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Meadow Run - PA Route 381 to Youghiogheny River
Meadow Run, Pennsylvania, US |
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PA Route 381 to Youghiogheny River
| Usual Difficulty | IV-V(V+) (for normal flows) |
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| Length | 7 Miles |
| Avg. Gradient | 72 fpm |
| Max Gradient | 140 fpm |
The Slide, Meadow Run
The Slide, Meadow Run
Photo of Andy Maser by Bob Maxie, Monocacy Canoe Club
Gauge Information
| Name | Range | Difficulty | Updated | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BIG SANDY CREEK AT ROCKVILLE, WV | ||||
| usgs-03070500 | 6.50 - 9.00 ft | IV-V(V+) | 01h08m | 4.79 ft (too low) |
River Description
For a helmet-cam video of some of the drops including the last slide, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OeczvJ6dLSo
George Mower, CCA Cruiser; Ed Gertler.
Takeout is the bridge just above the Lower Yough, at Entrance Rapid. Those who wish, can continue on a high-water run of the Lower Yough and take out at the Loop or Bruner Run.
Putin: there are putins downstream of Rte. 381, which eliminate some distance of flatwaterish stuff.
This is a narrow, tight stream. There are pinning rocks all over the place. One of the most
characteristic rapids is the Cacades, which is a boney slide culminating in a 6-foot ledge.
After the Cascades, there's a lot of boulder-bumping. Another good drop is Seven Foot Falls
(shown below), which requires a committed boof.
The last major rapid is the Slide (photo above). This narrow, shallow monster is a portage for
many who value their skin and their teeth. Scout this puppy before running the stream! You
don't want to miss the last-chance eddy and blunder into it. A small red flag on a river-left
tree currently marks the last-chance eddy.
Other related or nearby streams:
Middle Yough (Class
II)
Casselman (Class
I-III)
Lower Yough (Class
III)
Ohiopyle Falls
(Class IV, almost always illegal)
Upper Yough (Class
IV-V)
Top Yough (Class
IV-V)
Rapid Descriptions
No rapids entered. If you know names, and locations of the rapids please contact and advise the StreamTeam member for this run. 6 inch thick and until moved they are not runnable. Hopefully state park or locals will move it
out.
falling. The water line was not nearly above the edges of the little box the water flows through.
It was straight forward, tough current in the notch of course, but the run was clean. Momentum
coming down from the upper slide into the notch drove me right through and kept me off the walls.
It can go at low water if you're bored and looking for some action.
medium-low flow actually. The catch is I was being stupid and cavalier and found myself to far
right and hit the right rock with my bow, went cartwheeling backwards into the hole off the rock
and surfed it upside down until I caught some deep greenwater off the fall and it pushed my low
volume C-1 XXX right all the way under the rock. The bouency of my boat popped me out the other
side in the eddy after rubbing up under the ceiling of the undercut. My friend sat there and
watched it and said it was a pretty wild little trashing; it felt weird upside down too.
Best put-in is right at the commercial rafting outfitters off Rt 381 about a mile up the hill from
the slides. In reality, you can walk the shuttle along the road, it takes about 15 minutes at most.
There is a trail alongside the river, but its hilly and winds around a little, the road is more
direct.
Also, for the cascades. Our consensus was to start right of center, through the notch, and stay
there until the end. Pretty simple slide. To avoid pitoning at the base, carry speed and go off
with a side angle to the right, maybe 30 degrees. This keeps your bow from smacking down on the
rocks, boofing is pretty hard when there is only an inch of water to use.
To gauge the river, its in the same drainage as the Big Sandy, the water falls from the same place,
so most likely if the Sandy is rising towards 6.5 or more it is runnable.
high flows want to slam you into R-wall and pins are possible at all flows at base of 6
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PA Route 381 to Youghiogheny River, Meadow Run Pennsylvania, US (mobile)
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