing | 36.07042, -82.96642 | |
| 35 | Poplar Springs Road crossing on the lower river | Bridge crossing | 36.08255, -82.99344 | |
| 36 | Bewleys Chapel Road crossing on the lower river | Bridge crossing | 36.09703, -83.05058 | |
| 37 | Knob Creek Road crossing above Parrottsville | Bridge crossing | 36.12288, -83.12531 | |
| 38 | Parrottsville Road crossing at Parrottsville | Bridge crossing | 36.17697, -83.18511 | |
| 39 | Enka Highway SR 160 crossing near Lowland | Bridge crossing | 36.12703, -83.17597 | |
| 40 | Enka Dam weir on the lower river near Lowland | Point of interest | 36.14576, -83.21192 | Low weir spanning the lower river near Lowland, mapped in OSM as a weir. |
| 41 | Spencer Hale Road last crossing above the French Broad | Bridge crossing | 36.13000, -83.22008 | |
| 42 | USGS 03467609 Nolichucky River near Lowland Site 03467609 | USGS gauge | 36.12633, -83.17530 | Live stage and discharge for this reach. |
Gauge: USGS 03467609 — NOLICHUCKY RIVER NEAR LOWLAND. Live flow on the web page.
Species: Channel Catfish, Flathead Catfish, Largemouth Bass, Muskellunge, Redbreast Sunfish, Rock Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye
Regulations: www.tn.gov/twra/fishing-regs.html
Emergency: call 911 and give the number of the nearest point on this map plus its coordinates.
Lowland gauge vicinity - the flow reference for the lower river.
Davy Crockett Birthplace State Park, Limestone - camping and river access on the middle reach.
Chuckey and Highway 107 crossing - a common float put-in.
Erwin and the Nolichucky Gorge takeout - the end of the commercial whitewater run.
Greeneville area accesses - road-supported launches on the smallmouth water.
French Broad confluence near Douglas Lake - the downstream end of the float water.
Jackson Bridge access - middle-river put-in and takeout.
Spring: high and often muddy from mountain rain; excellent when it drops and clears.
Summer: the core smallmouth float season, with low clear water and reliable wading.
Fall: stable low flows, cooling water and the best smallmouth fishing of the year.
Winter: cold and prone to hard rises; walleye run and musky fishing picks up.