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, ~......,J_,J 0<>0<#10 Hiking is a year round ac/!vlly along Termessee's Obed R,ver. tern by Public law 94.486, October 12. 1976 It is administered by the Nallonal Park Service, now prepar. Ing management plans lor some 7,000 acres of Ihe area The Obed lrom Ihe western edge of tne Caloasa Wildlife Manage- ment Area to liS confluence with the Emory River IS a component. Included in lhe legislation were Clear Creek from the Morgan County line to Its confluence With the Obed River, Daddy's Creel< from Ine Morgan County line 10 the Obed. and Ihe Emory River from the confluence wllh the Obed to Nemo Bndge The Obed River rises near the mountam town of Crossville. Tenn and flows ncrlneaSl approximately 45 miles to its Junction wllh Ihe Emory River soutrwest of War:burg Allhough the Inlt,al 10 miles of the river a'e predominantly borderea by farmland. much of tne stream cor- ridor has escaped the Impact of civilization Rocks fallen 'rom canyon walls pinch the stream mID a tumbling succession o! small waterfalls fed by several tributaries cascading over massive boulders Towering eastern hemlock mingle With up- land hardwood species and a lush understory 01 laurel. wild flowers. ond ferns. A vanety of wildlife and fish ranging from Russian boar, and rulled grouse 10 smallmouth bass and muskellunge exist within the corridor. Clear Creek rises on the Tennes- see Valley Divide a few hundred feel upstream from Interstate 40 and flows eastward for 48 miles be- fore entering lhe Obed at river mile 44 Below US. Highway 127, Clear Creek enfers a remote. scenic, un- rnhablted area which provides an eKcellent small-scale wilderness opportunity for fishermen. floaters. hik.ers. canoeists, naturalisls. and other outdoor recrea!lon users Daddy's Creek IS a narrow slream tI'Hough gen1ly roll mg. pastoral countryside from Its headwaters 10 an abandoned gristmIll dam Just below the Alvin York Highway crOSSing Therealter, Dadey's Creel<. Winds through a dlverse topography ct'laractellzed imtlally by hlgn banks and COlorful foliage. and gradually changing to a rugged stone canyon. The enllre main stem of the Su- wannee River from Its source in the Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia to Its mouln I!'l the Gull of MeKico on the Flonda coasl was designated for study by Public law 90-542 on October 2, 1968. The study report was completed in December 1973 and was transmitted 10 the Con. gress on March 15, 1974. The re. pan recommended State action to protect the Suwannee. To thtS date, neither Georgia nor FlOrida has taken any aclion to prOlecllhe river. The Suwannee River watershed is about equally divided betw'een south-central Georgia and north. central Flonda. There are 12 coun- ties With frontage on the Suwannee River-four in Georgia and eight In Florida The Suwannee River and lIs trib- utaries drain an area of over 10.000 square miles Starling from boggy channels In the Okefenokee Nationa! Wildlife Refuge near Waycross in southeastern Georgia. the river be. glhs Its 265-mile course to the Gulf 01 MeKico. After leaving the swam~, the river meanders through a wide flood plain. The river then flows between rising limestone banks. and the naturally stained water fades as many clear springs leed into It. Passing densely wOOded ham- mocks. more swampland. and fi- nally through extensive salt marshes, It enters the gulf below the town 01 Suwannee. Fla low. rolling hills and a compact network of southerly oriented streams typify the northern part of the basin. The Withlacoochee and Alapaha Rivers are the pnmary dralhage of the basin north of lhe Florida-Georgia line. Their head. waters are at an elevation of 460 leel. they cross the State line at an elevation of 70 feet and join the Suwannee about 15 miles SOul" o! the State line at an elevation of 25 leel above mean sea level The Santa Fe River is lhe third major lfIbulary of the SUy,anr"lee. I I I 37