Hiwassee River

The Hiwassee River has its headwaters in north Georgia (as the Hiawassee River) and flows northward into North Carolina (there assuming its more common moniker Hiwassee) before turning westward into Tennessee, flowing into the Tennessee River a few miles west of Tennessee State Route 58 near Dayton, Tennessee. As the river passes through downtown Murphy, North Carolina, it flows past a site famous in Cherokee Indian myth, where a legend tells of a house-sized leech that could command the waters and use them to sweep hapless people down to the bottom of the river and cosume them. It is known as Tlanusi-yi, "The Leech Place."

The river is dammed by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) in three locations, all in western North Carolina. Chatuge Dam, Hiwassee Dam, and Apalachia Dam were all built in the 1940s. Water is diverted from the streambed at Apalachia Dam and sent through a pipeline which is tunneled through the mountains for eight miles, then gravity-fed through the Apalachia Powerhouse in Reliance, Tennessee to generate electricity. The stretch of the river that flows between Apalachia Dam and Apalachia Powerhouse features reduced flow and is shadowed by the John Muir Trail in Tennessee's Cherokee National Forest.

The 23-mile stretch of river that flows from the North Carolina/Tennessee state line to U.S. Highway 411 near Delano, Tennessee is designated a Class III Partially Developed River, and for recreational purposes is managed by the Tennessee State Park System as a Scenic River, in cooperation with TVA. The river features Class I-Class III rapids, depending on water levels. Trout fishing is very popular along this stretch, and many outfitters are located near the river. There are also rafting and tubing outfitters, notably historic Webb's Store in Reliance, and camping is also available in the National Forest. The water in this stretch is icy cold year-round.

After crossing under US-411 the Hiwassee broadens and meanders through rural Polk and Bradley counties, passing newly-developed exclusive neighborhoods, and crosses under U.S. Highway 11 at Calhoun and Charleston, Tennessee, where local industries such as Bowater Newsprint Mill and Arch/Olin Chemical use river water in their operations. At this point the river interfaces with the impoundment of Chickamauga Dam (located in Chattanooga, Tennessee), and many marshes and wetlands surround the main channel, providing many areas for hunting and fishing. The Hiwassee shortly passes under Interstate 75 on the border of McMinn and Bradley counties, the site of a massive 99-vehicle accident in December 1990. Reduced visibility due to naturally occurring fog, exacerbated by emissions from the Bowater paper mill, contributed to the accident which killed 12 persons and injured 51.

The Hiwassee continues westward to pass under TN-58's historic and narrow bridge on its way to the confluence with the Tennessee River a few miles further on. This area of the river is enjoyed by boaters, fishermen, and water skiiers.

Throughout its length, the Hiwassee is considered a cultural resource and an important part of life in the mountains and the Tennessee Valley.