Little Stony Creek (New R. trib.)
Cascades to USFS Parking Area (GILES County)
| Difficulty | IV-V(V+) |
| Length | 1.7 mi |
| Avg Gradient | 350 fpm |
| Gauge | Little Stony Creek Bl Archer Trail Nr Pembroke, Va |
| Flow Rate as of 389 days | 2.96 ftstale data |
| Reach Info Last Updated | January 26, 2024 |
River Description
This creek, not to be confused with Little Stony Creek of Scott County, is reminiscent of Upper Big Creek in the Smokies and the North Fork of the Tye, VA, but slightly lower in volume. If you've driven to the area to catch Bottom Creek (which I haven't had the chance to catch myself) and it's running too high, this creek will probably be a good contingency plan. Just over two inches of rain had fallen at iFlows gauges #1008,1011, and 1012 (see below) in the previous 24 hours before I started the rather short and well worth it hike up this creek on May 18, 2003. The leaves were out, but there was more than a sufficient amount of water. As you start the hike, watch the creek. The series of drops just upstream of the parking lot will give you a good idea of what the upper stretches of your hike will reveal. There was a single log in the bottom drop of this series that made it very sketchy to run any part of the series - the micro-eddies that existed didn't seem easy to catch; it's one long, Colorado-style rapid.
When you reach the first bridge, cross the creek - this route will give you a better scout than the river right trail. From the bridge, the view of the upstream reaches may make you reconsider hiking the next 1.5 miles. That view is deceiving; it's a good glimpse at the boogey water that you'll find between the rapids that resemble the one you had just passed. About 1/2 mile upstream of the bridge, you'll reach the second series of notable class V drops. Another 200 yards of hiking will lead you to what's probably the biggest rapid of the run. It's long, complex, gushy and steep with the water pushing into an un
...River Features
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Trip Reports
Log in to add a reportThere is a usgs gauge on this run now!
https://waterdata.usgs.gov/va/nwis/uv/?site\_no=0317159760&PARAmeter\_cd=00065,00060,62620,62614
Runnable Range: 3 - 5.5
Good Medium: 4
High runnable if its over: 4.75
It has wood in it but the wood situation is reasonable now - You can make a run from the falls down with usually only about 2 portages (one is mandatory around an unrunnable drop). There are a few logjams but they are generally making their way downstream. Just pay attention on the hike up because the wood is always shifting around. It's comparable to Upper Big Creek in NC/TN.
A recent attempt to remove or alter some of the deadlier strainers on Little Stony was brought to a screeching halt on Friday 19 March 2010. After a chain email advertising the event was sent out to the VT Kayak Club, some unnamed persons on the club listserve notified Trout Unlimited (TU), Dept. of Game and Inland Fisheries(DGIF) and the Forest Service(USFS). The sponsors of the event were contacted personally and threatened with severe police and legal action if the event were to proceed.
Further research found that the vast amounts of the ill-placed and dangerous strainers on the creek were intentionally dropped into the creek to create larger pools and cover to enhance trout fishing. Apparently, TU has paid the forest service over thirty-six thousand dollars ($36,000) to 'enhance' this streambed and make long sections of class IV and V virtually unrunnable and many other sections extremely dangerous to run.
TU currently has a grant for one mile of creek bed and is planning on buying even more of the creek. They have also convinced the USFS that this particular streamed is not considered a 'navigable waterway' in the legal sense of the term.
Prompt action by the boating community MUST be taken by the local and broader boating community to prevent another Chattooga debacle.
I hiked with a couple friends to the 'Upper Cascades' another nice waterfall very high up in the gorge and near the headwaters. This is more of a cascades then the better known falls at the bottom. We drove to the top of the mountain, took a dirt forestry road across the mtn tops and parked at a nature conservancy trail. This is the same trail to reach 'Bernie's Wall'. On the way down bear left on the trail instead of going to Bernies Wall and you will be walking down the mtn on a nice wide ATV trail, which eventually turns to a single track at the bottom where you reach the stream. From what i understand the trail goes all the way down to the popular cascades. But where the trail converges with the creek you will find the upper cascades that appears runnable with sustantial water. There is alot of gradient from here down to the popular cascades and may be virgin stretch. If you want to find it i suggest a DeLorme and some exploring. If I remember i will put up some directions to the upper trail and some pictures. John.
Eric Oconnell and I attempted to run this creek at a decent flow, but we elected not to hike any further up the trail when we realized how much wood was in the stream bed. Aparently the forest service had cut down all the trees they concidered a safety hazard... they just happened to lay them directly in the stream bed, which means mandatory portage fest. To give you an idea of just how much wood there was, I am a good boater and was able to ramp over and skirt around and under many logs, and I still spent about as much time walking around truely unpassable strainers as I did in my boat. If you are desperate for some boating, there is a pretty fun 100yd section adjacent to the parking lot. Just walk up the creek untill you start seeing strainers, and don't bother walking any further. I don't even know if it is leagal to cut wood out of this section, but it will take allot of work untill this section is worth running again. It's a worthy project if anyone is willing to look into it, but untill then, don't bother.
Peace, Eli
Johannes, a German grad student at nearby Virginia Tech, prepares to launch about 1/3 of the way down the Autobahn rapid. The log just above his head prevented us from running the top third of the rapid. The slot on river left feeds into the visible undercut and is marginally runnable. This is roughly 1-1/4 miles above the USFS parking lot.
Looking downstream at the log that prevented us from running the upper reaches of the Autobahn, a rapid about 60 yards long with few opportunities to slow down.
Johaness takes a break from hiking at the bottom of the Autobahn.
The put-in. Although this drop is certain to cripple you, I've heard there's more runnable waterfalls above this one. I've never hiked up above them though......that's your disclaimer.