The Upper Gauley takeout at Mason Branch (erroneously called “Panther Creek”) crosses property owned by Class VI and USA Raft. On the six Gauley Season weekends, West Virginia Rivers Coalition (WVRC) and American Whitewater jointly rent a parking field up on Panther Mountain Road for paddlers. On the first five of these weekends, Turner Sharp and his cadre of volunteers operates a boat shuttle from the river at Mason Branch to the parking area; this $5 boat shuttle benefits the WVRC.
In the early 1990’s, Congress passed a requirement for the National Park Service (NPS) to purchase another piece of property owned by Class VI and USA Raft at Woods Ferry on river right, about 2 river miles downstream from Mason Branch. By law, the Woods Ferry site would only be used by private boaters. Outfitters would continue using their privately owned access points at Mason Branch and other locations along the river.
While Congress required NPS to buy the Woods Ferry site, the price was left up to the official NPS property assessors. The property owners have disputed the low NPS assessment for this site and rightly claim that the property is a valuable access point. However, the NPS has refused to assess it as an access site unless the owners built a new access road to the property. The road has been completed and extends to a broad, wooded, flat area on the riverbank just downstream from the old site of the ferry on river right. They have not yet cleared a parking area in this flat area, but the bench could accommodate about 100 cars, while preserving a wooded buffer zone between cars and the river.
American Whitewater has asked the raft companies’ owners to leave the Mason Branch take-out open into the foreseeable future, even after Woods Ferry is acquired by NPS. If most paddlers gravitate to and begin to prefer Woods Ferry, (as there are 3 additional rapids and easier river level parking), then that’s fine. However, cutting off access at Mason Branch is premature. We all consider the current situation to be a win-win for paddlers and outfitters alike at Mason Branch — the paddlers get an improved takeout, the WVRC can continue the shuttle, we keep cars off the road and out of the way of rescue vehicles and the outfitters’ buses, and the owners get to sell their land.
At present, American Whitewater has negotiated for continued access to parking in the Panther Creek field (traditional Upper G take-out), with the landowner. No camping is allowed on this site, though parking is free. In exchange, American Whitewater is helping the landowner with their property taxes.
In the meantime, as a private boater, you can help by thanking Class VI and USA Raft for letting you use their property at Mason Branch (AKA Panther Creek).
American Whitewater Goal: Work with the Park Service to secure permanent access to a take-out for the Upper Gauley.