Whitewater:

South Branch of the Potomac(Smoke Hole Picnic Area to Petersburg)

Description:

This is a classic float/fishing trip in a long beautiful canyon that features massive rock formations and great camping spots. This is truly one of the most beautiful areas in West Virginia.  The first seven miles of the run are beside Smoke Hole Rd, so short trips are possible.  From the picnic area bridge to Petersburg is 21 miles, while the trip from Big Bend Campground to Petersburg is 15 miles. The rapids are consistent class I-II with a couple class II + (Landslide Rapid upstream of Blue Rock and an old dam soon after joining the North Fork. Keep an eye out for eagles here. 21 miles.  Class I-II+

Stories:

Into the Smokehole (Highland Outdoors)

Directions:

Smoke Hole Canyon is located in eastern WV, near Petersburg.  The take-out is at a public river access site in Petersburg on the north side of the 220 bridge. To get to the put-in’s, take 220 south for about 16 miles to Smoke Hole Rd (cr 2). Follow this road for 5-10 miles along the river to many put-in alternatives. Put-in at the picnic area bridge (Google Directions below), along Smoke Hole Rd. or at Big Bend Camprground 38.891481, -79.241346

Activities:

 Camping (Big Bend), Camping (Jess Judy), Fishing, Whitewater

Web resources:

https://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/River/detail/id/3329/

Resources:

Book ” A Canoeing and Kayaking Guide to West Virginia”

This is a lightbox gallery. Use the arrow keys to navigate between images and hit escape to close the gallery.

Loading map.

Share your experience

The details of this page are driven by our community. Have something to add? Questions? Photos? Post here so everyone can benefit.