Little Kanawha River

Posted for Nori Onishi...

It requires a lot a rain to run. The online gauge at Wildcat reads the combination of Little Kanawha, Glady creek and right fork of the little Kanawha so you need a lot of water. I did it at 1200 cfs online gauge and It seem like there was 300 cfs in little Kanawha which felt like good level (upper yough at 2.0)
Take out. Make sure you have a gazetteer you are in the backcountry. Get off I 79 at Roanoke exit. Take 19 south until Ireland, WV. Take a left at CR 50 Wildcat rd. Turn left at CR 54 or Ingo bablin Rd just before you see the river. Drive up to Ingo there is a church there. You can park at Ingo if you only have a car but you can drive further up stream if you have a high clearance car. We parked along the road on someone summer camp about 2 miles up stream of Ingo. Not the first field which there is a rock fence but the second field with trailers.
Put in. From take out you drive back to Ingo. First road to the right Cr 46.1 will take you up Heaston ridge rd but 4x4 required or drive back to Ingo and take Cr 46 Cherry fork rd to Heaston ridge Rd. Drive the main rd on cherry fork rd until end and turn right. That will be Heaston ridge rd and just follow the paved road until Arlington. Make sure you scout the fall behind the Mill. At shop sign cross the two lanes and park at the church. That is the put in.

First Rapid is the Mill rapid. Run where the water is. Then it is boogey water for 2 miles. You can boat scout all these.
Cable rapid. After the 2nd or 3rd island the first class 4. It is a boulder garden. Start the run on the right side and to the center. At the end there is a cable hanging over the river but not an issue just duck under it.
Next rapid 1st mini gorge. Obvious horizon line. Scout on the left side. There are 3 slots on this rapid. We ran the right line and left line.
2nd rapid mini gorge. Aka Trash bin. Obvious horizon line but there is an island in the middle. You can sneak the left side or run the meat. 8 foot drop into some swallow landing. We paddle up the middle rock and boofed. Sweet. Down stream the drop there is wood but easy to get around.
The river gets easy after this until the take out.
Next time I will get pictures.
2-26-2007
Nori Onishi