Roaring Run, Virginia, US

County line to Recreation Area

Usual Difficulty	V+ (for normal flows)
Length	1.2 Miles
Avg. Gradient	550 fpm
Max Gradient	550 fpm

Gauge Information

Name	Range	Difficulty	Updated	Level
CRAIG CREEK AT PARR, VA
usgs-02018000	3500 - 10000 cfs	V+	00h48m	394 cfs (too low)

River Description

Roaring Run is a tributary of Craig Creek, near the James River. This is south of Covington, VA.

This one is a bit of a mission. As of this writing (April, '03) there is a large amount of wood in this creek. With a small group (3) of avid creekers it took us 4 hours to run this little beast the first time. There is log jam after log jam, as well as isolated lumber (there is major potential for a portagefest, especially in the first half of the run). You should fully expect to have close encounters with wood - both by accident and intentionally - so be prepared. Put-in on USFS land at the Alleghany/Botetourt county line near Rich Patch, VA. There are some quality drops above a 60-75' manky waterfall but make sure you don't miss the eddy for the portage. After the first falls you'll be moving through wood jams and relatively-smaller rapids for a half-mile or so until you are getting near the second waterfall - Roaring Run falls, which is about the mid-way point. Most of the wood was in this section. Above Roaring Run falls are two good drops, "Jack Knife" and Rhythm & Blues." Both have good boofs; but you must catch a small eddy before the falls. As Ricky Showalter explains, "if you screw up this rapid the blues is going over a 30+ feet waterfall and landing on flat rock slab."

Most of the best drops on Roaring are below the falls. The "Ultimate Ride" is recognized by the dramatic roostertail half-way down a fast narrow slide. This roostertail has a piton rock that seriously "modified" the bow of my friend's creek boat. The next slide, named "Sloppy Seconds," is less straightforward, with a few pillows and a hole or two, but it is a blast if you can handle the line. There are a few more slides, rapids and slide-series after that, but if you've made it this far you can probably handle the rest. Take-out at the Roaring Run Furnace Recreation Area (USFS) parking lot or explore the few drops that remain below the Rt.621 bridge.

Take-Out: Roaring Run Furnace Recreation Area. Off of Rt. 621, north of Strom, VA. There is a parking area (open 6am to 10pm)and restrooms near the picnic ground. Consider hiking up from here and just hucking the goods below the 30-foot Roaring Run Falls on down.

Put-in: Off of Rt.621 at the Alleghany/Botetourt County line. Put-in on USFS land. You could run the quality drops above the falls or, more likely, hike-in below the 60+ foot falls (Upper Roaring Run falls).