Cheat,

1. (Narrows) Below Rowlesburg to above Albright Power Dam (Narrows)

Usual Difficulty	II-III (may vary with level)
Length	5 Miles
Avg. Gradient	20 fpm
Max Gradient	30 fpm

Gauge Information

Name	Range	Difficulty	Updated	Level
CHEAT RIVER NEAR PARSONS, WV
usgs-03069500	500 - 10000 cfs	II-III	01h15m	741 cfs (rc= 0.0 )

River Description

Source: Connelly (Editor), Appalachian Whitewater : The Northern States, 4th Edition. Text used with permission. The putin for the Narrows is opposite a worked-out limestone mine approximately three miles below Rowlesburg. Here you encounter the first big waves below Rowlesburg called Cave Rapids. For the rest of this five-mile trip, the rapids become increasingly more difficult. There are good rescue spots after each rapids, but in high water (three to four feet), it's not so easy. After passing several Class II-III rapids, the paddler enters a long series of similar rapids, properly called the "Narrows."
In the first significant rapids, the entire river is necked down by the presence of an automobile-sized boulder (Calamity Rock) in midstream which makes passage at any level difficult...Usually this boulder should be run through the passage to the right. At very high levels, however, it's best to run along the left bank...

Though you can putin and takeout at several spots along the road (Rte. 72), the typical takeout is at Lick Run, about 3-4 miles South of Kingwood. The river pretty much flattens out after that.

Downstream is the more difficult and more committing Cheat Canyon. For bad craziness, you might want to grab a look at Pringle Run, which drops into the Cheat just upstream of Lick Run.