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


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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

Calamity Rock 5+ Cheat Fest 02' Level


Calamity Rock 5+ Cheat Fest 02' Level
Photo of Kenny! by Walt taken 5/4/02 @ 5+?

Gauge Information

Name Range Difficulty Updated Level
CHEAT RIVER NEAR PARSONS, WV
usgs-03069500 500 - 10000 cfs II-III 01h05m 472 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.


StreamTeam Status: Not Verified
Last Updated: 2006-04-17 06:15:57

1mi downstream Calamity

Detail Trip Report Edit  1mi downstream Calamity  @Cheat 1. (Narrows) Below Rowlesburg to above Albright Power Dam, WV(1023.92KB .jpeg)

1mi downstream Calamity

Detail Trip Report Edit  1mi downstream Calamity  @Cheat 1. (Narrows) Below Rowlesburg to above Albright Power Dam, WV(1.04MB .jpeg)

Calamity @ 4.5ft

Detail Trip Report Edit  Calamity @ 4.5ft  @Cheat 1. (Narrows) Below Rowlesburg to above Albright Power Dam, WV(811.77KB .jpeg)

Calamity @ 4.5ft

Detail Trip Report Edit  Calamity @ 4.5ft  @Cheat 1. (Narrows) Below Rowlesburg to above Albright Power Dam, WV(403.41KB .jpeg)

Cave Rapids @ 4.5ft

Detail Trip Report Edit  Cave Rapids @ 4.5ft  @Cheat 1. (Narrows) Below Rowlesburg to above Albright Power Dam, WV(835.67KB .jpeg)

Cave Rapid at 0.55 (Albright Gauge) and 650 CFS Rowlesburg Gauge

Detail Trip Report Edit  Cave Rapid at 0.55 (Albright Gauge) and 650 CFS Rowlesburg Gauge  Cheat - Narrows Section, WV(87.92KB .jpeg)

Calamity Rock at 0.7ft (Albright Gauge)

Detail Trip Report Edit  Calamity Rock at 0.7ft (Albright Gauge)  Cheat Narrows Rowlesburg-Albright, WV(61.12KB .jpeg)

Calamity Rapids W.V. at 1.5ft

Detail Trip Report Edit  Calamity Rapids W.V. at 1.5ft  Cheat River, WV(82.93KB .jpeg)

Calamity Rock 5+ Cheat Fest 02' Level

Detail Trip Report Edit  Calamity Rock 5+ Cheat Fest 02' Level  Cheat, WV(59.58KB .jpeg)

Calamity Rock

Detail Trip Report Edit  Calamity Rock  Cheat, WV(243.05KB .jpeg)

Calamity Rock

Detail Trip Report Edit  Calamity Rock  Cheat, WV(198.86KB .jpeg)

Calamity Rock

Detail Trip Report Edit  Calamity Rock  Cheat, WV(199.41KB .jpeg)

calamity

Detail Trip Report Edit  calamity  Cheat, WV(183.29KB .jpeg)

calamity

Detail Trip Report Edit  calamity  Cheat, WV(202.01KB .jpeg)

calamity

Detail Trip Report Edit  calamity  Cheat, WV(191.47KB .jpeg)

calamity

Detail Trip Report Edit  calamity  Cheat, WV(190.95KB .jpeg)

calamity

Detail Trip Report Edit  calamity  Cheat, WV(210.08KB .jpeg)

Open Boating at Ol' Calamity

Detail Trip Report Edit  Open Boating at Ol' Calamity  Cheat River, WV(1.27MB .bmp)

Surfing Rockinghorse

Detail Trip Report Edit  Surfing Rockinghorse  Cheat Narrows, WV(15.01KB .jpeg)

Rockinghorse Ferry

Detail Trip Report Edit  Rockinghorse Ferry  Cheat Narrows, WV(8.39KB .jpeg)

Wind Rapid

Detail Trip Report Edit  Wind Rapid  Cheat, WV(1.09MB .mov)

Calamity-3

Detail Trip Report Edit  Calamity-3  Cheat, WV(250.13KB .jpeg)

Zeth & Bruce Somewhere Above Calamity

Detail Trip Report Edit  Zeth & Bruce Somewhere Above Calamity  Cheat, WV(200.97KB .jpeg)

Good Creek Line

Detail Trip Report Edit  Good Creek Line  Cheat, WV(1.11MB .mov)

Rocking Horse

Detail Trip Report Edit  Rocking Horse  Cheat, WV(1.12MB .mov)

Calamity-4

Detail Trip Report Edit  Calamity-4  Cheat, WV(238.92KB .jpeg)

Cave Rapid

Detail Trip Report Edit  Cave Rapid  Cheat, WV(228.59KB .jpeg)

Calamity-1

Detail Trip Report Edit  Calamity-1  Cheat, WV(17.23KB .jpeg)

Calamity-2

Detail Trip Report Edit  Calamity-2  Cheat, WV(19.49KB .jpeg)

O Calamity

Detail Trip Report Edit  O Calamity  Cheat Narrows, WV(1.17MB .jpeg)

Brian at Calamity

Detail Trip Report Edit  Brian at Calamity  Cheat, WV(828.54KB .jpeg)

Photo#15301

Detail Trip Report Edit    Cheat, WV(957.01KB .jpeg)


Gauge Information

Gauge Description:

Also see the Cheat gage at the Albright PS. Min level for this gage is about 0.5', corresponding to 0.9' at the Bridge.
The NWS sets flood stage at 16' for the Parsons gauge

Gauge Information

Name Range Difficulty Updated Level
CHEAT RIVER NEAR PARSONS, WV
usgs-03069500 500 - 10000 cfs II-III 01h05m 472 cfs (rc= -0.0 )

RangeWater LevelDifficultyComment
0 - 500 cfs extremely Low-barely Low II-III
500 -10000 cfs barely runnable-high runnable II-III

Report - Reports of Cheat 1. (Narrows) Below Rowlesburg to above Albright Power Dam and related gauges

Reports give the public a chance to report on river conditions throughout the country as well as log the history of a river.

Reports

When River/Gauge Subject Level Reporter
Cheat [WV] Carnage 1500cfs Brian McConnell
Cheat Narrows [WV] O Calamity 5.2 ft Ajay Sapre
Cheat Narrows [WV] Surfing Rockinghorse n/a Patricia Hachick
Cheat [WV] calamity low Jesse Sweat
Cheat [WV] calamity low Jesse Sweat
Cheat [WV] Calamity Rock low summer lvl Jesse Sweat
Cheat River [WV] Calamity Rapids W.V. at 1.5ft 1.5ft Derek DiMedio
37d10h10m /CHEAT RIVER NEAR PARSONS, WV [WV] Account of 10/16/09 4.50 ft Kevin Schultze
3y131d08h04m Cheat [WV] Brian at Calamity around 4.5' Dave Jackson
3y150d08h04m Cheat [WV] Calamity-2 1.5 ft at Bridge Patricia Hachick
3y166d08h04m Cheat [WV] Calamity-4 6.37, 1190cfs Patricia Hachick
3y166d08h04m Cheat [WV] Wind Rapid 6.37, 1190cfs Patricia Hachick
3y200d08h04m Cheat - Narrows Section [WV] Cave Rapid at 0.55 (Albright Gauge) and 650 CFS Rowlesburg Gauge 0.55ft (Albright) Steve Kreim
5y129d08h04m Cheat River [WV] Open Boating at Ol' Calamity 3.3' Jason Specht
6y151d08h04m Cheat [WV] Calamity-1 1.5 ft at Bridge Patricia Hachick
7y204d08h04m Cheat [WV] Calamity Rock 5+ Cheat Fest 02' Level 5+? Walt Shank
8y203d08h04m Cheat Narrows Rowlesburg-Albright [WV] Calamity Rock at 0.7ft (Albright Gauge) 0.7ft (Albright) Steve Kreim

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Guidebooks



World Whitewater: A Global Guide for River Runners
$16.07


Wildwater West Virginia, 4th ed.
$13.95


A Canoeing and Kayaking Guide to West Virginia, 5th ed.
$11.87

User Comments


2006-06-15 15:13:41 (1256 days ago)
Edward E. Sauble, Jr.Details
Ran this section 6\4\06 with the GBCC "beginners class" at 3.5 ft. Plenty of swimmers but everyone
had a blast. Calamity rock was completely covered with a rooster tail coming off it so most of us
walked it except one in a ducky who missed the eddy beforehand. She made it through fine. Big waves
and holes abounded but had excellent leaders so no extreme carnage. Would like to try again at a
lower level.

2003-07-13 20:23:11 (2324 days ago)
Brad RobertsDetails
From Boygenius on Boatertalk:
Cheat Narrows Hole:(8.5 on the Cheat at Rowlesburg, 2.5 at Albright up to???)
Drove a few hours to the Cheat Narrows. I had received reports for Joe Stumpfel of a good hole on
the Cheat Narrows. I'd never run this section before, and after pulling over 5 or more times to
look at the river, I finally found it! It's a rockin pit-hole in the middle of a HUGE flatwater
eddy in between real rapids. I arrived around 12:00 and played for 2 hours. This hole was
AMAZING!!! It's as wide as Center Chute on the Potomac at 5.2, is a retentive and powerful pit, but
is REALLY deep. Approximately 15' wide of break, fluffy pile recirculates from almost 10 feet back,
steep inflow, lots of push, easy to escape either side, LOTS OF FUN!!! I tried several loops, never
hit bottom, but never got tons of air either...I'm beginning to think that wave/holes give up the
biggest air because the water has a more solid rise behind the seam so the boat corks out of the
water from a much higher point, but I digress...It was possible to throw ends anywhere, but the
surfer's left and middle were most retentive. Entry moves are definately possible: I had fun trying
entry-loops, which usually just resulted in my getting trashed. It's easy to get out of control
here, because the ends go so fast, but every hole move is possible in this perfectly-formed pit
hole. The hole can be a little intimidating if you're not used to big holes. The eddy access is
HUGE. It's well worth a drive. I can only imagine that as it gets higher, it gets even better and
eventually forms a wave, but I don't know. On Friday, the Albright Bridge on the Cheat appeared to
be around 5 1/2 feet right after I played. There was no one else around...I LOVE WV!!!
How to get there:
From Rowlesburg, WV, follow 72 North for approximately 4 miles. The road parallels the river. You
will pass SEVERAL little pull-offs, which could all serve as put-ins, passed the abandoned mine on
the left 1/2 mile or so, begin to look closely at the rapids as you pass them. You will pass a few
class 2 rapids prior to this hole. After one such unnotable clas 2 rapid (with a large, sloping
pour-over on the far river right), you will see a LONG (100 yards +), flat eddy on the river left
and most of the center of the river. This is a CALM, DEEP eddy. The only real current pushes past
the eddy on the river right side of the eddy. In the middle of this current is a big, obvious
pit-hole. You can park right next to it :)
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Rapid Descriptions

icon of message No rapids entered. If you know names, and locations of the rapids please contact and advise the StreamTeam member for this run.


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