Was with a large group and some of the canoes portaged or had trouble on both Landslide and Royal Glen dam rapids. , Footage From 1972! (NB: Both Grant County Route 28/11 and Pendleton County Route 2 are indicated on maps as "Smoke Hole Road". 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 staff and guides aren't overly welcoming, but it shouldn't keep you from visiting the caverns. 1 reply. Take time to enjoy it. One thing I plan on doing different next time in a canoe,if lowwater is present, will be to use (X-Large)portage styledry bags. Do you know the mile markers for those two obstacles? 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. Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings. Please enter a valid email address (formatted as name@company.com). [35], Herbs and wild flowers United States government. 'No, I reckon not,' is the reply, 'but hit'll hold nigh onto a bushel.'[22]. Help the community if you have information to share! See Alerts and Notices Section for more information. Many stories centered on the production of the illicit homemade liquor known as "moonshine". 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. Enter a search term like, Seneca Rocks, or Coopers Rock State Forest., Adventure WV I have always wanted to canoe it, good whitewater when the river is up. Passing on down the river, one encounters Fishing Rock and Fishing Rock Ford and finally comes, at 3.8 miles from the entrance, to an intersection near Shreve's Store, the Smoke Hole Campground and the old Palestine Church ("Old Log Church"). ), From the Shreve's Store intersection, CR 2 continues north another two miles along the river (past Old Mines Cave Rocks, mile 4.1 and Old Mines Cave, mile 5.8) to the abandoned town of Ketterman (mile 6.3) also site of an erstwhile post office and then a final mile to Big Bend Campground (mile 7.3) where the motorable roadway ends. Take a camera. A notable Tonoloway Limestone "fin" is "Blue Rock" in the lower gorge. The takeout is in Petersburg, WV. If walking up an drains on the left to smoke hole road be careful of rattlers. Midwest prairies nestled within the Smoke Hole canyon. 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". 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. 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. After another half mile, the South Branch collects the North Fork South Branch just below Cabins. Fruit of common pawpaw (Asimina triloba) in the lower Canyon. [18] One result of this was that the Smoke Holers, previously staunch Democrats (along with most antebellum Virginians), became inveterate Republicans afterward. The only gauge on the South Branch of the Potomac River above Smoke Hole Canyon is at Franklin, WV, which is about 19 . Please enter a valid email address (formatted as name@company.com). The understory of the Canyon woodland includes such low-lying, fruit-bearing vegetation as huckleberry, blackberry, raspberry, teaberry, and wild grape. Lantz, Abraham Kile, and Isaac Ault. [35] The earliest spring annuals to emerge in the Canyon are bloodroot, followed by the yellow dog-toothed violet. Follow this road for 5-10 miles along the river to many put-in alternatives. This is an overnight trip on the Smoke Hole Canyon section of the South Branch of the Potomac River. [14], A still extant log church Palestine Church was built as a Methodist Episcopal meeting house around 1850.[15]. 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 network of mountain roads formerly connecting homesteads and farms throughout the Canyon is now largely abandoned. Its not a difficult float. Mobile Terms & Conditions This cave (not to be confused with the commercially developed Smoke Hole Caverns, just outside the Canyon, or with Smoke Hole Cave in the Canyon itself) is now better known as Cave Mountain Cave. [35], The prairie-like regions and associated cedar glades around the Smoke Hole Canyon are the largest groupings of such habitats in the Central Appalachians, and a number of unusual disjunct or regionally endemic plant species are known from the Smoke Hole. Easily create a Forum Website with Website Toolbox. He built a cabin near the (still standing) Palestine Church and his daughter Katie married another pioneer, George Full the first wedding celebrated in the Canyon. The canyon offers a variety of campsites, from primitive to full hook-up, and there are plenty of activities to keep you busy, such as hiking, fishing, and kayaking. 200 Sycamore Street Smoke Lake to Ragged Lake. | Is there a problem with information on this location? Smaller game animals include red and grey foxes, raccoons, opossums, beavers, mink, wild turkey, cottontails, squirrels, and quail. Piped water and flush toilet are available April through October. You can take a short walk on the one-third mile trail that runs along the turn in the river that gives the campground its name. Descriptions of conditions prevailing in the Smoke Hole during the early 20th century were highlighted by wild tales of inaccessibility and the outmoded pioneer lifestyles of the inhabitants. The first Smoke Hole settlers followed quickly on the heels of the first in the South Branch valley, which arrived in the late 1740s. The caverns are very pretty, you gotta see them for yourself. Peculiarly free from modern slang, their vocabulary includes such a familiar term as 'budget' to signify a bag, wallet, or bundle. The driver of the shuttle was actually a member of this forum (Stickbow maybe??). 21 miles. Some old timers used to refer to the area as the "Smoke Holes". Maple sugar, maple syrup and wild honey were all available with a minimum of effort. [6] Another young Steele daughter, Susie, out alone searching for a family cow, fell victim to a wandering band of Native Americans. Canoes in our group flipped both places. Was generally not impressed with the fishing but the scenery is stunning. The excess fabric at the top of the structure is the smoke hole and smoke flaps. Large images may take a few minutes to appear. Turn left onto the Smoke Hole Road, County Route 2. Petersburg ; Hotels ; Things to do ; Restaurants ; Flights ; . Help the community if you have a paddling trip to share! The whole setting is timelessness itself, an impression heightened by the fact that these geological features have been here for millions of years. The area is known for its unique rock formations, including towering cliffs and natural arches. Another dozen or so smaller caves have also been documented. 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. Group camping is also available at the Jess Judy Camping Area along the river. The South Branch in Smoke Hole is home to rainbow trout, black and rock bass and other sunfish as well as eels. This is a lightbox gallery. The Smoke Holer is most precise: 'Is that a bushel basket?' Smaller mammals include woodchucks, weasels, chipmunks, muskrat and field mice. 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. General regulations apply June 1 through February 28. Overall, camping in Smoke Hole Canyon is a great way to experience the beauty of West Virginias wilderness. The weather service measured about 0.5 inches at Franklin, WV from Saturday morning to Sunday morning. I have heard it from a lot of guys that 250 cfs on the Franklin gauge is the lowest level you want to put on at Big Bend. a couple class II + (Landslide Rapid upstream of Blue Rock and an old dam soon after joining the North Fork. Her father found her scalped, she died soon after, and he buried her nearby on a small promontory still known as "Susie Hill". The area is rather isolated and remote with parts accessible only by boat or on foot. This trip is made up of two 7 day trips, the first featuring the big lakes and wildlife between Kawawaymog and Cedar lake. Resources from 18 other states provided personnel and equipment. One winter gathering of over 100,000 bats of several species constitutes the regions largest concentration of wild mammals. Sep 2020. 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. Water should be fine until after Memorial Day. "This is something quite different," he said. Coastal plain pine barrens atop Panther Knob. The first seven miles of the run are beside Smoke Hole Rd, so short trips are possible. It provides good practice of eddy hopping and boat scouting. 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.) Smoke Hole is situated in southern Grant and northern Pendleton Counties. It was made for local consumption as well as distributed (on the black market) for hundreds of miles around. [38] Lemley travels no fewer than eight times into the Canyon in search of the swag, estimated to be worth about $10 million. Spring beauties, bluets and dandelions are not far behind. |. [12] But it has also been suggested that a misty fog often lies along the river and ascends, thus evoking a "smoky hole", and that this is possibly the origin. 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. Definitely be careful at both areas mentioned, as dangerous at it gets for the South Branch floating. National Archives and Records Administration. Search our site to find more information about your next trip. (In those days, available game included bison, elk and puma.) Share sensitive information only 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. Youve already signed up with this email address. I am getting ready to take a overnight from Big Bend down to Petersburg and I'm trying to decide canoe or 12' raft with oar frame. website belongs to an official government organization in the So, we opted to at least start with a day-trip on the section from the low-water bridge to the take out at Big Bend Campground, which is the end of the road into the canyon. WVU is an EEO/Affirmative Action employer Minority/Female/Disability/Veteran. About 1.3 million visitors come to the Monongahela National Forest each year, and it's no surprise why. The roads into the area are narrow and winding: take your time and enjoy the scenery. LockA locked padlock Smoke Hole Canyon. 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). Then the plains themselves were violently uplifted and broken. Its caves are therefore protected during critical months. We didn't have to get out any but did scrape on one little riffle not too far after Bluerock where we camped. Many caves are located on private land.
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