Potomac
4. Sandy Beach/O-Deck to Anglers Inn (Mather Gorge)
| Difficulty | II-III(IV) |
| Length | 2.2 mi |
| Avg Gradient | 8 fpm |
| Gauge | Potomac River Near Wash, Dc Little Falls Pump Sta |
| Flow Rate as of 50 minutes | 2.94 ftlow runnable |
| Reach Info Last Updated | May 19, 2023 |
River Description
The Potomac River below Great Falls is literally in the back yard of Washington, D.C. This fact contributes to the strong boating community in the metropolitan region. Mather Gorge, where this section begins, is a stunning cliff-lined gorge. Further down, the river maintains it's wild and remote feeling, except for at choice spots where Virginia has allowed sloppy development to mar the shore.
The river offers play and practice for beginners to experts and numerous sections can be run. This description will deal with the rapids and access points and doesn't provide details on the numerous play spots.
It should be noted that the stretch of river from O-Deck just below Great Falls thru Wet Bottom offers some of the best big water paddling in Maryland. 10,000 cfs thru a 100 foot wide gorge makes for some large waves, surging eddies and boiling eddylines. Below Mather gorge the rapids get considerably easier. See Surf the Potomac for good playspot info. Older playspot pages are the Potomac Playspot Project, Potomac Paddlers, as well as another popular playspot guide developed by David Mackintosh.
Playspot List & Levels:
2.5' - 4.2' Wet Bottom (Class 3)
2.6' - 2.8' Horseshoe (Snodgrass) Wave (Class 3+)
2.7' - 2.9' Fishladder Wave
2.7' - 2.9' Portage Waves (Class 2)
2.7' - 3.0' Annie's
2.7' - 3.0' O-Deck 3 (Class 3)
2.7' - 4.0' Maryland Chute (Class 2+)
2.7' - 4.2' Virginia Chute Wave (Class 2)
2.8' - 3.3' Bloody Good
3.3' - 3.6' O-Deck 2 (Class 3)
3.6' - 3.8' O-Deck 1 (Class 3)
3.6' - 3.7' S-Turn (Class 3)
3.7' - 3.9' S-Turn
...River Features
Sandy Beach/O-Deck
Primarily a playspot with large surfing waves. Adjacent to Fisherman's Eddy. Using this for a downriver trip is inconvenient because shuttle must be set on Virginia side of river.
Easiest access is from the VA side as a park & surf. Enter Great Falls park and take an immediate right into the first parking area. Just above the lower observation deck is the trail down to Fishermans eddy. Carefully work down the steep trail to the waters edge. Ferry across and slightly upstream to access the O-deck wave.
From the MD side you will have to work upstream past the mouth of the fishladder and attain up about another 300 yards to access O-deck.
O-Deck 1
Boat: longboat
Levels: 3.6-3.8 ft
The wave just above the normal odeck wave. From the river left eddy
attain to river right, then paddle up and ferry back river left to get
on this wave. Or catch it on your way down from the falls.
O-Deck 2
Boat: RPM type, longboat, maybe fast creekboat
Levels: 3.3-3.9 ft
The normal odeck wave, parallel to the end of the rock outcropping river left.
O-Deck 3
Boat: creek boat, fast playboat
Levels: 3.3-3.6ft
The wave below the odeck 2 wave. At the lower levels it often has a foampile. Higher levels and it’s a green wave.
Boat: playboat
Levels: 2.7-3ft
A small pour over hole, the sides are great for cartwheels.
Annies
Location uncertain, my best guess is: pour over hole on the river right
side of the O-Deck 2 wave. Fun hole to boof, but not a very good
playspot. Another guess is the small green wave river left above rocky.
Levels: 2.7-3.0 ft
Boat: Playboat
Thunderdome Wave
Large wave just after the cliff ends below the MD side overlook. You
will need a fast playboat/ rpm style boat to catch it. Very large bouncy
wave. At 6.5 ft it is very possible to get a modern playboat on this
wave, but it's hard.. This is the stakeout wave of the Potomac. It is
surfable on the fly much higher than 7ft, it finally washes out too much
to surfable in the low 9 ft range, any level below that and its good on
the fly. The stated range only refers to the eddy service. If
thunderdome is in scout from the overlook and you will find several big
waves. This wave is always trashy and boily, surfs of more than 10
seconds are impressive and rare. Boats like rippers, with bow rocker
will help a lot.
Levels: 6.4-7.2 ft
Boat: RPM type, playboat
The Pimp Hand
Hole river right below odeck, at the top of fishermans eddy. Powerful hole, good for hole moves.
Levels: 4.2-4.4ft
Boat: Playboat
Zambezi Wave
The wave formed by the rock at the bottom of the eddy you sit in to surf
odeck. Ferrying out to this wave is a challenge, or run the thunderdome
channel and catch it on your way down. It’s about 8ft tall, no eddy
service, but you can walk laps river left for the ferry. From 7.6 ft up
to about 7.9 ft there is a foam pile on this wave, making it much easier
to catch. At 7.6-7.8 ft is is possible to ferry on to the wave from the
eddy but it is extremely challenging. Above 8ft this wave is super
green and fast. You'll need to paddle hard to get on it.
Levels: 7.6-8.6ft
Boat: RPM style
Fisherman's Eddy
Virginia Access Point. Park at Great Falls National Park (Virginia - fee area). From lower lot, carry across picnic area to steep trail that leads to Fisherman's Eddy.
Rodeo Zone
The wave is far river right at portage. There is eddy service. Between
5.6 and 5.3 this is basically a pourover that is deep enough to ender
creek boats and throw ends in a slice boat. It only becomes a good
playwave at 5.6 ft.
Levels: 5.3-6.4ft
Boat: Playboat
Portage
Hole (playboat): The hole against the river left shore at portage. Good for hole moves. Levels: 3.9-4.1 ft
Wave (RPM style / longboat): The wave train in the middle of the river at portage. These waves used to be better, they aren’t that good now.
Levels: 2.5-2.9 ft
S-Turn
Converging currents and constricted river form dynamic waves, current and whirlpools. Rocks form pourover holes at lower levels.
Playboat level: 3.6-3.9ft
The hole in the center of sturn. Good powerful hole, can throw lots of
moves here. Attain up the boils river right for eddy service.
Outburst/Slalom level: 4.8-5.5 ft
River left against the island. Catch the big eddy river left and paddle
up the boils against the island. It's hard but doable in an RPM, which
is the slowest boat that could catch this wave. Fast wave that's pretty
fun, watch out for the big boils once you blow off the wave, go for a
stern squirt.
Super Dave
River right in the backchannel, between sandy beach and where the back
channel splits from the main channel. Comes in when daves starts to wash
out, its a bigger version of Daves.
Boat: playboat
Level: 6.6-6.7 ft
Dave's Wave
The waves river right of the back channel, paddle up from sandy beach to
get here. Nice bouncy waves. The top wave is usually the best.
Boat: Playboat
Levels: 6.1-6.6 ft
Small Green Wave
The small green wave river left above rocky. It’s been occasionally referred to as Annies but the name isn’t concrete.
Levels: 2.7-3.31 ft (guess)
Boat: RPM style / longboat
Sandy Beach
Maryland Access Point river left just below the fishladder. Park at Great Falls National Park (fee area), reached via MacAuthur
Blvd. in Montgomery County, MD. Carry 1/4 mile south along the C & O
Canal towpath. Take the trail on the right just off the towpath down from Lock 17, upstream of the overlook that leads to Sandy Beach. Can also be accessed from Anglers by paddling up the canal a mile, then carrying another 0.4 mile to the put-in.
Gil's Hole
Upper Hole
A diagonal wave hole that's very smooth with a nice foampile. At the top
of the farthest right channel. No eddy service sadly. there are a few
ways to walk up that are more or less easy.
Levels: 4.9-5.4 ft
Boat: Playboat
Lower Hole
Small easy wave hole in the middle back channel. In the center left, right after the first rapid.
Levels: 4.8-5.2 ft
Boat: Playboat
Shoulder Snapper / Sweetie Pie
Shoulder Snapper
The hole river left in the last drop of the backchannel. The sides of
the hole can be played at 6.6ft, but the middle is shallow and trashy.
Levels: 6.7-6.9 ft
Boat: Playboat
Sweetie Pie
The wave river left in the last drop of the backchannel. There is eddy service.
Levels: 7.0-8.2 ft
Boat: Longboat
Wet Bottom
At normal levels is a 3 foot sloping ledge drop that can be run most anywhere. River right hole is good for playboats (2.5-4.2 ft) and has the potential for cartwheels. Has good eddy service. River left of the hole is a glassy green longboat wave (2.8-3.8 ft). Do the normal wet bottom attain to below the center island at wet bottom and ferry out to above this wave and drop on for laps.
Around the Corner
The wave river left at the jump rock. Essentially it is the first wave
of the jumps. Just a guess that this is the around the corner wave, but
there are really no other features this could be.
Levels: 9.3-9.8 ft
Boat: RPM style / Outburst style
Butt Hole
The hole just belowwhere the canal has a small overflow trickle. River
left. There is eddy service. Shallow untill 8ft, and starts to get
greenish at 8.5 ft.
Levels: 7.7-8.8 ft
Boat: Playboat
Point 59
River right of the island that begins the divide between the dead cow
channel and the main channel. On the fly only, no eddy service. There
can be a big hole here at lower levels (Low 8's). There is a bit of a
foampile.
Levels:Mid 8's
Boat: Playboat/Axiom style
Upper Center Chute Ledge
Small playhole, good for cartwheels and loops. At the top of center chute river left. At higher levels good for salalom boats
Levels: 4.1-4.8 ft
Boat: Playboat
Levels: 4.9-5.4
Boat: Slalom
VA Chute
Levels: 2.7-4.2 ft
Boat: Playboat
3.9 is a nice glassy wave, good for RPMs
Dead Cow
Awesome playboat hole at the top of the back channel with huge eddy service
Levels: Different sources site vastly different levels for dead cow. They are listed below
- Adam Van Grack: 8.0-8.7 ft playboat, 8.6-9.3 ft longboat (This is probably the best guess on levels)
- James Sneeringer/Daniel Smith: Minimum 7.8 ft playboat
- Attainers Blog: 7.4-7.9 ft long river runner, 8.8-9.3ft slalom boat
- Potomac Paddlers: 7.3-8.8 ft playboat
Center Chute ledge
Hole in the middle of center chute. Use the center chute ledge hole to
make the elevator move and ferry out to this hole. No eddy service,
you’ll have to make the elevator move every time. (location isn't
precise, but the hole is somewhere in the middle of center chute
slightly downstream of the center chute ledge.)
Levels: 4.20-4.33 ft
Boat: Playboat
Chuck's Wave
Chuck Thorton: “There's a great surfing wave in the middle of Center
Chute. I'd say in the high 4s. I've never heard a name for it. Good for
RPM, slalom (not playboat). It's just downstream of your marker for
'Center Chute ledge smaller hole?”
Levels: 4.6-4.9 ft
Boat: RPM style
MD Chute
Small playhole.
Levels: 2.5-4.0 ft
Boat: Playboat
Island Wave
Awesome wave at the bottom of the island that separates MD from center
chute. The island is underwater at these levels, and there are some
holes in there, along with trees so be careful. There is fantastic eddy
service for this wave. It’s big, got a great foamliple, and has
potential to throw some big tricks.
Levels: 9.6-11ft
Boat: Playboat
Center Hole
Awesome playhole, good for all hole moves. At higher levels it becomes a great wave for longer boats (slalom / RPMs)
Levels/boats:
5.2-6ft playboat
6-6.3ft medium playboats / RPMs
6.4-6.9 RPMs / longboats
7-7.4ft 14+ft boats
Corner Hole
Powerful hole where rocks below MD chute normally are. Attain up from anglers. There is eddy service.
Levels:
6.8-7.5ft playboat hole
7.5-8.5ft playboat wave
8.5-8.9ft slalom wave
Madiera Wall Wave
The waves against the river right shore. There are two right after each other that are good, but the first is more stable.
Levels:
9.0-9.6ft playboat
9.6-10.3ft long river runner / slalom
Difficult Run Rapids
Maryland, Center, & Virginia Chutes. Washington's practice spot and home to the Maryland chute playspot. Each chute offers a different type of practice. All lines are straightforward.
Barrel Wave
Cool wave that barrels from river right to left, 6.6ft is ideal for an
RPM style boat. Its a small feature but easy enough to use the barrel to
stay in. No good eddy service, but its a fun spot to hit on the way
down from the center chute wave. Its far river right above the skull
island. At levels lower than 6.3 ft it is still surf-able as a really
small hole down to about 5.9ft (guess).
Levels: 6.3-6.8ft
Boat: playboat / RPM style
Skull Island
Smooth longboat wave just parallel to the front of skull island in the
main channel. Attain up the back of skull island for laps.
Levels: 6-7.6ft
Boat: longboat
Anglers Inn Access
Maryland access point reached via MacAuthur Blvd. Park in one of three gravel or dirt lots across from the Angler's Inn, a fine restaurant. Carry across the canal, then 100 feet south on the towpath, then right down to the shore. From the river, the beach is easily seen on river left.
Trip Reports
Log in to add a reportMy truck got broken into at the Old Angler's put in yesterday afternoon. Somehow they got right through the passenger side lock! Lock is now busted and my debit card is a goner... the thieves ran up $700 in charges before BofA automatically cancelled the card. Anyway, don't learn the hard way this is a problem that doesn't seem to be getting any better. Leave nothing of value in your vehicle at this put-in!
Center chute park and play in the middle of a huge stonefly hatch. Surf with your mouth closed.
Rocky Island surfing on an amazing 70 degree day. Video here
fast
This is a dynamic wave at the top of Center Chute. It's a great surf, but you'll have to get out and carry over an island to run it again. Which we did again, and again, and again....
This is a great boof that lands you in a very aerated hole that is backed up by another ledge. Expect the melt down and enjoy the ride. This is one of three cool rapids in the back channels of Rocky Island at this level.
The view while surfing Horseshoe Waves
This is a great level at Rocky for both short and long boats. Second wave offers the most dymanic rides at this level.
Rocky Rocks in an RPM!
Rockin'the top wave in an RPM
Subject: Record high run on Potomac above DC - Sunday 1/21/96
This is the only article in this thread
View: Original Format
Newsgroups: rec.boats.paddle
Date: 1996/01/22
TRIP REPORT: date - 1/21/96; level - 19.31' at Little Falls gauge; put-in:
Bear Island 200 yards above jumping cliffs in Mather Gorge; take-out -
Lock 10 on C&O Canal; difficulty - if you believe in runnable class 6,
this was it, baby!!
Sunday saw the highest known run ever down the Potomac Gorge, surpassing
the 1985 run at 18.3' by Davey (the resistor) Hearn et al. We put in at
about 1:15 pm, just as the river crested. The Little Falls gauge was
confirmed at 19.31' at 1:00 pm. We estimate the cfs at 375,000, which is
extrapolated from data supplied by the Army Corps of Engineers for 1985
flood. I tried to get confirmation from the Corps for yesterday's cfs, but
without success so far.
The water was indescribably monstrous and chaotic. I led out of the put-in
eddy, and as I was crossing the boil zone towards the shear line, I was
attacked by a massive moving hydraulic about 8' high. It pulled me
completely underwater for 3 or 4 seconds before dissipating and letting me
go. We all realized very quickly that a blown skirt might be fatal.
The main action was at the rapid named Jumps, which started about 200
yards down from the put-in and continued for 1/2 mile. This rapid occurs
in a spot which is normally placid flatwater. I believe it was named by
the 1985 crew, who were the first to discover it. It is named after an
area popular for it's 50' cliff jumps down into the river. The tops of
these cliffs were probably 15-20 feet underwater yesterday.
Jumps is formed from an interesting hydrological phenomenon wherein Mather
Gorge fills in to the brim (about 60' above the height of the average flow
of 7,000 cfs) and virtually dams up Great Falls, which is about 1.5 miles
upstream of this point at the top of Mather Gorge. As a result, Great
Falls flattens out to some extent, and the drop which normally occurs at
Great Falls (about 60 vertical feet) is delayed as the incredible
funneling pressure of the relatively narrow, sheer-walled Mather Gorge
keeps the river elevated. Only when the vertical walls give way to a
less-steep, rocky valley does the river get to madly eject itself from
this bottleneck.
This sight, the Jumps, is one of the most awesome spectacles of nature
I've ever beheld. Hundred of thousands of cfs tumble wildly out of the
gorge through giant boils and folds in a state of mad chaos. Riding
through this involved going from one envelopment to another. The wave tops
periodically broke into temporary, truck-sized hydraulics. But each of us
only got nailed by two or three of these during the worst part of their
cycles. There was some debris and a few trees, but it was not an
overriding concern, and no one was hit by any debris.
At low water there is a 45' high mound of rocks on the center left here,
sort of a high-water island. Yesterday this rock was well under water and
formed a massive 25' high continuous hydraulic (it was here that Kirk's
boat was smashed back in '85). This hole was maybe 50 yards wide, and
extended 50 more yards into a wave on either side. It was easy to miss
this beast, but it was somewhat unsettling to go by it on the shoulder of
the wave extension.
Below Jumps, the river normally makes a 90 degree left turn below Madeira
School towards Angler's Inn put-in, then turns back to the right.
Yesterday the river cut this corner, with less than 40% of the water going
down the existing river channel. There were two major channels, one to the
right of Skull Island, and another of similar size to the right of it
(into the area of Black Pond). The rapids in here, which we were not
expecting, were nearly as intense as Jumps, but much shorter. I hit just
two massive waves, one of which broke on me.
Of the four in our group, two emerged from all of this unscathed (myself
included), one swam and was pulled out by us, and the fourth disappeared.
Later, after a lot of worrying and some soul searching, we found him safe
at home. He had apparently engaged some trees at the bottom of the Black
Pond channel, lost his gear, and swam to shore. He hiked up the Difficult
Run Creek drainage to the nearest house, and the homeowner drove him back
across the river to his home in Cabin John, MD.
This trip was of course the experience of a lifetime. While we all agreed
that we would probably not do this again, it was exhilirating beyond
belief. Perhaps one or two in our party should not have gone or perhaps we
all made sound decisions. We certainly knew the risks and we knew some
elements were not in our control (a branch poking through your spray
skirt, or a tree in the hole with you). We had some 50 years of paddling
experience between the 4 of us, mostly in these waters. Our weakest member
had 5 years experience. No one was pressured to put in.
We planned the trip carefully to avoid contact with authorities using
alternate parking and access points and other measures. We luckily did not
see authorities (other than helicopters) en route to the put-in, nor did
we see any signs indicating that the river was closed. It was, apparently,
but we did not know this. We understood that Park Police or Rangers would
have no choice but to turn us back (what are they going to say, 'oh, yeah
anything under 400,000 cfs is perfectly safe, go right ahead'), so we
avoided contact.
The whole question of river 'closure' has already provoked some debate on
this newsgroup in connection with Davey (the resistor) Hearn's arrest and
TV interview on Channel 9 last night. And it will probably continue to get
a lot of attention. We are grateful that we did not get tripped up by this
problem and were able to make the decision to go or not go purely based on
our scouting. We did talk to several fireman, county police, park police,
and rangers at the Lock 10 take-out, but they were quite civil with us and
did not accuse us of being insane. They just said get out and we did, as
our run was over - thankfully!
Paul Schelp
1/22/96
For the out of towners:
Park at Anglers Inn. 3 major options.
1. walk down the trail, across the bridge, and veer to the left to the wide trail down to the river. From there you can attain up to the maryland and center chute. Easy attainment even in a 6 foot long boat. Best to just follow the crowd. Someone is always there. Float back down to anglers when done. Center is best around 6 feet. Huge wave, nice eddy. Turns into a hole in the 5 foot range.
2. using the same put-in, float downstream and go to the left of the big island. These are the offut waves. Lots of fun in the 4 foot range, and much more user friendly for novices than the upstream chutes. To get back to your car, get out on river left. Follow the trail DOWNSTREAM, it will eventually take you back up the hill to the C&O towpath. From there either paddle back up the canal or carry your boat a half mile back to anglers.
3. From anglers, walk down to the canal, hop in your boat and slide into the canal. Paddle upstream about a mile. Get out when you get to the lock and carry your boat up the trail past the overlook. From the overlook you will look down on the sandy beach put-in. Keep going up the trail until you see the main wide trail on the left going down to sandy beach. From there, pick one of the many options and eventually float back down to anglers. It seems that most people access the Rocky Island waves this way. Good surfing up by sandy beach above 6 feet. Major boiling eddies and swirly water. Rocky Island is a great surf in a fast long boat around 4.5 feet.
Enjoy.
Brad.