Hi!
My buddy Heather and I ran the "Lower" section of Noland Creek on April 20th.  We were too tired to paddle on the 19th so decided to go for a hike and ended up there.  As we were walking the trail by the creek, we both got that "gleam" in our eyes--you know, the one that says "I bet we could paddle this thing!" We still talk about our expeditionary adventure on the gnarley Lower Noland!  

We trail scouted and everything looked clear--no strainers to speak of at that point in time. So, we loaded up our boats and headed down there on the 20th. We took our creekboats and hiked them down below the bridge. Afterwards, we decided that we would have been better in our playboats while the water was low. While we were getting into our boats, a guy chatted us up, asking how we planned to get out of there afterwards...hike silly!  The run from Road to Nowhere to Fontana Lake is only about a mile or so.  There are lots of ledges and some good surf waves. One is after the 3rd bridge.  There are four bridges. After the 4th bridge, there are some nice ledges.  There is a good surf wave after the 3rd bridge.  There are 4 bridges and the falls comes after the 4th. You'll see the horizon line. There is also a class something falls at the end of the run (possibly III with some real water in it) that we called the Witch's Cauldron.  It's a horshoe shaped thing with a big log sticking out of the middle of the cauldron part.  If there was some good water, you could boof right into the cauldron and catch the wave train down the middle. I went left and not so gracefully fell over the edge as the ledge above the drop had more rocks than water. Then I caught the slide on the left and went on down.  The log needs to be removed from the cauldron and if I get down there with low water, I'll try to extract it. Just be aware of it. You've gotta hike your boat out too. Luckily the trail is pretty smooth.  We tied our throw ropes around our waists and pulled them out.  We wished we'd had a pulley to get them up the hill though!  I'd recommend setting a pulley system (or be hard core--whatever your pleasure.)

Rumor has it that the section from Clingmans Dome to Road to Nowhere is III-IV, but I don't know what it looks like. There's a trail (Noland Creek Trail) that heads that way although I don't know how far. There is a good elevation drop so I'd imagine it would be fun!  If and when we get another substantial burst of rain, I'd like to check it out. Only thing is that setting the shuttle would be a real biotch since the only way to get to Clingmans Dome is through the Park.

Hope this helps.
Becca