Definitely be careful at both areas mentioned, as dangerous at it gets for the South Branch floating. This work was undertaken by the 46th Regiment Militia,[17] a Virginia State Unit based in Pendleton County, but Smoke Holers too old or too young to be drafted were coerced into doing the hard labor. (The narrow ridge between the riverbanks here was traditionally known as "Arm Ridge".). National Archives and Records Administration. In addition to moving forward with traditional acquisition and protection of core parcels, our plan includes researching and restoring key ecological processes such as fire, reducing competition from non-native weeds, and creating a deeper public understanding of this landscapes ecological values and conservation needs. Each site has a picnic table, lantern post, fire ring, and parking place. Explore our work in Here also, at river level, is a very prominent crag Eagle Rock. In West Virginia, Big Bend Campground lies along the South Branch of the Potomac River at Smoke Hole Canyon. Cannan Valley has gentle, well-trained, sturdy horses to fit any rider. Was generally not impressed with the fishing but the scenery is stunning. Birds The weather service measured about 0.5 inches at Franklin, WV from Saturday morning to Sunday morning. Be aware of private land and do not trespass. There are many opportunities for rock climbing in the canyon, from the walls just inside the Route 220 entrance, to soaring Eagle Rocks, to the shaded walls of Long Branch, the steep stiff routes of Sanctuary and the miles of cliffs lining the west face of North Fork Mountain which can be accessed from trailheads on the canyon rim. Smoke Hole is a biologically diverse area classified as an upland limestone-based ecosystem. DeepWoods_Adventure crew: Shane, Jame, Sarah, Mark,. The bug coats and then kills the tree branches. In addition to hiking, there are many other ways to discover this beautiful wildness. A man from Oklahoma, claiming to have been a member of Dillinger's gang, hired a local in 1965 to help him locate the legendary loot. The former was previously called FR 74. These plants are more commonly found west of the Mississippi River. [31], Overall, this region reveals the interior of this thrusted anticlinal-synclinal structure and presents a phenomenal exposure of complex central Appalachian macroscale structures involving the Silurian-Devonian package of rocks. Kayaking and whitewater canoeing provide the best ways to see the canyon, particularly the lower section where there are no roads nor trails. Maple sugar, maple syrup and wild honey were all available with a minimum of effort. ( One winter gathering of over 100,000 bats of several species constitutes the regions largest concentration of wild mammals. The rapids are consistent class I-II with In addition to shuttle service for groups big and small, we also provide canoe and kayak drop-off with pick up . If your URL is correct, you'll see an image preview here. Ive never had an issue with the rebar BUT it could also change with any high water event. An Asian grass known as Japanese stiltgrass was accidentally introduced into the U.S. during the last half of the 20th century and has become a major conservation nuisance nationwide. It is believed that the Canyon is the largest area of limestone forest left in this region of the country. Take time to enjoy it. My trip was the last weekend of April in 2017 and we had 90 degree weather so it was dropping fast. Smoke Hole Canyon is home to a diverse range of wildlife, including black bears, bobcats, and bald eagles. Other violets along with the buttercups follow. The roof of the vast subterranean channel then collapsed forming the karst topography seen today. Definitely on my list to do again. No one is certain where Smoke Hole got its name. Help the paddling community! Many explorers have tried to find connections between the dry cave which has had over two miles of passages mapped as of 2001 and the spring, but so far without success. website belongs to an official government organization in the We ended up taking 3 canoes with Wingman Cooler stabilizers. White-tail deer were also exterminated from the area, as they were from the entire state, by about 1900. United States government. Follow this road for 5-10 miles along the river to many put-in alternatives. The canyon is steep sided and 11-12 miles long. About 1.3 million visitors come to the Monongahela National Forest each year, and it's no surprise why. Smoke Hole Canyon, West Virginia, May 11 and 12, 2019, This topic has 0 replies, 1 voice, and was last updated. I was thinking it was 300 CFs at Franklin. The Smoke Hole settlers were not generally slaveholders and became overwhelmingly Unionist during the War. It is defined by North Fork Mountain to the west and Cave Mountain to the east. virginica) is another rare plant known from the Smoke Hole. Two paddlers and heavy on the camping gear. In the latter year, their encampment was washed away in a river flood. There was one tight place between a couple tall rocks that would have been tight for a raft but I bet it has changed a lot since then. [13], The earliest settler families were followed, a generation or two later, by a second wave the Kimbles, Alts, Stumps, Judys, Helmicks, and Kettermans. This is a landscape in which surprises seem to lie beyond each ridge. Parking may be limited at many of our preserves. That affects everything. To get to the put-in's, take 220 south for about 16 miles to Smoke Hole Rd (cr 2). The marvels even extend underground, into extensive limestone caves. West Virginia provides. There is also a miniature golf course just outside of the cavern entrance. | The variety is compelling, even to the most casual observer. In my view, it's the most beautiful place in all of West Virginia, and that is really saying something. Cart. he is asked. Both of those places have good portage access if you want to avoid trouble. I would imagine that once it warms up we would have done pretty good in there.Take Out,We took out just past the big bridge in Petersburg, on the river left, So back to the title of this post, getting a raft down the smoke hole canyon. Bats are the most apparent inhabitants, including 40% of all the endangered Virginia big-eared bats remaining on Earth and the largest colony of endangered Indiana bats left in the East. Turn left onto the Smoke Hole Road, Route 28/11, and travel for 13 miles to County Route 2. Trip Details Trip Dates: 5/29/2022-5/31/2022 About a dozen species of plants and animals in Smoke Hole Canyon are considered to be "globally rare". (In those days, available game included bison, elk and puma.) Large images may take a few minutes to appear. The fire grew through the first night, despite rapid response efforts by the Franklin, Seneca Rocks, and Upper Tract Volunteer Fire Departments, as well as crews from the USFS. Discover trails like Potomac Highlands Loop Seneca Rocks and Smoke Hole Canyon West Virginia, find information like trail length, elevation, difficulty, activities, and nearby businesses. If you have any questions about this paddling location or have other relevant information that would be helpful to other paddlers, please add them as comments below for the entire community! However, the landslide rapid and the old dam rapid made me gladder I was in a raft. 2023 The Nature Conservancy The "revenuers" destroyed many "stills" (distilleries) during this period and sent many moonshiners to the state penitentiary the typical term of incarceration was one year. If walking up an drains on the left to smoke hole road be careful of rattlers. Whether youre a seasoned hiker or a beginner, Smoke Hole Canyon has something for everyone. what is the best place to park at the take out, for overnight? Phone:304.293.5076 | Help the community if you have a paddling trip to share! The area is known for its unique rock formations, including towering cliffs and natural arches. With its rugged terrain, cascading waterfalls, and stunning vistas, this trail is a must-visit for any outdoor enthusiast. Formerly, the area was home to a scattered community of family homesteads, storied for their isolation, traditional lifestyles, and skilled production of the illicit liquor known as "moonshine". No description has been added yet for this paddling location. Experienced trail guides will take you & your family for a horseback ride to the very top of Seneca Rocks to enjoy the breathtaking view - nearly 1,000 ft. high! The Cave Mountain anticline is further structurally bounded to the northeast and southwest by major cross-strike structural discontinuities: the nearly east-west trending Petersburg lineament and an extension of the northwest-southeast trending Parsons lineament, respectively. Most in our group choose to portage. Be aware of private land and do not trespass. Global sites represent either regional branches of The Nature Conservancy or local affiliates of The Nature Conservancy that are separate entities. Shrubs We were loaded down with gear and really spread out the tripso we were also heavier than needed. [35] The earliest spring annuals to emerge in the Canyon are bloodroot, followed by the yellow dog-toothed violet. In the 1990s, limestone quarrying destroyed the regions highest quality cedar glade and another quarry currently may threaten the regions most significant cave. The origin of the name "Smoke Hole" is undocumented. From the picnic area bridge to Petersburg is 21 miles, while the trip from Big Bend Campground to Petersburg is 15 miles. It included the Canyon as part of the greater Smoke Hole-North Mountain Bioreserve during its "Last Great Places" campaign. Marlinton: (304) 799-4334 Water Levels.Friday put on @ 12:30 was 389 cfs @ Franklin (Plenty of Water)Saturday @ 12:30 was 307 cfs @ Franklin (still plenty of water)Sunday @ 12:30 was 249 cfs @ Franklin (scrappy on the shoals and some rock scraping on some of the shallow spots.) This 24-mile trail has countless views of the Smoke Hole canyon and North Fork valley. Remember: Using others' images on the web without their permission may be bad manners, or worse, copyright infringement. ) or https:// means you've safely Anyone ever floated the upper portion of the canyon down to Eagle Rock? You could have blindfolded me and I would have swore we were out west. I did the upper portion of the canyon to eagle rocks in a traditional kayak in the early/mid 90s in early June. The details of this page are driven by our community. After another half mile, the South Branch collects the North Fork South Branch just below Cabins. They employ 'clumb' for 'climbed', 'wrop' for 'wrapped', 'holp' for 'helped', and such redundancies as 'rifle-gun', 'rock-clift', 'ham-meat' and 'tooth-dentist'. Many features may not work properly without it. The North Fork Mountain Trail follows the ridge top along the western rim of the canyon. The Canyon is home to about 40 percent of the world's Virginia big-eared bat population and the largest single colony of Indiana bats, another endangered animal in the eastern US. Some are home to the endangered Virginia big-eared bat and are therefore closed to visitors during critical nesting or hibernation periods. Having evolved in an eternally dark environment, most are blind and lack pigment. 21 miles. This is an overnight trip on the Smoke Hole Canyon section of the South Branch of the Potomac River. The canyon offers stunning views of the surrounding mountains and valleys, with opportunities for panoramic vistas from various overlooks. Even if the level is getting low, things improve greatly at the confluence with North Fork. We did fully swamp one canoe but was still fine.Royal Glen Rapid.This one definitely has some nasty rebar scattered across the river but has a nice line on the river left. The more gullible travellers believed that Smoke Holers were so uncivilized and violent that it was dangerous to go there and that "revenuers" (federal law officers) frequently disappeared in the Canyon. Wood thrushes, scarlet tanagers and various warblers have all been in decline recently because of habitat loss on both continents, but can find sanctuary within the secluded Canyon. In the 1920s, sympathetic Franklin attorney H. M. Calhoun Sr. (18661933) became a public champion of the Smoke Hole and its people. 1 reply. Water should be fine until after Memorial Day. where did you put in and about how long was the float? A third popular story is that the fires of moonshiner's stills during prohibition days (and before) gave the gorge its name. Published on April 11th, 2017 | Just curious if any of you all have taken raftsdown and what the levels were. Smoke Hole Canyon is home to a diverse range of wildlife, including black bears, bobcats, and bald eagles. A variety of tiger beetle lives in the sandy, cobblestone habitats along the banks of the South Branch. Makes for a very long second day of paddling, especially if you are going all the way down to Eagles Nest to take out. Resources from 18 other states provided personnel and equipment. This area is managed for "catch and release" only all throughout the year. Grouse and turkey hunting is popular. The first seven miles of the run are beside Smoke Hole Rd, so short trips are possible. Longtime residents of the gorge have insisted that the Indian "smoke house" cave story is the only genuine one and the only explanation that pre-dates the ones on the local state historical highway markers. The staff and guides aren't overly welcoming, but it shouldn't keep you from visiting the caverns. McColloch, Jane S. (1986, revised edition), Calhoun, H.M. Sr. (6 November 1930), "Tales of Historic Smoke Hole and Seneca Rocks Interestingly Told", from a column in. The roads into the area are narrow and winding: take your time and enjoy the scenery. It was a great time filled with swift waters, beautiful scenery, and big smiles. on official, secure websites. Eons ago through a process known as "river piracy" or stream capture the flow of the river was diverted cataclysmically from its old bed westward into what would eventually become the present Smoke Hole gorge through massive excavation and erosion. Map showing recreational areas. The South Branch of the Potomac River is sandwiched between North Mountain and Cave Mountain, creating a half-mile deep canyon with nearly vertical walls. Maybe McFishin will chime in. A variety of frogs include the wood, bronze, leopard, and green frog, along with spring peepers. Smoke Hole Canyon traditionally called The Smoke Holes [1] and later simply Smoke Hole is a rugged 20 miles (32 km) long gorge carved by the South Branch Potomac River in the Allegheny Mountains of eastern West Virginia, United States. We had nine boaters for the trip on May 11 and 12, 2019, including one kayak, one tandem canoe, one ducky, and five solo canoes. The dry, prairie-like areas along the upper knobs and ridges of the Canyon are home to a variety of typically western plants such as prairie flax. Bing Maps has a collection of great trails with directions to trail heads as well as photos. Large and smallmouth bass are also plentiful. The excess fabric at the top of the structure is the smoke hole and smoke flaps. [4]) High above the river, on the north side of the gap, is a prominent range of limestone cliffs which represent the Cave Mountain Anticline. The only maintained trail strictly within the Smoke Hole gorge is the 3.5-mile South Branch Trail, a loop trail starting at river level from the FS picnic area (now abandoned). Turn left onto the Smoke Hole Road, County Route 2. Special bait and tackle regulations apply. The driver of the shuttle was actually a member of this forum (Stickbow maybe??). [18] One result of this was that the Smoke Holers, previously staunch Democrats (along with most antebellum Virginians), became inveterate Republicans afterward. You will have to carry all your camping gear, etc., in your boat. [2] Before the river exits the gap it passes through a narrow channel with ferocious rapids locally known as the "Rock Break". Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Where the name really came from is uncertain. They use such plural forms as 'postes', 'beastes', 'nestes', 'ghostes', and analogous verb forms, 'costes' and 'twistes'. 3,986 posts. Campsite List Keep an eye out for eagles here. Reply. The high, dry crests of North Fork Mountain support the largest pine barrens of the Central Appalachianshundreds of acres of gnarled pines dwarfed by the harsh conditions and by thousands of years of recurring wildfires. Today, The Nature Conservancy considers Smoke Hole and the surrounding mountains to be "one of the most biologically rich places in the East", especially as regards its rare plant communities. Just thought I'd follow up after looking at my notes and realizing I had mis-stated some things. Shreve, D. Bardon, with Estyl C. Shreve (1997), The first trustees were Alfred Kimble, Jacob L. Kimble, J.H. 250cfs is my lowest starting point. Hey wooden nickel. (This is about 1.5 miles along Pendleton County Route 2 beyond the bridge where US Route 220 crosses the South Branch.) Many exist nowhere else on Earth. The takeout is in Petersburg, WV. Smoke Hole, West Virginia Trip Report. Today the Canyon still has significant black bear and bobcat populations and is known for its large number of timber rattlesnakes, a species now scarce elsewhere in the state[citation needed]. The Civilian Conservation Corps stationed a battalion in Smoke Hole between 1934 and 1936 and constructed a popular recreation area there. [28], The canyon offers excellent class II - III whitewater paddling for several months in the spring when the water levels are high enough. Calhoun, H.M. Sr. (1 November 1929), "Tales of the Smoke Hole"; Reprinted (pp 151-153) in: Shreve, (2005). Search our site to find more information about your next trip. The main and traditional entrance into the Smoke Hole is from the south through a water gap between Big Mountain and Cave Mountain about two miles north of the community of Upper Tract. Smoke Hole Canyon Photo Jim Hopkins Tucked away in the Monongahela National Forest, Smoke Hole Canyon is unlike any place you've ever visited. West Virginia kayaking, The International Stand Up paddling Magazine, The International All Paddlesports Magazine.
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