Rivanna

Just ran this tandem at 550 cfs and it was plenty of water for a fun trip. The real minimum for tandem canoe is more like 300 cfs or 3 feet on the Palmyra gauge. Might need more than that for a kayak.

The dam at the old Woolen Mills is long gone now. Your best bet for putting in is now on the north side of the river at Darden Towe Park. This makes for a little longer run but you get more time on the water and less time running the shuttle by not having to go all the way down Market Street.

The minimum of 600 cfs is too high. Ran it a couple of weeks ago at 520 cfs and there was plenty of water. There are also steps at the takeout which make the climb up the bank much easier.

Previous comment about strainer removed as the strainer has long since washed away. Ran the river yesterday (03/31/2012) at around 850cfs which provided for a fast, fun, and very technical trip. The only time I've run this trip previously, we were at 200cfs and might as well have hiked with as low as the water was. Even at that low a flow, it was still runnable, but very, very scrape-y.

At 850cfs this river is delightful for anyone in need of a good warm-up run for the beginning of the season, or for teaching novices to run some slightly bigger/longer and more technical rapids.

The river main page should probably be updated as the better put-in is now Darden Towe Park which has ample parking and a designated (and free!) public boat ramp. This adds a few class I-II- rapids into the trip and provides for a much easier entrance to the river.

The best rapids on this trip are between the I-64 bridge and the bridge at Milton/Shadwell just before the take-out. There are 3 sizable drops on this stretch which provide for excellent teaching opportunities.

The take-out is poorly marked (not much more than a game-trail when seen from the river) and the embankment you have to climb is steep, but the carry to the parking area is thankfully short. Once you're past the bridge at Shadwell, look for the next set of riffles just under the overhead power-lines. The take out is actually in the middle of these riffles on river left.

Another look

This is a view back up-stream of the final ledge which is just upstream of the bridge marking the take-out. Click 'View Full Size' for better detail. I didn't have the time (or energy) to paddle back up and do a panoramic like the others. This one can be tricky to inexperienced boaters. The only way to get through without scraping is to go for the tongue on the river right (left when looking at the picture) which threatens to throw you up against a rather sizable rock. You essentially have to pillow off the rock on your right side and slide down the chute. I've never capsized on it, but the possibility is definitely there.

This is the first river-wide ledge you encounter after the I-64/Woolen Mills put-in. Straight-forward Class II easily boat-scouted.

The first rapid that requires any sort of maneuvering which is upstream of the I-64/Woolen Mills put-in described on the river main page.

Second river-wide rapid of import below the I-64/Woolen Mills put-in. This one is more complex and tougher to boat-scout and has the potential for a long swim. This rapid is comprised of three distinct ledges requiring good boat control to tackle properly. The three ledges are spread out over 50+ yards and offer fairly easy eddies between drops. This rapid should really be rated a Class III(-) for the self-rescue difficulties alone.

Close up of some of the holes on the staircase