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Pellissippi is the Native American name for the Clinch River. This river begins in Tazewell County, Virginia in the vicinity of the town of Tazewell. It runs 135 miles through all of Russell and Scott counties and the better part of Tazewell County. The Clinch is deemed navigatable by the VDGIF from the junction of Indian Creek and the Clinch River in downtown Cedar Bluff all the way to the Tennessee/Virginia State line. This is approximately 112 miles of float trip water with fourteen access points. Currently this is the longest blueway in the state. Two portions of the river are part of Virginia’s Scenic River Program. Also the Big Cedar Creek flowing out of the Lebanon area into the Clinch is a scenic waterway. Big Cedar Creek is one of two creeks listed as scenic waterways in the State of Virginia. The remaining 21 scenic waterways are rivers.
A nice stop for floaters is at the confluence of the Big Cedar and the Clinch. Here at the 683 acre Pinnacle Natural Area Preserve trails and water falls are available. Click here to read an article about the Pinnacle area.
Wildlife on the Clinch is varied. Birders could see Blue Herons, Canada Geese, ducks, hawks, kingfishers osprey and owls. Animal lovers could see bear, beaver, deer, muskrat and otter. Plant enthusiasts will see a variety of trees (mostly hard- woods with a sprinkle of cedar and pine). The shore line also offers a variety of wildflowers. In April trilliums nearly completely cover some hillsides with a blanket of white on the ground while dogwoods and red buds bloom.
This web site, done by the Virginia Game and Inland Fisheries, provides excellent information about access to the Clinch. All fourteen access points are shown on a map of the river. Distances are given between accesses along with the water characteristics. Types of fish found in the different areas of the river are also listed. It is a most complete web site for the floater, fisherman and nature lover.
Another helpful web site is the USGS site which gives the water flow rate at Cleveland station. A flow rate of 500 cubic feet second is considered a minimum level for the Clinch above Nash’s Ford. Tandem canoes will have some scraping and dragging at this level. For this reason, local paddlers prefer minimum levels between 700 and 900 cfs.
There are Class III drops in the section from Puckett Hole to Nash’s Ford. Those drops should be scouted and can be portaged. When water levels are too low for this section, paddlers can move downstream. The section from Nash’s Ford to St. Paul has a flatter gradient with flat water and riffles. It is ideally suited for beginner paddlers. From St. Paul to Dungannon, there is more gradient and one Class III drop a mile below St. Paul. Local paddlers in this area prefer a minimum level of 250 cfs at the Cleveland station to avoid canoes dragging. Downstream of Dungannon, there are long stretches of flat water due to a low gradient.
Two good books include information on Virginia Rivers including the Clinch: Classic Virginia Rivers by Ed Grove, 1992, Howling Wolf Publications and Virginia Whitewater: A Paddler’s Guide to the Rivers of Virginia by H. Roger Corbett, 1988, Seneca Press
For the lower part of the Clinch in Scott County, the Speers Ferry station is a good point to get readings.
What does Pellissippi mean?
Thanks to: Charles Bundy, Reggie Childers, Jeff Duncan, Scott Martin, Bobby Riggs, Linda Tate, Jerry Thornhill and Joe Wentz. |
