Bottom Creek, VA

Two Blind Mice

Two Blind Mice
Photo of Josh Sandage by Gordon Dalton

River Description

Matt Muir writes:
"Before accessing this stream, please be very confident that you have the requisite skill (solid Class V), and be certain to treat the river, the land, the surroundings, and the local landowners with due respect. Relations with landowners in this area are fragile and could be severely damaged by a small amount of careless behavior."


Gordon Dalton:
First things first: This run is remote and has some sketchy spots. Go with someone who knows the run your first time. There is at least one mandatory portage in there - you simply MUST get out at the right spot above "Eye Of The Needle" (aka, "Inner Earth"). It would be very easy to miss this exit point and drop past the point-of-no-return here at Eye of the Needle. That mistake could easily be fatal.

Most folks will portage in three places. Stud creekers will usually portage twice, depending on water level. Everyone will portage in at least one place.

Do yourself and all of us a favor: go with someone who knows the run on your first time down. It could save your life and it will definitely make your day much better.

One more point: Do NOT block the school bus turnaround area at the take-out. This keeps happening and it could threaten access to the take-out. Don't hang out and have a little victory party there either. The sheriff rolled through this area the last time I was there.

This is a run for experienced Class V+ boaters only. No other creek in Virginia compares to Bottom Creek. The gradients are as follows: 1st mile=280 fpm, 2nd=300 fpm, 3rd=170 fpm, and the fourth mile levels out to 80 fpm. The drops mentioned below are only some of the significant rapids on the run. The Waterfall Section drops at 800 fpm for about a quarter-mile. Go with someone who knows the run; there is one mandatory portage and most folks will also walk Gravity Cavity at normal flow levels. Missing the "Eye of The Needle" portage could easily be tragic. As one good boater said, "Bottom Creek makes the Upper Blackwater[WV] look easy." Access to this run is crucial and a serious injury, trespassing, or an evacuation from the gorge could threaten everybody's access to this Virginia gem. Sorry for all the warnings, but please Don't screw this up.

Those that paddle this run will enjoy some of Virginia's best steep creeking, as well as some of the best scenery around! Private property surrounds the run, and the landowners are owed respect and appropriate behavior - on and off the river. This mixed hardwood and virgin hemlock forest is home to a rare species of fern, and the creek itself holds 3 species of rare fish.

Put-in: At the Nature Conservancy preserve. Use a Gazeteer or your local buddy to show you how to get there. There are several turns on county roads. Consider supporting the Nature Conservancy - they take care of this wonderful and endangered area.

Take-out: Be extra courteous and respectful of the landowners in this area; drive slowly and be low-profile. Do not block the school bus turn-around area. I repeat: DO NOT PARK IN THE WAY OF THE SCHOOL BUS TURN-AROUND AREA. Park well off the road, and to the side, and not in the little niche the bus uses to turn around. Be low-profile.

The Run...

Bottom Creek is one of Virginia's most exciting steep creeks. Some of the named rapids include:

"The Kettles": a ledge series you'll encounter shortly after putting-on. Several routes exist depending on level. If you have trouble here you should probably head back to the ol' family truckster and save Bottom for another day. Kettles is nothing compared to the rest of the run. The road is not far away, you can bail out here. The Kettles are named for the potholes that dot the bedrock around this drop. You'll leave the Kettles and drop a couple more drops, but the first portage is very close...

"Gravity Cavity": Usually a walk for most folks due to an ill-placed undercut/sieve. At low flow or medium flow it is a very tight move to make. Don't miss the portage eddy above the drop. Make the tiny portage around "gravity cavity" over the bedrock on the right. More fun drops lead down toward...

"Eye of the Needle": This is a Mandatory portage. Here there is a narrow flume at the top leading into a huge sieve where the entire stream dissapears under mega-boulders. You MUST take-out well above the entrance flume and walk around the whole drop. It is essential that you know where this danger spot is - you could EASILY drop into it blind. A fun-looking class IV rapid leads into this unrunnable drop, so don't screw up. You may need to walk the rapid above Eye as well. (Some folks do a two-stage portage at river level. At high flow you may want to take out early and go high up and around). Again: run this creek with someone who knows it. Carefully carry "Eye of the Needle" on the left, it is not an easy carry. Some kind soul has left a rope here to help lower boats. You can put-in immediately below the sieve by carefully sliding yourself off the sloped rock cliff into the pool below. "Eye of the Needle" is also called, "Inner Earth."

Above: "Eye of The Needle" (aka, "Inner Earth"). Do not take this creek lightly!

Some folks choose to keep walking around....
"Crash Test Dummy": This drop is at the end of the short pool below the big sieve ("Eye of the Needle"). The whole creek funnels into a 3 to 4 foot wide waterfall dropping about 15 feet. The landing zone is shallow and the LZ feeds into an undercut on the right. At higher levels the landing zone becomes quite aerated, juicy and swirly.

There's more fun and challenging stuff until you reach Gorilla North.

"Gorilla North": is a stairstepping, hole-ridden flume. The second ledge creates a deceptively sticky hole/eddy that has caused some looooong sketchy hole rides. At lower levels it gets tight, at higher levels it gets thick. The rapid above Gorilla sits very close to the brink of Gorilla. Do not miss the eddy above Gorilla - especially at higher flow (!).

"The Waterfall Section": This long series of rapids is the climax of the run. This is a long and steep class V+ drop. The "Mouse Trap" is the initial boof and slide, leading into the shallow, sievy "Swiss Cheese." The dramatic finale of the drop, "Two Blind Mice," is a rock garden leading into a 20' slide into a sticky low-angle hole. You might consider setting up a "traffic cop" on the right bank since you can't see the bottom of the drop from the set-up eddy. Beautiful and dramatic Camp Creek Falls is the 200' waterfall (2nd highest in Virginia) that plummets into the river from the left.

Class IV+/V- boulder gardens: ...with wood. This is called the "California Section" due to the granite bedrock rapids. Nice tight slots and boofs with ever-shifting logs. Look out for wood in "Rock and Roll" especially.

"Canoe": A 8-foot tall ledge is a sweet boof with a clapper of a landing.

After that there is mixed class III-IV- water to the takeout. Much wood seems to settle in this lower "California" setion of the run below the Waterfall Section. There is limited parking at the take-out and it is near a residential area. Please be discrete and respectful at the take-out. Again: Do not block the school bus turn-around area.

Note: The above description is merely intended to give you an idea of what's up. There are plenty of other drops in there, and probably several hazards not mentioned. Go with someone who knows the deal! Please do not jeopardize our access to this creek.

For more information or concerns drop me a line.

Please note: The pictures posted on this site are in no way intended to "promote" this run. This description, and the pictures herein, are here so that paddlers unfamiliar with this stream will understand that Bottom Creek Gorge is the real deal and should not be taken lightly. This ain't Gooney Creek!