Elkahatchee Creek

The Elkahatchee flows just outside Alexander City into Lake Martin. I have only run it once at low water. It is a short run that should feature several surf waves and holes at good water levels. The first rapid below the dam is a pretty nice easy III. There are a few river wide small drops that should form waves or holes after that. Another interesting III is about halfway down the run. The best rapid is at the take-out. It may get into III+/IV range at higher levels. A good front surfing wave appears just upstream of the old three arch bridge. The last drop in the rapid above Lake Martin (which was ~8' below full pool) was a five foot ledge. You can get a good idea if there is enough water at the take-out. The indicator gages are guesses based on our run.

Alexander City's Donald Macon shares some local knowledge:

I have run the Elkahatchee 4 times this year (2001), from boney to rocking. Your description is dead on it. At high levels, there are two big rapids at the beginning and end of the run. In between are three good play spots. The first is a man made ledge. It forms a nice hole at moderate flows with an eddy to work from. At high flows, its hard to get back to. About half way down is a very nice surf wave. The higher the flow the better the wave. It is a friendly wave that is easy to stay on, has an eddy to work from, and feels fast. The last of the better play spots is a hole behind a rock. At moderate to high flows, it has an easy ender spot. Just stick your bow in and enjoy. I live in alex city, so this in an after work run for me. It is best to catch this creek as soon as it quits raining, or before, as it drops fast.

Gradient notes:
* assuming Russell Pond Dam is 25' high
** plus however many feet Martin Lake is down from full pool (X)