The Bee Cliff is a prominent northeast Tennessee geological limestone feature with high caves that overlooks the Watauga River and the Siam community of Carter County, Tennessee.
Geography
Bee Cliff is located in northeastern Tennessee at 36.351944° North, -82.136389° West.
The lower face of the Bee Cliff is across and immediately above the Watauga River from Wilbur Dam Road.
The summit of the Bee Cliff is located off Blue Springs Road across the Watauga River from theWilbur Dam Road .
The elevation at the Bee Cliff summit is .
Travel afloat
By travel afloat on the Watauga River, the Bee Cliff is located approximately 10 to 15 minutes downstream from the Tennessee Valley Authority Wilbur and Watauga dams and approximately one hour and forty-five minutes upstream of the city of Elizabethton, Tennessee.
For whitewater rafting and kayaking on the Watauga River, the most popular Carter County "put-in" for whitewater rafting is found immediately downstream of the Wilbur Dam and the most popular "take-out" is found approximately 2 to 2½ hours downstream (depending upon the volume of the reservoir release and other factors) at the Blackbottom riverside portion of the linear trail in Elizabethton. While floating downstream "straight shot" on the Watauga River, you can reference several local landmarks in order to estimate your length of time and distance on the river to Elizabethton: approximately thirty minutes to float downstream to the old iron bridge at the Siam community (long stretch of flat water); approximately sixty minutes to float to the first concrete bridge at the Hunter community (beginning of brief swift and punchy rapids on right bank); approximately ninety minutes to float to the concrete U.S. Highway 19E bridge and Carter Mansion (coming on fast rapids onto steep left bank) at Elizabethton, and; approximately one hundred twenty minutes (two hours) to float to the Blackbottom "take-out" in Elizabethton. The distance afloat from the put-in at Wilbur Dam to the Blackbottom take-out is approximately seven miles (11 km).
Bee Cliff Rapids
Difficulty of the rapids
Immediately before the Bee Cliff is an approximately 150 yard stretch of Class I and Class II whitewater rapids on the Watauga River known locally as the Bee Cliff Rapids (although some North Carolina river guides mistakenly refer to this run as the Anaconda Rapids). The Bee Cliff Rapids are approximately 15 to 20 minutes downstream of the TVA Wilbur Dam "put-in" or launch.
On the left-hand (port) downstream side of the Bee Cliff Rapids (and on the opposite side of the Watauga River from the Bee Cliff) is a private, wooded area with trails --- utilized by commercial rating companies with paid landing permit --- running parallel with and further downstream from the Bee Cliff Rapids. Locals also refer to this particular wooded section of the Watauga River as "Bee Cliff'.
The classification of these rapids by the International Scale of River Difficulty at the Bee Cliff are largely dependent upon the scheduled release of impounded reservoir water from behind the Tennessee Valley Authority Wilbur and Watauga Dams. TVA runs a summer release schedule that frequently provides considerably faster water, especially on Saturdays, for what local river guides refer to as "Big Water Saturday". This means that the Bee Cliff Rapids and the rest of the Watauga River can approach higher-end Class II and Class III (especially when the TVA is also releasing water over the Wilbur Dam spillways).
Water hazards
There are several minor water hazards at the Bee Cliff Rapids that paddlers should keep in mind: Personal flotation devices (life jackets) and water footwear are required; The water temperature is approximately (even during the summer months) as this impounded reservoir water being released from behind a dam; Be aware that the "Big Hole" (formed by water dropping over an underwater ledge) is found approximately off the downstream port (left) bank near the end of the Bee Cliff Rapids; Rain and prevailing wind conditions through the Siam valley often create thick blankets of fog following moderate to heavy rain storms; Steep underwater slides are found in the center-to-starboard (right) downstream bottom section of the Bee Cliff Rapids that can easily flip a canoe end-over-end; A sharp-edged and small limestone boulder found above the waterline that has punctured inflatable rafts is located at the downstream starboard (right) bank immediately at the end of the Bee Cliff Rapids.