Potomac, S. Branch

I just wanted to alert people that the access on river right just past the US 220 bridge is now off-limits; there are no signs on from the water, but coming from the road, there are signs warning that this take-out site is for official use only. I'm sure a lot of people on here are aware, but if you're a first-timer, heed this warning.

I did my research for a Smokehole trip using this site (which I love, of course) and the statemnent 'there is also a public boat ramp site on river right accessible from US 220 via CR 220/2,' viewed in conjunction with satellite imagery from Google Maps where the gravel road down to the river is clearly visible, led me to assume that using that access point would be just fine.

We dropped our vehicle in the Petersburg municipal lot across the bridge (paved, with parking lines, also very evident in satellite imagery) without bothering to check on the access across the river. When my brother went to fetch his vehicle at the end of our trip, he realized that there was a problem, but by then the canoe was already unloaded, so we decided to just try and skedaddle out of there quickly. We did not move quickly enough - a WV state official showed up, and although he was kind enough to listen to our explanation and not write us a ticket, it was not an ideal situation. He also showed us a (fairly new-ish, I think) gravel lot for boaters, along with an access ramp, both on river left a few hundred yards further down the river past the 220 bridge. Use those to avoid trouble.

I'm not sure why the Landslide rapid is included in this description, since it is miles upriver from the put-in at Big Bend. The trickiest rapid encountered along this stretch is 'King Queen Jack', which is a joyful and swift ride roughly at the trip midway point. I say this, but since last year a memorial plaque to a paddler has gone up on a tree near the end of the rapid. There are generally large wave trains, especially in the last 2 miles, that seem to not get the mention that they should. The old Royal Dam seems best run left with no problem for my inflatable but will turn an open canoe into a bathtub if not done well. I ran it at 2.33 and it was boney but doable if you don't mind getting out and walking a half dozen times. I ran it again at around 2.75 and that seemed to be perfect. Do not park at the public fishing access site (takeout) or you are likely to get towed, despite the signage being unclear. Park across the street in the municipal lot mentioned elsewhere.

But yeah, both the overall trip description and the pictures mention Landslide rapid, and that is NOT the same as King Queen Jack. Landslide is only in the upper canyon, within half a mile of the first pullover/put-in when you turn into the canyon. The lower run starts many miles past Landslide.

This section is a great open boat run. The rapids require some maneuvering but are straightforward. At 3.5' @ the Franklin gauge, the only area we came close to swamping our loaded tandem canoe (no bags) was at the Royal Glen dam. Run this to the left and then ferry over to the left bank to dump and you'll be fine.

I paddled Smoke Hole from Big Bend to below Petersburg a couple of days ago in an solo open canoe with 50 lbs of camping equipment at about 2.45 on the Franklin gauge. There's plenty of water at that level; I scraped only minimally, and had a pleasant trip. I agree with a previous commenter that the AW minimum for this section (2.5) is clearly above the actual minimum. This was my first time in the Smoke Hole, and the scenery lived up to expectations, with spectacular cliffs and plenty of solitude in a rich and varied natural place. If you want to see some bald eagles, come here. Maybe 80% of the large birds that I saw were eagles. There are no pools longer than a couple hundred yards, and most are shorter, so you move right along and are always busy with navigation. I personally would not rate any of the rapids above class II or II+ (with the exception of the broken dam, which I call a III just because re-bar makes me nervous), but novices will be very challenged by the large number and occasionally slightly technical nature of the rapids. Landslide (aka King Queen Jack) seemed to me to be only slightly more challenging than fifty other rapids, and I ran it easily after boat-scouting from the eddy on the right at the top. Camping at this time of year has a few issues. By mid-May nearly all the campsites that I looked at were covered with fairly high (mid-calf to knee deep) grass, which might deter anyone who is worried about Lyme disease. An exception is the single-tent campsite at the mouth of Redman Run, but it is pretty badly trashed. Beyond Redman Run one bank or the other is always marshy while the other is steep, so there are plenty of mosquitoes and few desirable campsites. Don't plan to bike the shuttle unless you are ready for a workout. US 220 is curvy and relentlessly uphill, and lacks shoulders much of the way, so it's a dangerous place to be on a bike. Smokehole Road, on the other side of the gorge, is likely to be a better bike route, though it is steeper, and I haven't actually been on it so I can't say for sure.

Largest rapid on the Lower section - left line or boof off the center.

Largest rapid on the Lower section - left line or boof off the center.

Robert Farmer---When I said I paddled it at 3.5, that was at Franklin. The Petersburg gauge is not really appropriate for this section.

A good Petersburg take-out is about 100 yards downstream of the US 220 Bridge, on river left, at a Sanctioned WVDNR Access Site. There is no overnight parking, park in the City Park parking lot (west side of 220, before crossing the bridge, adjacent to the DNR Access Drive). Caution, upstream from the US 220 bridge is a class II+ to III- (depending on water level) approx. 150 yard long rapid, Haystacks, consisting of several river wide ledges with hydraulics. At higher water levels, the waves here can easily swamp an unbagged, open canoe.

Andy Dick's Run, 16 Ft. Mad River Explorer, loaded with gear.

At this level the river left chute is the only safe one