Goose Creek

A good run down Goose Creek today from the Washington and Old Dominion trail down to the take-out a little above the Potomac. Started in Sycolin Creek, which was too low: more walking and hauling packrafts (with bikes) over or around big strainers. Once on Goose Creek, it was a nice run. Cooke's Mill rapid was rolling very nicely, and the Rock Garden rapid at the end was a bit more fun than the last trip (at 2' on the Goose Creek gauge). Rode back to the truck at 659 and the W&OD on our bikes for a nice, relaxing round-trip.

We bike/packrafted from the Washington and Old Dominion trail intersection with Goose Creek down to Riverpoint Drive Trailhead (same as Kephart Bridge Landing in the description), taking it easy over a few hours with the water right around 2' at the gage. Only real challenge was launching from the steep banks up by the W&OD trail. The run was basically as described here with a few fun rapids (Class I and II, maybe III where we ran river right for Cooke's Mill rapids), interspersed by slow but not still flats. Had an easy bike ride back with the available bike paths to get the truck and head out. Recommended!

You can put in at Sycolin Rd - 1.5 miles above the Dam to the Fairfax Reservoir. River left. Portage around dam on the right. Legal, despite minatory signs.
Used repeatedly by local paddlers under CCA auspices. Sorry to be brief, but my former post in Oct 2020 has disappeared. Alf Cooley, 1 Jan 2021

The put-in used since 2018 by local paddlers is just off Sycolin Road (SR 643) at the downstream river-left side of the bridge. This is 2.6 miles upstream from the put-in shown on the AW map. Drag 150 yards down to the tiny creek mouth and paddle 1.4 miles down the reservoir to the 20 ft Fairfax Dam. Carry around the right shoulder and let your boats down (bring rope). A full description of lower Goose Creek is found on the Canoe Cruisers Assn webpage: https://s3.amazonaws.com/ClubExpressClubFiles/394800/documents/Goose\_Creek\_Text\_R\_Canter\_796000524.pdf?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIA6MYUE6DNNNCCDT4J&Expires=1602883243&response-content-disposition=inline%3B%20filename%3DGoose\_Creek\_Text\_R\_Canter.pdf&Signature=qybEm%2FOHo1KgcUBt%2BrtveFBQLlk%3D

Please exercise caution in passing the dam. Despite the minatory signs, boaters may descend this navigable waterway (In testimony, a set of 1840s canal locks looks up at you from the bottom of the reservoir.) In another 1.2 miles you arrive at the W&OD RR trail and the Sycolin Creek put-in mentioned in the main article. A pair of excellent intermediate take-outs are at Keep Loudoun Beautiful Park, immediately upstream of VA Rte 7. But Kephart Bridge Landing 1.3 miles farther on is undoubtedly the best. Since the old center pillar of former VA Rte 7 was removed (Sept 2020) there are almost never any more strainers in the lower Goose.

Ran this at 1.95 a few days ago (just about as low as you go). The walk-in on the bike path is quite a ways, but it does let you run 1 or two more rapids. 2 feet was a good level to teach someone how to boat, lots of slow water, rapids were easy and safe (hardest was a class 2).
There is a tempting put-in before the bridge, but it does require crawling through a kayak-sized hole in the fence, past a 'no trespassing' sign. Please cross the bridge and walk down the public trail system, it only takes 2 extra minutes of walking.

My wife and I ran Goose Creek at 1.95 water level on 6/12/19. We strapped the 2 Pelican trailblazer 100 kayak's on a skateboard and rolled the.5 mile from Cochran Road via the WO&D path. Plenty of public parking next to the trail entrance. We entered the 2 Creeks Trail off WO&D and took the first right down a narrow/slight grade grass path to Goose Creek. River bank was about a 2 foot drop so we got in the river on a tipped over tree using a rope to hold kayak to shore. Ride was great. We scrapped a few times, but did not have to walk over rocks at all. Got hung up/spun around on Golf Course rapids, but my secret kayaking pro wife did not have any issues.
We both completed ride from Keep Loudoun Beautiful Park to Kephart Bridge Landing without any issues. This is a better section for novice paddlers. Kephart Bridge Landing is not marked at all off river so make sure you go off to the right bank after Rock Garden. GPS did not give me a good location from river. Looking forward to completing run again. Safe Travels!

River main and maps have been updated to reflect the current put-in, take-out, and parking situations. Rapids have been updated with pertinent info and pictures as well.

You can see video of the more major rapids and takeout here:

http://www.youtube.com/embed/pcOustXpPTA

03/07/2012 Edit:

Recently found a new video from some fellow paddlers on the Goose. How to not make a successful run of Golf Course Rapid: http://youtu.be/QTdlyZz\_hNI

My buddy Carter and I decided to take a chilly trip down Goose Creek on 3/28/11 with the river at 2.25' & 325cfs. Couldn't have asked for better conditions.

This is the start of Golf Course rapid. As you can see, an old weir for the nearby section of locks still spans a good portion of the stream. The middle is broken down which results in the head of Golf Course rapid. The chute is in the center of the rapid and pushes you to river right where you must avoid some large rocks which stand very close to the wave train at the end of the rapid

If you are polite, and speak to the property owner in a professional manner he/she will probably grant you access to put in on the river. The owner of the residence is used to highschoolers causing trouble around the bridge, and his skeptical of people on his property.

With the new take out after the Rock Garden, this is a nice beginners run. It would be an excellent place to teach a new paddler. Even at higher levels this river is not necessarily very pushy.

Photos of the two named rapids on Goose Creek in Loudon County, VA

Bob Franz and Andy Collins ran Golf Course Rapids at 2.58 water level. The walk in from Cochran Road via the W O and D path is .5 mile. Go in next to the information stand and walk along the tree line next to the bridge to the waters edge of Sycolin Creek to get in. There is a new County take out at 43942 Riverpoint Drive in Landsdown just beyond River Creek Bridge and the long rock garden rapids Class II. Parking and a portajohn a short walk on wood chips from the Goose Creek take out. Look for the Manmade rock structure on river right.

I have run the Goose Creek Dam to route 7 many times but not in the last several years. It didn't bother me to portage my canoe down the steep little trail on the right side of the Dam, but is that now totally inaccessible?! ( I was planning on going again this Spring )

This is a great little run though....the golf course rapid is fun. Best tact is to start straight down the middle, then hard right thru a flume that passes thru a jagged ledge...then hard rudder left to avoid slamming against a rock wall! ( easier than it sounds )

If you continue past the rt. 7 bridge, it's a loooong mostly flat paddle to the take out at Algonquin Park on the Potomac but there are some intersting areas....about a mile past bridge there is a 3/4 dam which is runnable at proper water level, if not it's an easy portage.

I caught several very nice largemouth bass here several years ago! There is one nice, fairly long rock garden rapid ( II ) which requires manuvering about a mile below this dam. Then it's a long, painful padddle to Algonquin. If you know someone you can take out at the River Creek Country Club on left just before the confluence.

The best way to run Golfcourse Rapid, in high water, is to come down Sycolin Creek (2.3 miles of up to class II+), which deposits you about a quarter mile above that rapid. Unfortunately, this is not a trip you can plan far in advance -- just go when the Limestone Branch gauge is above 50 cfs.

What does this run look like beyond that takeout at Rt. 7? Just looking at a map, it seems that a natural extention would be to continue down to the Potomac and take out at Algonquin Regional Park? Anyone have any info on this stretch of water?

I have attempted the putin ot the Dam but it is cut off now. Does anyone know of another spot above or below the dam that is good and will not upset any property owners? Thanks

Don't attempt to putin at the bridge on Sycolin Road, above the dam. The property owners in this area are very sensitive, even to kayakers walking down along the roadside to the bridge.

The W&OD rail trail crosses Goose Creek on this pretty bridge.