Ocoee Whitewater Center
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The Ocoee Whitewater Center, near Ducktown, Tennessee, United States, was the canoe slalom venue for the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta,[1][2] and is the only in-river course to be used for Olympic slalom competition. A 1,640 foot (500 m) stretch of the Upper Ocoee River was narrowed by two-thirds to create the drops and eddies needed for a slalom course. Today, the course is watered only on summer weekends, 34 days a year, for use by guided rafts and private boaters. When the river has water, 24 commercial rafting companies take more than 750 raft passengers through the course each day.
About | |
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Locale | Ducktown, Tennessee, United States |
Managing agent | U S Forest Service |
Designer | McLaughlin Whitewater Design Group |
Main shape | Riverbed |
Water source | Ocoee River Dam release |
Surf wave | Yes |
Canoe lift | No |
Facilities | Yes, limited due to fire |
Opening date | 1996 |
Stats | |
Length | 1,640 feet (500 m) |
Drop | 37 feet (11 m) |
Slope | 2.2% (120 ft/mile) |
Flowrate | 1,400 cu ft/s (40 m3/s) to 1,600 cu ft/s (45 m3/s) |
Ocoee Whitewater Center |
Because the river is dry most of the year, the Center, now operated by the U.S. Forest Service, also serves as a site for hiking, mountain biking, conferences, weddings, and receptions. It receives about 300,000 visitors a year.[3]
The Ocoee Whitewater Center visitor center was destroyed by a fire early on the morning of April 26, 2022, and the main structure was completely destroyed.[4] As of June 2023, investigators hadn't determined the cause of the fire.[5] On May 27, 2023, a little over a year after the fire, the day use area of the Center opened to the public and the U S Forest Service sought public input for developing a masterplan for the Center.[6][7]