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the Soque River - Sections & Tributaries
Headwaters
(area=17.3 mi2)
The headwaters of the
Soque begin north of Batesville general store, draining the steep slopes
of the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest and forming a network of small
streams such as Baker's Branch and Wolfpen Branch which flow into the Left
and Right Forks of the Soque.
Most streams here are
swift flowing, rocky bottomed trout streams with excellent water quality.
Many aquatic insects that are intolerant of pollution live here, as to
native
brook trout.
The headwaters include
the area drained by Tray Mountain and Goshen Valley and are made up of
Baker's Branch, Wolfpen Branch, and the Left and Right Forks of the
Soque. The official beginning of the Soque River is formed when the right
and left forks converge just above Highway 197. |
Baker's Branch
This first
order tributary harbors native Brook Trout and begins within the
Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest. The stream flows into the Right
Fork
Chastain
Branch
"Everyone who
lives in Habersham County should at some point get a chance to see
Chastain Branch, even if only for a moment. It is a tucked away
jewel of a stream that to its great fortune begins and ends
completely on National Forest lands...." Read Justin Ellis's
commentary on
Chastain Branch. |
Left Fork Soque River
An Upper Soque
tributary that drains the northeastern portion of the Soque
Watershed. A portion of this tributary flows through the
Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest.
The headwaters
of the Left Fork drain from the Tray Mountain Wilderness. There
are three drainages named the North Prong, Middle Prong, and South
Prong that come together to form the Left Fork at just below 2000
feet. From this confluence the headwaters rise to over 4000 feet
in only a few miles. The peak of
Tray Mountain which is actually
in
White County and just outside of the Soque
basin stands at
4,430 feet. A slightly lower peak of Tray is the highest point in
Habersham County and the Soque basin and stands at an elevation of
approximately 4,400 feet.
About three
quarters of a mile below where the three prongs converge to form
the Left Fork of the Soque, Wolfpen Branch joins this fork from
the north. A ridge, called Wolfpen Ridge separates Wolfpen Branch
from the North Prong. These headwaters of the Left Fork occur
entirely within National Forest Lands until the river reaches
private land surrounding Otis Baron Road. The Left Fork has two
additional no-name tributaries below Wolfpen Branch, one is a half
mile below Wolfpen and joins the Left Fork on the north side.
There is a small private pond on this tributary. Then a two
pronged no-named tributary drains the area at the end of Otis
Baron Road enters the Left Fork on the south side.
The Left Fork
then passes under state highway 356. Chimney Mountain, which
stands at 3,357 feet, is clearly visible on the north side of 356
and forms the divide between the upper Soque and the upper
drainages of Chickamauga Creek. |
Left and Right Fork
Convergence
This is where
the Soque River officially begins. The location is just north of
Batesville General
Store.
In 1998, just below the Left and
Right Fork convergence, the
Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper
conducted a restoration project of a 1,200 foot section of the
Soque River. It was one of the first projects in which the
SRWA played a part. For information about this important
headwaters project, follow the Restoration Project links on
the
Projects page of this website.
Hiking the Headwaters
"It all
started innocently enough with a simple query: “where does the
Soque River begin?” Researching an article about the Soque River
for the Hello Habersham magazine, I wondered if there was a
photo of the source of the river that streams through Habersham
County..."
Read Lane Gresham's experience of
hiking
to the headwaters in February, 2008.
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