Chattooga River
- There is also a Chattooga River in Chattooga County, Georgia.
The Chattooga River (also spelled as Chatooga, Chatuga, and Chautaga) is a tributary of the Tugaloo River. Its headwaters are located southwest of Cashiers, North Carolina and it stretches 57 miles to where it empties into lake Tugaloo. This protected "Wild And Scenic" river serves as the boundary between Georgia and South Carolina after leaving North Carolina.
The Chattooga is one of the very few commercialy rafted class 5 rivers in the Southeast. In the spring, the river is lined with blooming pink mountain laurel. Spring is also a great time to go rafting, kayaking, or canoeing on the Chattooga for the higher spring waters. The Chattooga is a free-flowing river (no dam to control the flow) which quickly responds to rainfall or drought conditions. As a drop-pool style river, rapids are followed by calm pools. In the summer time, the water is even warm enough to take a swim in one of these pools.
The Chattooga is separated into several sections with Section 0 starting out near Cashiers. Section III has Class II-IV rapids which rafters and kayakers frequent. Lush rhododendron line the banks. The minimum age requirement to raft this section is 10 years old. Section IV has long been regarded as one of the most challenging rivers to raft or kayak. This section includes Class III-IV+ rapids, including the famous Five Falls. The minimum age requirement to raft Section IV is 13.
The river was used as a setting for the fictional Cahulawassee River in the film Deliverance.