James
02. Glen Wilton to Gala
| Difficulty | I-II |
| Length | 7.3 mi |
| Avg Gradient | n/a |
| Gauge | James River at Lick Run, Va |
| Flow Rate as of 1 hour | 583 cfslow runnable |
| Reach Info Last Updated | August 18, 2024 |
River Description
See Also:
Upper James Water Trail for excellent maps and other info.
Classic Virginia Rivers, Ed Grove (1992 ed), p. 224.
Virginia Whitewater, Roger Corbett (2000 ed.), p. 277.
Exploring Virginia's Waterways, Ed Gertler (2022 ed.), p. 196.
River Features
Put In
Put in at the Glen Wilton access, river right.
Take Out
Take out at the Gala access, river left. Paddle up Sinking Creek and under the railroad bridge to the ramp on your right.
Trip Reports
Log in to add a reportThe strainer that was the site of the fatality has been cut loose from the bank from what I hear. As I understand the verbal report the tree is still in the channel but along the river left bank. Seems that it is creating a reactinoary wave in the runout of the channel / rapid. The channel is open and runable but beware what may be just under the surface in the runout.
New Strainer, blocking main flow channel around a gravel bar island.
1.5 miles below Glen Wilton was the site of a fatality on 6-16-09 involving a strainer. The strainer was / is blocking the main flow channel around a very small island. Victim was not wearing a lifejacket and was fishing from a single person inflatable raft. Always keep your eyes peeled for strainers.
I added some map images to show where it is. During normal summer flows this BLOCKED channel will be the only route around the gravel bar and it should be considered completely blocked for now. The stainer is a large mature hardwood that has fallin across the channel from river LEFT. The tree is new and large enough that it may be here for a while (or until the next major flood?). Be vigilent on this stretch for this stainer in particular and be ready to scout and portage if needed.