Dunlap Bikerafting
In the heart of the beautiful Sequatchie Valley, Dunlap, TN is the next small town destination.
The downtown area hosts a beautiful commons area for Saturday markets and events, a playground and splash pad for the kids, and plenty of shops and restaurants with unique charm, and plenty of opportunities for outdoor recreation, all set against a backdrop of scenic valley farmland.
Scenes inside Dunlap Merchantile
With the recent success of the Cycle Sequatchie events and promotion of several routes on BikeTN.com, the area has become a hotbed of road cycling tourism. In 2018, the city of Dunlap and Sequatchie County opened up two public access ramps on the Sequatchie River with hopes of boosting ecotourism through paddling. On the 116 mile Sequatchie River that flows through mostly private farmland, there are only 4 public access points–two in Pikeville and two in Dunlap.
While publicized routes on BikeTN.com and events like Cycle Sequatchie have no doubt boosted ecotourism in the area, it’s unclear if the public access points on the river have made an impact on local tourism. There are no outfitters and no guides on the Sequatchie River. Signs at both access points gently remind you you’re on private land.
In this small southern town, Bikerafting might just be the most easy, perfect Dunlap day trip.
What is “Bikerafting?”
Bikerafting is the art and multisport adventure of strapping a packraft to a bike, riding to a put-in, blowing up your raft, and strapping the bike to the bow. Essentially, in this instance, you’re using your bicycle to self-shuttle an easy paddle down the Sequatchie River.
What equipment is needed?
A bike. Nearly any kind will do. I used my “travel bike,” a 20 inch Velo Orange Neutrino.
A packraft. One weighing less than 10 pounds will be easier to carry on your bike. I use a Kokopelli Rogue R-deck.
Some way of carrying your raft, paddle, PDF on your bike. I use a basket and a Revelate Designs harness for bikepacking.
Some way of strapping your bike to your raft. I just used one Voile strap to secure my front wheel from flopping around and two bungie cords.
The ride:
Park at 1450 Hudlow Road access. The 5 mile/30 minute ride to the 751 Old York Hwy. put-in is mostly flat with one hill climb. The ride on these rural roads was somewhat bumpy at times, but with extremely low traffic and farmland scenery abound. You’ll ride down Hudlow road where you’ll notice the bridges that will begin to signify the end of your paddling adventure. Continue straight onto Ridge Road. You’ll come through town on main street where you can take a two block detour to places like Sunny Valley Coffee and Thrift, Dunlap Mercantile, and Sequatchie Brewing, to name a few. Once through town, you’ll turn on Old York Hwy and you’ll see the parking lot well marked on your right.
The paddle:
Once you’re on the river, settle in for a 1.5 hour easy paddle on class 1 moving water. Depending on the water levels, your boat might scrape the ground in areas or need to portage. Check water levels here. Typically, packrafts only need a few inches of water to float. On this particular unseasonably cool August morning, water levels were just below two feet..
The Sequatchie River is an easy paddle with a few areas of swifter current creating a few exciting shoals, perfect for the beginner paddler. The paddle is serene and quiet with views of the Cumberland Plateau. As you paddle, you’ll see and hear the plop of turtles into the water and blue herons flying overhead as you, the outsider, approaches. Occasionally, a cow will moo as you float past. At times the river banks look washed away with sand and other times they are high and rocky and look at if they hold secrets. After about a three mile paddle, you’ll see the ramp where you parked to take out. You know you’re getting close when you go under two bridges, one not in service anymore, then the river will split briefly around an island and provide a fun s-turn rapid just near the end of your journey.
Take-out at 1450 Hudlow Road.