Middle Fork
3. Audra State Park to Tygart River Confluence
| Difficulty | III-IV |
| Length | 2.9 mi |
| Avg Gradient | 79 fpm |
| Gauge | Middle Fork River at Audra, Wv |
| Flow Rate as of 1 hour | 2.46 ftbelow recommended |
| Reach Info Last Updated | November 21, 2024 |
River Description
Note: the listed mileage includes only three miles on the Middle Fork, and 4 miles on the Tygart. Read on.
Logistics:
The Middle Fork has one of the shortest and easiest shuttles in the state of West Virginia. It's great to have such an easy shuttle for such great whitewater.
The run is located in between the towns of Philippi, Belington, and Buckhannon. The put-in is located at Audra State Park. A camping area (seasonal) and day-use area can be found on the upstream river right side of the bridge. To reach the take-out, cross the MF bridge head west on WV 11 to the right turn at the top of the hill. Carrolton Rd. Follow this road to the covered bridge where you'll find limited parking near the railroad tracks. The total shuttle distance is about 4 miles. Most paddlers take out where the Buckhannon enters the Tygart and hike up 3/4 mile along the railroad tracks (pay attention for trains). Alternative access is reportedly available off Highway 119 about a mile downstream of the Buckhannon confluence, but this is tricky to find from both the road and the river without help from a local.
Camping:
Camping is available at Audra State Park (304-457-1162) or the Middle Fork River Resort (304-457-1162), both of which are open seasonally from mid-April to mid-October.
(StreamKeeper Paul Herring adds:
Teeter Lake state park has campsites, although I don't know if they are open in the Spring before April 15. If you call 1-800-callwva, they may be able to transfer you to the park super or something.
There is a private campground owned by an Ed Street along Laurel Creek (next creek upstream of Teeter). You get there by turning off the Arden road on the river right side of Laurel Creek. Camping used to be allowed along the Arden road at various riverside primitive sites till the city of Philippi acquired the roadside easements from the absentee railroad owners and started running camp
...River Features
Put In
Put in river right, upstream of the bridge, in Audra State Park.
Take Out
Trip Reports
Log in to add a reportIf you plan on running the normal shuttle out of the Tygart gorge, walking up the tracks to the Carrolton covered bridge, do not drive around the 'ROAD CLOSED' concrete barriers even though there is room. The state police were waiting for us at the railroad crossing by the remains of the burnt down covered bridge, and gave me a ticket. I'm sure one of the locals called the police. There is nowhere to park above the barriers so I'm not sure what the other options are, possibly paying for the shuttle service from the Tygart river outfitters. They pick you up I believe river left just below LEFT HOOK on the Gorge.
There is a new tree down that crosses the whole river on the first half of this section. It's about halfway down the Middle Fork section. You can see it from a distance and there is plenty of time to eddy out and portage it on the bank. Our group portaged on RL but RR might be a better option - simply more space as the trunk of the tree and the larger part of the tree are on RL. There was only room for 1-2 boats at a time to put back on once getting over the tree on RL.
Jim Murtha runs the rapid where I had my accident at a low water level. The water level was 3.8 feet on the Audra gauge. The rock I hit is one of the two exposed rocks on Jim’s left (right side of the picture).
This picture was taken on 6/17/09, 11 days after the accident.
The same rocks are partially submerged at a medium water level. They are the closest rocks to the camera, slightly left of the center of the picture. The water level was 4.2 feet on the Audra gauge.
This picture was taken on 6/7/09, 1 day after the accident.
We believe this picture was taken of me at or around the moment of impact. I washed over the rock at the same moment I was trying to roll which is why my face was so exposed. At this (high) water level the rocks are completely submerged (but not very far!) The water level was 5.2 feet on the Audra gauge.
A more direct route from the Audra picnic area put-in to the railroad tracks take-out: cross the Middle Fork on CR 11 (bear right after the bridge and head up the hill). About a mile or so, bear right on CR 36 (Carrollton Road?). This takes you directly to the covered bridge take-out in Carrollton. This is the route that is about 4-5 miles, not the one given in the river description.
The comment below sounds like Hook Drop, a 90-degree left turn. It is very dangerous. Stay about 4-6 feet from the left side at the turn, stay straight, and paddle hard! The hole is backed by a rock on the right. Too far left, and I've heard that there's a submerged passage, or something. Or maybe it's a different one.
!!!!WARNING!!!!
Near the end of this run(on Tygart) about a mile from the takeout(railroad bridge) there is a NASTY HOLE in the
center of the main channel. This hole is
VERY STICKY AND VERY DANGEROUS ! I got
caught in it and thought I was going to
drown. Was in for about five min. before
friends roped me out. Tygart level was
slightly over 4000 cfs. If you end up in
this hole your friends better have thier
ropes ready ! THANKS TO BEN TAYLOR AND
FRIENDS FOR SAVING MY BOAT, PADDLE AND
ASS !!!