Piney Run, Maryland, US
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Arrington Road to Marriottsville
Usual Difficulty |
I-III(IV) (for normal flows) |
Length |
1.3 Miles |
Avg. Gradient |
70 fpm |
Max Gradient |
200 fpm |
Dan running the Piney
Dan running the PineyPhoto of Dan Anderson by John Pramik taken 05/12/06 @ Min
Gauge Information
River Description
This is, without doubt, the hardest run in the Patapsco basin. Suddenly, as Piney Run crosses
Arrington Road and begins to follow Marriottsville Road No. 2, with just a mile and a third left to
its life, it becomes a whitewater terror, dropping 60 feet in a third of a mile. Scout this section
carefully from alongside the road before putting on, looking especially at the first quarter mile,
down to the second gravel parking area. It accelerates quickly from class II to class II+, and then
has a short class III drop followed by a complex class IV+ (probably best entered through the
second chute from the left, and finished on the far left, but I have not seen anyone run it). Many
paddlers will want to eddy out on the left above the main drop, for a brief portage, or even to
skip the class III just above (as we did) to be on the safe side.
After the big drop come several more class III rapids in quick succession. The second of these is
very tricky on the right side (down to the drop right next to the huge boulder on the bank), but
may not have enough water to run the left side. Then the gradient eases up, to class II+, II and
then I. There tend to be strainers above the confluence with the South Branch, by the intersection
of Marriottsville Road and Marriottsville Road No. 2, so you might want to take out alongside the
road higher up.
StreamTeam Status: Not Verified
Last Updated: 2006-05-13 16:33:36
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