Best North to South trip Brent to Canoe - heart of Algonquin Another classic- through the heart of Algonquin- my favorite. Mobile Terms & Conditions Grouse and turkey hunting is popular. Nearby is Big Spring, source of the water supply for Upper Tract, which discharges 1,040 gallons per minute. Some are home to the endangered Virginia big-eared bat and are therefore closed to visitors during critical nesting or hibernation periods. In recent years, the Canyon has been overwhelmed with this invasive species, first introduced into the state in 1980. By this time about 50 families resided in the Canyon in 1941 there were 260 residents associated with the post office at Smoke Hole and another 49 around the one at Ketterman, three miles downstream[24] but World War II accelerated the out-migration and long-term population decline. On Saturday at noon the Franklin gauge was reading 2.64 ft and 68 cfs. The understory of the Canyon woodland includes such low-lying, fruit-bearing vegetation as huckleberry, blackberry, raspberry, teaberry, and wild grape. The excess fabric at the top of the structure is the smoke hole and smoke flaps. For over 20 miles the river has carved a half-mile deep canyon, with nearly vertical walls. Remember: Using others' images on the web without their permission may be bad manners, or worse, copyright infringement. [18] One result of this was that the Smoke Holers, previously staunch Democrats (along with most antebellum Virginians), became inveterate Republicans afterward. [citation needed] The prairie flax (Linum lewisii) is a widespread western species quite rare in the east. (The riverbed is at about 1,100 feet (340m) above sea level and the summit of Cave Mountain is 2,470 feet (750m).) The run on Saturday was low, but not intolerably scrapey considering we were paddling mostly unloaded canoes, and we had to pick our lines carefully to avoid the shallowest of the gravel bars. A variety of frogs include the wood, bronze, leopard, and green frog, along with spring peepers. Regardless, the canyon is considered by many to be one of the most beautiful areas in West Virginia. 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. I have always wanted to canoe it, good whitewater when the river is up. The oldest explanation appears to be the story that Native Americans used a well-known cave in the gorge (Smoke Hole Cave) for smoking meat; this cave has a room shaped like an inverted funnel with a hole at the apex through which smoke could escape and be seen from some distance. 1 reply. [6] Another young Steele daughter, Susie, out alone searching for a family cow, fell victim to a wandering band of Native Americans. This stretches along the crest of North Fork Mountain from U.S. 33 (in the south) to where the Smoke Hole Road (28/11) nears State Route 28 just west of Petersburg (in the north). The roads into the area are narrow and winding: take your time and enjoy the scenery. Map Information. Special regulations apply to the area between Eagle Rock and Kimble Cabins (designated with signs and cables across the river). You must be logged in to reply to this topic. One such gorge is the Smoke Hole, where the South Branch of the Potomac River squeezes between North Mountain and Cave Mountain. Traveling with other campers and adventurous treasure seekers, the film takes the viewer through raging rapids, unexplored mountain caves, and encounters with wilderness and wildlife native to the region. Formerly, a primitive wagon road threaded its way through the lower Canyon, but most traces of this are long gone. Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings. White Sulphur Springs: (304) 536-2144, https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/mnf/recreation/camping-cabins/recarea/?recid=9916&actid=29, Winter Storm Warning in Effect - Caution Advised, Helicopter Logging Begins April 1 in West Fork Timber Sale; Two Areas Closing. Address Example: 1550 University Ave, Morgantown, WV 26506. If things go south, hike up any drain on the left side of canyon (looking downstream) and you'll eventually (couple miles uphill) hit SmokeHole Road and can flag someone down. We are now big fans of the wingman cooler stabilizers and I was glad we had them or I almost 100% guarantee we would have had a lot more carnage. No description has been added yet for this paddling location. Its caves are therefore protected during critical months. | We were loaded down with gear and really spread out the tripso we were also heavier than needed. [36] (This changed in the early 1940s when deer were reintroduced into the Canyon; they have thrived there since.). Terms of Use This package of rocks is bounded on the lower and upper ends by two fairly competent sandstones: the Silurian Tuscarora and the Devonian Oriskany (Ridgeley), respectively. We ended up taking 3 canoes with Wingman Cooler stabilizers. Here is a very different world from that of the sunlit surface above. Smoke Hole Canyon Photo Jim Hopkins Tucked away in the Monongahela National Forest, Smoke Hole Canyon is unlike any place you've ever visited. Deer and bear hunting is popular in late fall. Vacation home developments have already spread across four of North Fork Mountains eight highest peaks. Nulla sed iaculis ipsum. We will camp Friday night near the put in at Jess Judy Group Campground and then Saturday night on the river. Home Forums Trip Reports Smoke Hole Canyon, West Virginia, May 11 and 12, 2019. Large and smallmouth bass are also plentiful. The Nature Conservancy is a nonprofit, tax-exempt charitable organization (tax identification number 53-0242652) under Section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code. Big Bend constitutes an unusual "peninsula" in the river; the river here loops for about 1.3 miles back to a point just 350 feet from itself. this region. Some of the the highlights of this trail are: Smoke Hole Canyon in West Virginia can be a great place to take kids, depending on their interests and ages. 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. Smoke Hole Canyon is home to a diverse range of wildlife, including black bears, bobcats, and bald eagles. Canoes in our group flipped both places. Chelsey and I went first down the river while Ray fished and followed us along the road. The canyon is steep sided and 11-12 miles long. Where the name really came from is uncertain. Grant County Route 28/11 also proceeds from this intersection and traverses the northern half of the Canyon well above the river level for about 12 miles (19km) where it exits the Canyon at WV Route 55/28. Sometimes called "Lewis flax", it was originally discovered during the Lewis and Clark Expedition (18041806), and not known wild east of the Great Plains until it was found in the Smoke Hole. The Cave Mountain anticline is asymmetric to the northwest with a slightly overturned northwest limb. Resources from 18 other states provided personnel and equipment. PO Box 6018 | 2001 Recreation Center Drive | Morgantown, WV 26506 on official, secure websites. This landscape contains some of the most stunning beauty found in our state, from the 11-mile long Smoke Hole gorge along the South Branch of the Potomac, to the dramatic, 4000+-ft. peaks on North Fork Mountain. If your URL is correct, you'll see an image preview here. He helps Eagles nest out in the summer on occasion. brevis), a member of the mint family, has some of its few worldwide occurrences within the Smoke Hole area. ? Keep an eye out for eagles here. he is asked. Keep in mind that because this is one of the more popular places to embark on a paddling trip . [citation needed], Mammals Furthermore, this region provides detailed insight into the lowermost roof-sequence cover above the suspected duplex of Cambrian-Ordovician horse-blocks and blind-thrusts at depth. This trip is made up of two 7 day trips, the first featuring the big lakes and wildlife between Kawawaymog and Cedar lake. We parked at Eagles Nest Outfitters and arranged a shuttle with them. Water should be fine until after Memorial Day. Rare species of butterfly (columbine duskywing, cobweb skipper) live in the open, grassy, limestone habitats of the Canyon. We had two boaters come all the way from Tennessee! Access point #6 Difficulty: Easy Average duration: 1 to 2 nights. It was made for local consumption as well as distributed (on the black market) for hundreds of miles around. 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. Copyright 2023 VerticalScope Inc. All rights reserved. (The narrow ridge between the riverbanks here was traditionally known as "Arm Ridge".). The Monongahela National Forest (MNF) extended its boundaries in 1927 to include the Smoke Hole and in 1930 the first improved (graded) road was extended into the southern half of the gorge. 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. Rapid after rapid. A visitor in the late 1930s observed that: Their speech is quaint, containing many archaic forms handed down from the first settlers of the eighteenth century. Kayaking and whitewater canoeing provide the best ways to see the Canyon, particularly the lower section where there are no roads or trails at river level. If you put on at 7-8am and dont paddle but dont stop (just go with the water), youll pop out at Petersburg around 5-7pm depending on how many Eddys you stopped in (I cant not stop on at least a few good looking holes lol). No trips have been created that use this paddling location. in Smoke Hole Canyon, WV Two other non-native, invasive plants seriously threaten the rare limestone plant communities in the Canyon spotted knapweed and viper's bugloss and are also the objects of Nature Conservancy abatement projects. Views of the Canyon can be had along the 24-mile (39km) long North Fork Mountain Trail to the west where sods and cedar barrens can be visited. Marlinton: (304) 799-4334 Most of the land in the Smoke Hole is managed by the Forest Service and is open to hunting and subject to West Virginia hunting regulations. [37] The Allegheny woodrat, which lives in rocky terrain in the Canyon, has been declining throughout much of its range due to an epidemic of roundworm infestation (acquired from raccoons), among other causes. [32][33], Unnamed cliff (part of the Alt Cabin Anticline) along Smoke Hole Road, Exposed rock layers near Big Bend Campground, Blue Rock, composed of the Late Silurian Tonoloway Formation limestone, in the lower Smoke Hole Canyon, Bottomland in the lower Canyon (looking upstream). 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. He served in the 3rd, 4th, 8th and 12th Virginia Regiments and was present at, Calhoun, H.M. Sr. (13 November 1930), "Tales of Historic Smoke Hole and Seneca Rocks Interestingly Told", from a column in. This is a classic float/fishing trip in a long beautiful canyon that features massive The whole setting is timelessness itself, an impression heightened by the fact that these geological features have been here for millions of years. Search our site to find more information about your next trip. Phasellus cursus rutrum est nec suscipit. The name of this "gateway" to the Canyon is Cave Mountain Gap and it represents a half mile cut through the high ridge separating the ancient riverbed of the South Branch Potomac River (to the east) from the ancient bed of Briggs Run (to the west). Updated Mar 11, 2023. Many exist nowhere else on Earth. Smoke Hole Canyon traditionally called The Smoke Holes and later simply Smoke Hole is a rugged 20 miles long gorge carved by the South Branch Potomac River in the Allegheny Mountains of eastern West Virginia, United States. I was thinking it was 300 CFs at Franklin. Please enter a valid email address (formatted as name@company.com). Help the community if you have information to share! This is an extremely fun class III section that flows through the first five miles of the spectacular Smoke Hole Canyon. West Virginia University Follow this road for 5-10 miles along the river to many put-in alternatives. Ut et ultrices nisi. Makes for a very long second day of paddling, especially if you are going all the way down to Eagles Nest to take out. Just curious if any of you all have taken raftsdown and what the levels were. This 24-mile trail has countless views of the Smoke Hole canyon and North Fork valley. One winter gathering of over 100,000 bats of several species constitutes the regions largest concentration of wild mammals. Smoke Hole is situated in southern Grant and northern Pendleton Counties. Can you help me? The section is mostly class I and II rapids with two class III rapids that can be carried. Another biological threat to the Canyon is the insect known as hemlock woolly adelgid. The staff and guides aren't overly welcoming, but it shouldn't keep you from visiting the caverns. 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]. hudson valley. Help the community if you have a paddling trip to share! Birds 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! Sign in to get trip updates and message other travelers. Anyone ever floated the upper portion of the canyon down to Eagle Rock? 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. We had two boaters come all the way from Tennessee! It lies in the Allegheny Mountains and was created by the flow of the South Branch Potomac River. This landscape contains some of the most stunning beauty found in our state, from the 11-mile long Smoke Hole gorge along the South Branch of the Potomac, to the dramatic, 4000+-ft. peaks on North Fork Mountain. Do you know the mile markers for those two obstacles? No one is certain where Smoke Hole got its name. We ask all visitors to please follow any local restrictions put in place for your safety as well as guidance from the West Virginia Department of Health & Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), including maintaining a distance of at least 6 feet from others (social distancing). Parsons: (304) 478-3251 Livestock, especially swine and sheep, were typically free-ranging and huckleberries and chestnuts were harvested from the wooded mountainsides in quantity. Most of the land in the Smoke Hole is managed by the Forest Service and is open to hunting and subject to West Virginia hunting regulations. Other trailheads for NFMT, which looks down upon Smoke Hole from the west, are also located along Smoke Hole Road. Fishing is good for trout and small mouth bass. A 2010 documentary film The Search for Dillinger's Gold, directed by Cam Lemley alleged that infamous gangster John Dillinger (19031934) buried three boxes of gold bullion in a cave somewhere in the Canyon. It is defined by North Fork Mountain to the west and Cave Mountain to the east. Anthony Creek (Neola to Greenbrier River), Bluestone River (Spanishburg to Eads Mill), Bluestone River (Eads Mill to Bluestone SP), Dry Fork of the Cheat(CR 26 to Hendricks), Gauley River (Curtin Bridge to Persinger Creek), Meadow River (East Rainelle to Russellville), New River (Glen Lyn, VA to Bull Falls, WV), North Branch of the Potomac (Styer to Shalamar), North Branch of the Potomac (Barnum to Bloomington), North Fork of the South Branch of the Potomac (Judy Gap to Seneca Rocks), North Fork of the South Branch of the Potomac (Seneca to Hopeville), North Fork of the South Branch of the Potomac (Hopeville Canyon), Shavers Fork (Stuart Rec. Be sure to watch in HD. In West Virginia, Big Bend Campground lies along the South Branch of the Potomac River at Smoke Hole Canyon. Adjacent to this northwest limb is a highly folded and faulted zone that is representative of the designated Blue Rock synclinal "shear zone" complex of macroscale structures between the Cave Mountain and the Wills Mountain anticlines. maybe 2)and made it out with *just* enough water. I made the whole trip without getting out to drag even once. You will have to carry all your camping gear, etc., in your boat. (In those days, available game included bison, elk and puma.) In the latter year, their encampment was washed away in a river flood. , Footage From 1972! Had not many problems with shoals but there is a LOT of flatwater on the stretch between Blue Rock and Petersburg that made us wish we had a canoe to paddle instead. Don't forget there is a take out right in Petersburg soon as you cross under the bridge on the left, which is 3 miles up river of Eagles nest and Welton Park. If you are planning a trip to Smoke Hole Canyon, be sure to consider some of the following: Are dogs allowed? The area is rather isolated and remote with parts accessible only by boat or on foot. Charitable Solicitation Disclosures (NB: Both Grant County Route 28/11 and Pendleton County Route 2 are indicated on maps as "Smoke Hole Road". Overall, camping in Smoke Hole Canyon is a great way to experience the beauty of West Virginias wilderness. Then, switch to whitewater mode and paddle down to the whitewater of the Petawawa river. After another half mile, the South Branch collects the North Fork South Branch just below Cabins. Youve already signed up with this email address. Good luck! [31], A number of small shelter caves in the Canyon are developed in the Oriskany Sandstone. (304) 636-1800, Cheat-Potomac District The_Steve_from_NY. [19], High quality moonshine, however, was a booming cottage industry for Smoke Holers in the 1920s and early '30s. Union-supporting Home Guards known locally as "Swamp Dragons" destroyed the works. It was wonderful! 25198 Hwy 60, Madawaska, ON; 613-637-5508 . This area was the center of the "town of Smoke Hole" proper, site of an official post office for a time. Kayaking and whitewater canoeing provide the best ways to see the canyon, particularly the lower section where there are no roads nor trails. WVU is an EEO/Affirmative Action employer Minority/Female/Disability/Veteran. Obviously anything higher than 250 youd be fine longer. Privacy Statement 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. Campsite List In addition to shuttle service for groups big and small, we also provide canoe and kayak drop-off with pick up . Unchecked, the plant can spread in a manner almost impossible to abate. The summits also support virgin red pine and spruce forests, dramatic tundra-like communities of boreal plants, and a wonderful wealth of rare Appalachian and boreal species. Just thought I'd follow up after looking at my notes and realizing I had mis-stated some things. it was a lot of fun but next time I would really like to take the raft for ease of packing along gear and getting to fish more efficiently. 'No, I reckon not,' is the reply, 'but hit'll hold nigh onto a bushel.'[22]. But he said he jumped at the chance because, besides offering him a new adventure, it gives him a chance to further his environmental work in the Arctic region. Kids who enjoy outdoor activities like hiking, fishing, and camping may also find Smoke Hole Canyon to be an exciting destination. Some old timers call the canyon "Smoke Holes" and claim Native Americans used the caves for smoking meat. Trips Alerts Sign in. A species of Asian beetle known to survive entirely by eating the adelgid is being considered for the Canyon, while a solution to the stiltgrass problem remains as yet unidentified. The remote, rugged landscape provides a unique recreation experience, whether you are fishing, hunting, hiking, canoeing or camping. Some old timers used to refer to the area as the "Smoke Holes". Petersburg ; Hotels ; Things to do ; Restaurants ; Flights ; . In the 1990s, limestone quarrying destroyed the regions highest quality cedar glade and another quarry currently may threaten the regions most significant cave. Particularly noticeable are the numerous plunging anticlinal noses at the northeastern end of the Smoke Holes. The larger and more significant limestone solutional caves, however, are mostly developed in limestones of the Helderberg Group (Lower Devonian), especially Corriganville Limestone and New Creek Limestone. Our hope is that the next generations get to experience such a place. [38] Lemley travels no fewer than eight times into the Canyon in search of the swag, estimated to be worth about $10 million. One winter gathering of over 100,000 bats of several species constitutes the regions largest concentration of wild mammals. Summer brings jack-in-the-pulpit, trilliums, anemones, wild geraniums, wild roses, lady slipper, wild columbine, rhododendron, black-eyed susans, field lilies, and ox-eyed daisies. Bartow: (304) 456-3335, Marlinton-White Sulphur District [2] Before the river exits the gap it passes through a narrow channel with ferocious rapids locally known as the "Rock Break".

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