Updated Mar 11, 2023. The canyon offers a variety of campsites, from primitive to full hook-up, and there are plenty of activities to keep you busy, such as hiking, fishing, and kayaking. Mobile Terms & Conditions Smoke Hole Canyon - South Fork, Potomac River - Find info about paddling launch sites including directions, ammenities, & fees to plan your next paddling trip! The section is mostly class I and II rapids with two class III rapids that can be carried. Vivamus id nisl ligula. Ive done it in kayak, pontoon, and raft. I am getting ready to take a overnight from Big Bend down to Petersburg and I'm trying to decide canoe or 12' raft with oar frame. We ask all visitors to please follow any local restrictions put in place for your safety as well as guidance from the West Virginia Department of Health & Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), including maintaining a distance of at least 6 feet from others (social distancing). Spring beauties, bluets and dandelions are not far behind. We parked at Eagles Nest Outfitters and arranged a shuttle with them. It is believed that the Canyon is the largest area of limestone forest left in this region of the country. We had nine boaters for the trip on May 11 and 12, 2019, including one kayak, one tandem canoe, one ducky, and five solo canoes. Follow 28/55 from Petersburg, WV, for 8 miles. Traveling with other campers and adventurous treasure seekers, the film takes the viewer through raging rapids, unexplored mountain caves, and encounters with wilderness and wildlife native to the region. The former was previously called FR 74. A variety of frogs include the wood, bronze, leopard, and green frog, along with spring peepers. The canyon is a popular destination for fishing, with the South Branch of the Potomac River offering opportunities to catch trout, bass, and other species. The canyon is steep sided and 11-12 miles long. All the water goes left, which is where you run it, and the rebar is usually a couple of feet deep there so usually dont have to worry. Was generally not impressed with the fishing but the scenery is stunning. I recall him being big into recurves. The_Steve_from_NY. The anticline trends N 34 degrees E, and is faulted along the southeast-dipping Cave Mountain thrust against the southeast limb of the Wills Mountain anticline (North Fork Mountain). Many caves are located on private land. [7] George Full built his home and a grist mill in the same vicinity. Thus, for the first four decades of the 20th century, young Smoke Holers only knew about these "exotic" animals from the nostalgic hunting stories of their fathers and grandfathers. (304) 636-1800, Cheat-Potomac District The "revenuers" destroyed many "stills" (distilleries) during this period and sent many moonshiners to the state penitentiary the typical term of incarceration was one year. |. Have something to add? Canoes in our group flipped both places. In addition to shuttle service for groups big and small, we also provide canoe and kayak drop-off with pick up . Rare species of butterfly (columbine duskywing, cobweb skipper) live in the open, grassy, limestone habitats of the Canyon. The rapids are consistent class I-II with An Asian grass known as Japanese stiltgrass was accidentally introduced into the U.S. during the last half of the 20th century and has become a major conservation nuisance nationwide. Due to the protective effect of surrounding mountains, rainfall in Smoke Hole is unusually light only about 30-32inches per year. McColloch, Jane S. (1986, revised edition), Calhoun, H.M. Sr. (6 November 1930), "Tales of Historic Smoke Hole and Seneca Rocks Interestingly Told", from a column in. I've done it, I'd have to look at my notes at home left big bend with 3.85ft/900cfs-ish . stayedonenight (Ithink? Be sure to watch in HD. Local constables sometimes cooperated with the "revenuers" in busting up the stills, but at other times were themselves participants in moonshine production and distribution. I couldnt tell ya on a 2 day as Ive only ever done it in one. Maple sugar, maple syrup and wild honey were all available with a minimum of effort. One such gorge is the Smoke Hole, where the South Branch of the Potomac River squeezes between North Mountain and Cave Mountain. I would not have enjoyed running those areas in anything other than a raft. Additional avifauna include bobwhites, robins, cardinals, kingfishers, turkey vultures, and various owls, hawks, hummingbirds, woodpeckers, swallows, and wrens. The blue-blazed trail follows the river upstream, ascends part way up Cave Mountain, passes fields and old farms on its way back downstream, and then drops back down to the river nearly opposite Shreve's Store. Ut et ultrices nisi. Was with a large group and some of the canoes portaged or had trouble on both Landslide and Royal Glen dam rapids. Caves are common in the area. Don't forget your Bilge pump on this trip, we only had one in the group and spent time passingit around after most of the significant rapids. (Other locations rumored to contain the booty include Mercer, Wisconsin[39] and a farm in northeastern Ohio.[40]). [3] (The spring issues from the base of Cave Mountain and is situated about 1,000 feet directly downhill of Cave Mountain Cave [formerly, "Big Cave"]. Headquarters Explore our work in Along with occasional Saturday night jaunts to Petersburg or Franklin, one of his choicest entertainments consists of gathering in jeans-clad groups on Saturday and Sunday afternoons in Shreve's store, there to discuss crops, hunting, and politics. The area is known for its unique rock formations, including towering cliffs and natural arches. Popular activities in Smoke Hole Canyon include fishing (rainbow and golden trout; largemouth and smallmouth bass), hunting (squirrel, grouse, turkey, deer, rabbit and bear), hiking, rock climbing, caving, canoeing and camping (Big Bend Campground). The plant species mix is unique: common Appalachian plants along with prairie species such as prairie rocket, Indian grass and little bluestem. This cave (not to be confused with the commercially developed Smoke Hole Caverns, just outside the Canyon, or with Smoke Hole Cave in the Canyon itself) is now better known as Cave Mountain Cave. The area is rather isolated and remote with parts accessible only by boat or on foot. A man from Oklahoma, claiming to have been a member of Dillinger's gang, hired a local in 1965 to help him locate the legendary loot. This 24-mile trail has countless views of the Smoke Hole canyon and North Fork valley. The best hiking in the immediate area is undoubtedly the 24-mile-long North Fork Mountain Trail. Then the plains themselves were violently uplifted and broken. Many features may not work properly without it. You could have blindfolded me and I would have swore we were out west. The big-eared bat is highly sensitive and needs exacting conditions to hibernate. It was wonderful! 21 miles. | We will camp Friday night near the put in at Jess Judy Group Campground and then Saturday night on the river. Help the community if you have a paddling trip to share! We started off at Big Bend campground in the Smokehole Canyon of the Potomac River. I was thinking it was 300 CFs at Franklin. The river was a few inches higher and that made it a lot easier to pick lines and some sticky holes and surfable waves started to appear. Peculiarly free from modern slang, their vocabulary includes such a familiar term as 'budget' to signify a bag, wallet, or bundle. | Anyway, one of the most beautiful floats I have ever floated in WV. Note: Your browser does not have JavaScript enabled. $15 per adult to take the 1 hour tour of Smoke Hole Caverns. This package of rocks is bounded on the lower and upper ends by two fairly competent sandstones: the Silurian Tuscarora and the Devonian Oriskany (Ridgeley), respectively. The origin of the name "Smoke Hole" is undocumented. Her father found her scalped, she died soon after, and he buried her nearby on a small promontory still known as "Susie Hill". Charitable Solicitation Disclosures Midwest prairies nestled within the Smoke Hole canyon. The prairies support a wealth of species, such as prairie flax and side oats gramma, that are otherwise found west of the Mississippi. The rivers that had previously rolled gently over the plains turned into raging torrents that cut deep gorges and canyons. U.S. Pensioners, 18181872 Record for William Eagle - PRIVATE, Eagle enlisted in the Continental Line at age 15 on 24 December 1776. Post here so everyone can benefit. One winter gathering of over 100,000 bats of several species constitutes the regions largest concentration of wild mammals. We did fully swamp one canoe but was still fine.Royal Glen Rapid.This one definitely has some nasty rebar scattered across the river but has a nice line on the river left. About 3 miles on (mile 20.7), the river debouches from the Canyon. it would really be nice to run that rapid versus portaging gear.there were a couple other rapids that had some nice wave trains that were fun in the canoes but took on a lot of water. [29]. Other trailheads for NFMT, which looks down upon Smoke Hole from the west, are also located along Smoke Hole Road. [28], The canyon offers excellent class II - III whitewater paddling for several months in the spring when the water levels are high enough. Some are home to the endangered Virginia big-eared bat and are therefore closed to visitors during critical nesting or hibernation periods. Use the arrow keys to navigate between images and hit escape to close the gallery. This likely developed through an intermediate stage during which the South Branch (or its precursor stream here, the lower Briggs Run) traversed the future Smoke Hole region underground. Smoke Hole Canyon is also home to a variety of plant life, including rare species such as the Virginia spiraea and the Allegheny monkeyflower. Rapids..Landslide was a fun rapid, even had some brand-new boaters that made it through just fine. The 1996 flood in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia spread the seed throughout Smoke Hole, and now it is the most abundantly growing plant in the area. Title VI Notice of Nondiscrimination Longtime residents of the gorge have insisted that the Indian "smoke house" cave story is the only genuine one and the only explanation that pre-dates the ones on the local state historical highway markers. If you are planning a trip to Smoke Hole Canyon, be sure to consider some of the following: Are dogs allowed? A few caves in the lower gorge are developed in the Tonoloway Limestone (Silurian), as is Smoke Hole Caverns, just outside the Canyon's lower end.