Another historical kayaking gem of the Potomac River, Mallows Bay is home to more than 200 partially submerged wooden ships, which were built during World War I to carry goods accross the Atlantic.

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Beta

Mallow’s Bay lies on the eastern shore of the Potomac River in Nanjemoy, MD.

(GPS coordinates: 38.469131,-77.26329)

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Considering the time of year, the conditions were quite good.

The air temp was in the 60′s; the water temp in the 50′s; winds were blowing from the south 10 mph.

The Potomac River in these parts can be formidable.  It is up to several miles wide and subject to the tides of the Chesapeake Bay.

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To get an idea of just how many ships there are in Mallows Bay, check out this google earth image.

Look carefully and you can see the outlines of the boats on the left hand side of the picture.

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The Trip

We kayaked around the ships of the Bay for about and hour, and then headed south about 3 miles to the next body of water, which is Wades Bay.

We found a beach, had lunch, and then headed back. The total trip was about 4 hours.

A kayak launch constructed in 2010 provided fun access (see below)!

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As soon we launched, we stumbled upon the remains of the first ghost ship.

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We continued kayaking into the Bay and were quickly surrounded by more ships.

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The ships have been here so long that many of them have developed their own ecology, with trees and shrubs growing right on their decks.

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One of the unexpected treats of the trip was the variety of birds we saw, including herons, comorants, and bald eagles, one of which is pictured here.

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We continued to the south part of the Bay, where there appeared a much more modern vessel.

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Then we headed south to Wades Bay.

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And found a beach to have lunch on.

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The sand and shells on the beach made for good exploration.

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After a bite to eat, we headed back to Mallows Bay.  This time, with the winds on our backs.  What a great trip!

Click here for the complete slideshow.

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SYOTR!

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 © 2011 Potomac Kayaking Company

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*Note, trip reports are for informational purposes only, and the  information contained therein should not be construed as recommendations or facts.  Paddlers must take responsibility for their own safety and plan  accordingly.*

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Overview

The Potomac River journies southeast toward the Chesapeake Bay along the Maryland-Virginia border.  At Little Falls, the Potomac leaves Maryland and enters Washington, D.C.  Below Little Falls, the Potomac is tidal.

When locals say they’re “going to run Little Falls,” they’re usually referring to stretch of the Potomac that begins adjacent to C & O Canal Lock 6 and runs south for a little more than a mile.

The run is short but scenic, and has some nice wave trains and surfing waves.  Little Falls is the final rapid in this run and is considered a class III/IV, depending on the conditions and the line you take.

Logistics

At 9:30 am, we set the take-out shuttle at Fletcher’s, then drove north about two miles to Lock 6, the usual put-in.  With no parking at Lock 6, we parked at Lock 5.

Gauge

The Little Falls gauge read 2.8 feet with 1850 cfs.  High tide was scheduled for 10:07 am.

The Run

Because we started the day at Lock 5, we used the feeder canal to make our way back towards Lock 6.  The feeder Canal runs between the C & O Canal and the River.

After paddling for about 15 minutes, we came upon the whitewater slalom training gates.

Veering left (west) toward the river, the Little Falls run is about to begin.

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The first rapid is Z channel, a class II+ that starts out pretty unassuming and ends with a little punch.  Below is a picture of the entrance.  Because the channel is narrow and can pick up strainers, many scout this run from river left.

Predictably, Z channel starts from river left to river right, then back to river left.

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Coming through the last turn, the water splits into two around a big rock, pictured below.  The right side of the rock (pictured left) is usually easier.  We ran straight through the left side and through the hole (pictured right).

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After going through Z channel, we reached the River, which was wide open.  We ferried across the river to the Virginia side to start the main run.

The next 3/4 mile was all about wave trains!

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In addition to being gorgeous, this part of the river offered some nice surfing!

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Before we knew it, we were approaching Little Falls and pulled up to the big eddie on river right, the Virginia side.

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(Note, the run can be scouted from the Maryland side too.  If you don’t like what you see, you can always portage!)  A short climb up the rocks, and voila: Little Falls!

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Options, options. There are many, but I’ll just talk about the two we did today.  The Maryland side (river left) is usually considered a class III. The person pictured above on the left side is running it.

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The Virgina side is more technical and usually considered a class III/IV.  The person pictured above is running it, diagonally from river left to river right.  One of the most challenging parts of the Virginia side is not seen in the picture above as there’s a boulder blocking the view.  However, you can see what lies ahead from a nice eddie found on river left towards the beginning of the run.

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Above is the view from the eddie on river left.  The small rock in the center of the whitewater is cleaver rock, which is to be avoided.  To the left of cleaver rock is a pretty mean hole (highly affected by the tide).  I ran the line to the right of cleaver rock.  This was easier said than done, of course, as the river is fast moving and pushing in the other direction.

We ran both of the lines above and made it through in one piece.  What a rush!

Here’s a view of Little Falls looking back, Virginia on left and Maryland on the right.

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After that, it was smooth sailing back to the take-out, where we arrived just in time for lunch.

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SYOTR!

*Note, trip reports are for informational purposes only, and the information contained therein should not be construed as recommendations or facts. Paddlers must take responsibility for their own safety and plan accordingly.*

Copyright 2010 Potomac Kayaking Company

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Ironically, the Gunpowder Falls river, which has been too low to run for months, is now in play this week because of the Prettyboy Reservoir dam release.  With 3 feet on the gauge, turns out this little creek is a lot of fun!

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Overview

The Prettyboy Dam to Falls Rd run of the Gunpowder Falls river is a 2 mile, class II/III about a half hour north of Baltimore, MD.  The scenery in this narrow creek is gorgeous and the water cold and clean.  Since the run is so short, I usually run it once; eat lunch; and then run it a second time.  (There are ways to extend the run beyond 2 miles, but the main rapids are found in this short stretch that is just south of the dam.)

Logistics

The put-in is off Falls Rd, just below Prettyboy Dam. There’s parking for a half-dozen cars or so.

(GPS: 39.613541,-76.696292)

The carry down to the river is along a marked hiking trail through the forest, about a 1/2 mile.

The take-out is where Falls Rd crosses the river northeast of the put-in.

(GPS: 39.619064,-76.690515)

Since the put-in and take-out are only a 1/2 mile apart, no shuttle is needed.

Gauge

The run is considered a class II/III, depending on the water level.  Check out the Parkton Gauge.  2 feet is considered the minimum.  I look to run the river after a good rain or during a dam release.

Today’s gauge read 3 feet and 340 cfs, caused solely by the dam release. At this level, the run took on some class III characteristics.  Having now run this river at 2 and at 3 feet on the gauge, I can tell you that a foot of water makes a big difference on this narrow stretch of river.

Hazards

One thing I like most about this run is the hiking trail that follows the entire length of the run on river right.  This makes it possible to scout, set safety, and portage, if needed.

The river is narrow and there’s a tree canopy, so be on the lookout for strainers.  Cold water and cold air temperature, a result of the dam released water and shade from the tree canopy, respectively, can also be a concern.  It’s still summer and I was glad to have on a dry top.

The Run

I took pictures along today’s run, including all of the major rapids and offer them to give folks a sense of the river (click on any picture to enlarge it).

The rapids are labeled simply in the order by which they appeared.  I know local paddlers have names for some of these rapids, and I’d encourage them to comment below and let me know what they’re called — I’m happy to update.

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The beginning: gently moving water to warm up by doing some ferries.  Around the river bend brings some boogie water, then a horizon line indicates rapids are approaching.

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1st rapid.

See below.  I ran the tongue straight down center left.

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There’s a little time to catch your breath after the 1st rapid by catching an eddie on river right.

The 2nd rapid (below) comes as a set of two chutes.  Some of the water from the second chute creates a pillow against the a boulder on river left (the right side of the picture below), so the trick is avoiding the rock.  After this rapid, I caught the eddie on river right and paused for a drink of water.

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The 3rd rapid (below) is hard to see from 2nd rapid.  I ran the line starting from river left and tried to avoid the rock in the middle.  Other lines looked doable.

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I really enjoyed the 4th rapid (below).  Could be because I could actually make out some of the lines from the water before it began!  The first time I ran far river left as far as the green water would go.  The second time was more fun, running far right then turning with the flow towards the center and past the rock (pictured on the left side of the picture below).

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At this level, what I’m calling as the 5th rapid is really just some boogie water with a rock on river right.  So easiest way through was on river left.

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Rapid 6 has two parts: a nice wave that I coasted straight through, followed by a pretty nice hydraulic.

On the second feature, I went down river left and then eddied up (see below).

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Rapid 7 was just a fun little wave train on river right.

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The last rapid (8) starts on river left and then cuts to the right like a water slide..

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After about five minutes I saw the bridge at Falls Rd.

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There’s a good take out before and after the bridge on river right.  It also makes for a nice lunch spot.

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SYOTR!.

Copyright 2010 Potomac Kayaking Co.

www.PotomacKayaking.com

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Today I explored the very north tip of a local paddling resource, the Rocky Gorge Watershed. This section of the watershed is a nice resource, especially if you’re local to this area, which is roughly located between Silver Spring and Columbia, MD.

Rocky gorge is the little sister of big sister Triadelphia Watershed.  Both were created by dams built in the 1950′s along this section of the Patuxent River.  These watersheds, or reservoirs, serve as a drinking water source for more than a half a million people.  The area is managed by the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission.  Various types of recreational activities are permitted, including hiking, picnicing, fishing, boating, and horseback riding.

I paddled a narrow section of the gorge that starts at Brown’s Bridge and runs north about 3 miles (6 miles round-trip).  With a slow pace, a few short portages, and a brief stop for lunch, the trip took about 3 hours.

Logistics

A $5 daily permit (or $60 season pass) is required to paddle in the Triadelphia or Rocky Gorge Watersheds.  I stopped at the Brighton Dam Information Center (2 Brighton Dam Road, Brookeville, Maryland 20833) to buy one and got a free map of the area.  Brighton Dam is on the south end of Triadelphia Reservoir.  Below is the view of the Triadelphia Watershed from the Dam.

The GPS coordinates of the put in are 39.145425,-76.963291.  It took me about 10 minutes to drive there from the permit office.

Directions: come out of the information center parking lot and hang a right, heading northeast on Brighton Dam Rd.  Turn right at Highland Rd (MD-216 E/Scaggsville Rd).  Turn right at Browns Bridge Rd and continue for about 2 1/2 miles.  Brown’s Bridge Rd leads to (you guessed it) Brown’s Bridge, where you’ll cross over a narrow section of Rocky gorge. As soon as you cross the bridge, make a left into the parking lot.  Here is a picture of the put in.

Once I got into the water, I made a left and paddled under the bridge, heading northwest.

The water of this section was flat and the current, which was flowing southward, was minimal.

The distance between Brown’s Bridge and the next Bridge, Snell’s Bridge is about 2 miles.

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Considering how close I was to civilization, the first 1 1/2 miles was calm, quiet and remote.  The next 1/2 mile was nice, but I could hear the occasional car pass by because this section is closer to the road (Tucker Lane).

Between the two bridges, I ran into one canoe, said a quick hello and continued under and past Snell’s Bridge.

The next mile of the paddle, north of Snell’s Bridge was different that the first 2 miles.

For starters the Gorge gets very narrow here.

Then there’s the trees that block your way and that you have to portage around.

On top of that, there’s some moving water here (about class I), so you have to challenge the current to get through in some places.

All of those factors might lead you to believe that this section of the paddle isn’t worth doing; however, that was precisely not my view.

Relative to the first 2 miles, I found this stretch to be prettier, quieter (no sound of cars ) and more secluded.  The slightly moving water made the paddle more interesting (however, for someone who isn’t prepared to paddle in any moving water, this would not be the best place for you).

I paddled until basically I reached an obstacle that would have required a tough portage.

So I stopped and ate my lunch under a tree.

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Heading back, the slight current helped me get to the put-in back in a timely manner.

I was pleasantly surprised today by the wildlife I saw on this short trip:  fish jumping, turtles, hawks, herons, deer crossing a narrow section of the water, and beaver tracks.

And having a turtle welcome you back is always a plus.  Happy paddling.

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