Cumberland, Big South Fork

Day 1 - Leatherwood Ford to Station Camp

We put in around 1:30pm with a flow of 850 cfs, which rose to above 900 for the remainder of the day, reaching 970 at its max. Even with our open rec boats, none of the rapids had big enough waves at this level to cause concern. However, after running the leg from Ship Rock area to Blue Heron at around 5000 cfs (see other report), I would not advise an open rec boat on this river.

The water moves relatively quickly to Angel Falls. We made it to the portage within ~45 (maybe even 30) minutes. The striking cliff face in the center of the river mentioned in other reports is a great marker for the portage on river right. The start of the portage was still a sandy bank at this level, but it quickly became a rock bed that turned to a somewhat overgrown trail uphill before becoming an obvious trail. A sign marks where the portage trail ends and you put back in. The trail is a 0.25 mile at least, and even for very fit, active people, is quite time consuming and tiring. For planning purposes, I would give yourself 2.5 hours to identify the portage, complete it, and spend some time enjoying the Falls, as it is the most scenic feature in this stretch.

The water becomes predominantly flat for the remainder of this section. With some dedicated paddling, we arrived at Station Camp around 7:30pm (~2 mph). We only noticed two sites here, so best to have park hiking maps handy for identifying where hiking campsites might be likely along the banks in case these are full. There are two pit toilets and bear proof trash cans at Station Camp, so it's a nice spot if you can snag it.

In July 2015, from river right 100 yards or so upstream we got out where some white, diamond-shaped pieces of metal had been nailed to a tree on river right. There was a clear, frequently-used trail that indicated the safest portage and scouting point.

Counterpart image to my view from way upstream. Bottom, center in this photo is a slot that narrow/tapers down between a huge, tall boulder and a lower, flatter boulder. It would be a terrible place for a swimmer.

The backwash and the large, towering boulder in the middle of Angel Falls dominate this photo

Here is a pic of Angel Falls from a hike me and some friends did many months ago. I am sorry but forgot to check what the river was runnin at

Here is a pic of Angel Falls in the BSFNRRA we hiked along the Eastern side of the river and up to the rapid

Here is a pic of Angel Falls in the BSFNRRA we hiked along the Eastern side of the river and up to the rapid

Taken from SUV-sized boulder on river right bank above rapid.
Panoramic of Angel Falls taken just above the heart of the rapid at 5400 cfs.