Teter Creek
Nestorville to Tygart River
| Difficulty | IV |
| Length | 6.6 mi |
| Avg Gradient | n/a |
| Gauge | Tygart Valley River at Philippi, Wv |
| Flow Rate as of 34 minutes | 624 cfsbelow recommended |
| Reach Info Last Updated | September 26, 2003 |
River Description
Bridge rapid in Moatsville is a good indicator of runnable flow below Rt 92.
Run is class II (III) from Nestorville to Rt 92 (2 miles), Class III Rt 92 to Moatsville, Class IV Moatsville to confluence with Tygart. Upper section nicely runnable when Moats bridge rapid looks slightly high. The rapid of note in middle section is recognized by 20 ft square rock block middle of creek. Nasty pourover bottom center. Start right, move diagonal to left above the hole and end up bottom left.
Bridge rapid is a sweet III/IV tumbledown easily scouted from bridge. Lower section Class IV rapid of note (suckpop) can be hazardous and can be scouted from island in creek. The rapid has wood at times and is located next after long shallow slide. Be very comfortable with this if thinking about Laurel (confluences 2 1/2 miles upstream of Teeter confluence). Emergency exit (steep) at the top of slide rapid, river left and climb up hill. Eliminates last 3 rapids.
Another Description:
Teeter Creek has 2 distinct sections. From Nestorville on Rt 92 to the bridge in Moatsville is primarily a Class II run with one Class III about 1/8 of a mile above the bridge. This rapid is best run on diagonal from right to left to avoid the ragged pourover and hole in the bottom middle and recognized by the 15 sq ft block of rock visible from upstream. The rapid above the bridge is tight, technical Class III/IV depending on level. When there are no clean chutes thru here without going all the way left the creek is too low.
Below the bridge the run tilts downhill at 120 fpm or so for 2/3 mile to the Tygart confluence. This section contains solid Class III/IV action commencing with several winding rapids. These top drops have good eddies and are easily boat-scouted.
Halfway down this lower section, when you can see a house up high on the left, you'll arrive at a large boulder blockin up the creek. The left is full of heavy, tight slalom drops. The right
...River Features
Put In
Take Out
Trip Reports
Log in to add a reportThe correlation with the Philippi (Arden) gauge here is not very reliable. I ran Teter about 5500 over the max and it was high but very runable (and a blast). My friend ran it a week later at 500 over the max and said it was barely runable.
It may be hard to pin down a good runnable range from the the flow at Philippi because the level there is highly influenced by inflow from the Middle Fork and Buckhannon. These large tributaries' drainages are south of Teter's and can therefore get much different amounts of rain in a storm.
Just ran this two days in a row. Really sweet creek, lots of fun drops, couple of sick boofs, etc. Second day the water level was probably about perfect, with the Tygart gauge at 7,000 (meaning Teter's was in the blue), so I'd highly suggest modifying the recommended maximum.
This is what happens when you miss your boof and lose your paddle at suckpop.
Rhett with a better line at suckpop.
Ben, John, Wayne and Kevin after running Teter Creek.
The last rapid on Teter Creek
This is the last rapid on the creek at a low level.
At moderate levels, this is a nice little run for those looking for an intro to creekin. Eddies are abundant and the rapids arent too serious. If you cant see around a bend, look for a last chance eddy and head for it. This will get you the visual boat scout that you're looking for.
At higher flows, it's a fun run for experienced creekers. The Bridge Rapid is a hoot, the slide gets really fast and the boof at Suckpop is quite nice....but the hole will kick yer ass, so hit that boof!
If the rapid at the bridge in Moatsville looks nicely padded, then you'll have plenty of water for the rest of the run (although the slide may be a bit scrapy and slow). If the bridge rapid looks beefy, get ready to hang on...it's gonna be good! If you run Teeter at higher flows, once finished, head up the Tygart about 2 miles to Laurel Creek. It takes more water than Teeter and is also a good step up in difficulty...so if yer running teeter when its high, you'll dig Laurel!
Have fun out there, and as with all small streams, keep an eye out for lumber!
We ran Teters on April 29. The Tygart was running 15 feet or about 19,000 cfs. We had good water, but not too much. All of the lines on the creek were open with no trees to avoid. The Tygart that day was rediculously huge. The rapid called classic had washed out, Undercut had one of the biggest holes I have ever seen. The falls were just sick.
Laurel Creek was running a bit on the high side, but do-able, that day.
We ran Teters on April 29. The Tygart was running 15 feet or about 19,000 cfs. We had good water, but not too much. All of the lines on the creek were open with no trees to avoid. The Tygart that day was rediculously huge. The rapid called classic had washed out, Undercut had one of the biggest holes I have ever seen. The falls were just sick.
Laurel Creek was running a bit on the high side, but do-able, that day.
Just below Suck Pop.
Teter Creek is beautiful and the Tygart was pumping this day.