Doe River

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Electrically lighted "The City of Power" sign that was erected over the old Elk Avenue Bridge in Elizabethton, Tennessee
(circa 1912-1913).

The concrete arch Broad Street Bridge .

The Doe River is a naturally flowing river in Northeast Tennessee that forms in Carter County, Tennessee near the North Carolina line, just south of Roan Mountain State Park.

[edit] River route

Keystone bridge built in 1889 over the Doe River. Located in the south end of the Doe River Gorge area of Carter County, Tennessee.

The Doe River flows from the northern slopes of Roan Mountain, through Roan Mountain State Park and the center of Roan Mountain, Tennessee, then continues to flow west and is at this point paralleled by U.S. Route 19E. The Doe River then flows to the east of Fork Mountain; while the Little Doe River flows by the Fork Mountain to the west.

Pushing through a mountain gap just north of Hampton, Tennessee, the volume of the Doe River is increased by the waters flowing from McCathern Spring. Below the confluence of both the Doe River and the Little Doe River at Hampton, the Doe River then travels roughly in a northern downstream direction through the Valley Forge community, and is rejoined by U.S. Route 19E outside of Elizabethton, Tennessee.

Just before its mouth into the Watauga River in the Carter County seat of Elizabethton, Tennessee, the Doe River is spaned by a wooden covered bridge that is found within the Elizabethton historical downtown area. Further downstream of the Elizabethton Covered Bridge, you will also find two identical concrete-arch bridges across above the Doe River in Elizabethton -- the first being the Elk Avenue Bridge and the latter being the Broad Street Bridge -- that were completed in 1928. The confluence of the Doe River and the Watauga River is approximately twenty minutes downstream from the Broad Street Bridge.

[edit] Elizabethton Covered Bridge

Elizabethton Covered Bridge (built in 1882) spans 134 feet (41 m) across the Doe River.

Main article: Elizabethton Covered Bridge

The Elizabethton Covered Bridge is located in downtown Elizabethton, the county seat of Carter County. Connecting 3rd Street and Hattie Avenue, the covered bridge is adjacent to a significant city park area and spans the Doe River.

While allowing for pedestrian and bicycle transit over the Doe River, the Elizabethton Covered Bridge is now closed to motor vehicle traffic.

[edit] Whitewater kayaking and river tubing

Most of the Doe River section running between the Valley Forge put-in (LAT 36.310833 LONG -82.193055) and the take-out just before the Elizabethton confluence is classified on the International Scale of River Difficulty as Class/Grade I (one), however there are several brief segments of the Valley Forge-Charity Hill-East Side run that should be approached as Class/Grade II (two). It takes approximately three hours to float down the Doe River on inner tubes from the Valley Forge put-in to the take-out near the confluence of the Doe River into the Watauga River.

All river tubes and kayaks must portage around the weir dam that is located immediately downstream of the covered bridge in downtown Elizabethton.

[edit] Influence of weather

Unlike the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) regulated flow of the Watauga River, the water level of the Doe River often fluctuates with changes in rain fall or drought. Another significant difference between the two Carter County rivers is the found in the variation of water temperatures --- while the year round water temperature of the Watauga River is approximately 52-53 degrees Fahrenheit, the water temperature of the Doe River will vary along with the ambient air temperature. The Doe River is generally very comfortable for kayaking and river tubing during the summer months.

The Doe River valley is infrequently subject to severe flooding. The Doe River drains from a mountainous region that can be subject to seasonal heavy rains (May-early June) and snow melts, and the Doe River stream course is in many parts quite steep, allowing water levels to rise rapidly along the river banks. The last severe recent flooding of the Doe River occurred overnight from January 7 through January 8, 1998, with the sudden storms bringing down seven inches (178 mm) of rain in twelve hours and causing the deaths of seven people (including Kingsport rescue worker Carles "Junior" Godsey after his rescue boat overturned in the Doe River flood waters) in the Hampton area. The 1998 Doe River flood created approximately $20 million in Carter County property damages.^[1]

[edit] See also

• International Scale of River Difficulty
• Rapid
• Riverboarding
• River surfing
• Tubing (recreation)

[edit] References