Donaldson Run
Military Road to Potomac River
| Difficulty | IV-V |
| Length | 0.8 mi |
| Avg Gradient | 150 fpm |
| Gauge | Fourmile Run at Alexandria, Va |
| Flow Rate as of 9 minutes | 37 cfsbelow recommended |
| Reach Info Last Updated | October 31, 2010 |
River Description
Extremely hard to catch. Very flashy. The run takes a super cell of rain in a short amount of time. It doesn't have to be a lot, just sustained hard rain for a decent amount of time - around 30 minutes. You must be very spontaneous and in the area to catch it.
Put-in is right after it goes under Military Road. This is all park land. There is one significant drop before it starts dropping under the George Washington Parkway. This is 'Pump House Falls,' which is just a 10-foot drop with a sticky hole at the bottom. The Gorge consists of three main drops, all of which are unnamed.
I (Erik Amason) believe I am the only person to have ever run this; please correct me if I am wrong. I have only run it twice, beginning with a run in 2003. The stream is very fast, has few eddies, and is very prone to wood jams and strainers. Scout all main drops. The rapids in the Gorge are constantly reconfigured due to log jams.
River Features
Put In
Take Out
Trip Reports
Log in to add a reportBelow George entrance rapid, everything is totally rearanged post summer 2006 big rains, alot less wood, but the rapids are niether harder nor earier.
first rapid of consiquence. Below it is one of the few good pools on the run.
the class II-III inbetween
Tipicle strainer
above the first major rapid in the George.
The line is left to middle, stay close to the river left wall. It is harder to get right then it looks so the right line is not much of an option. Get ready to go deep down the middle! Not much of a good boofing drop iether.