Blackwater, West Virginia, US

Blackwater Falls to North Fork Confluence (Upper Blackwater)

My Nerves Are Shot

My Nerves Are Shot
Photo of Joe Stumpfel by Dave Woten taken 01/19/12 @ a good level

Gauge Information

River Description

Attention Blackwater River Paddlers

All Blackwater Paddlers:
The State Park is making it MANDATORY to sign in at the state park lodge. They will be writing tickets to all kayakers who do not sign in at the state park lodge.
Further considerations are that the community, Tucker County, is considering passing legislation so that any persons requiring the assistance of S&R response will be responsible for the cost of the effort. RESPONSIBLE FOR THE COST OF THE S&R EFFORT. The state park reported to me today that they would have to resort to "drastic actions," if faced with more fatal incidents in the future.

I repeat, it is MANDATORY for all groups kayaking the upper blackwater to sign in at the state park lodge, just beyond the put-in, on the same road.
The state park is not happy, and they are receiving pressure from local government, S&R, and other organizations to eliminate access to the canyon.

All paddlers utilizing the Upper Blackwater River in West Virginia should make sure to register with the Blackwater Falls State Park before each trip into the gorge. Currently boaters should register at the Lodge, however the Park has offered to place a self-registration facility at the typical put-in for the Upper B (at the Handicap overlook) in the near future. Please take the few minutes it takes to register so that the Park has a record of river users and can better respond to emergencies.
In addition, paddlers should alert the Park staff to any situations that they witness or take part in on the river that could cause concern among park staff or visitors. Examples include significant accidents, lost boats, injuries, and paddlers hiking out of the gorge. Recently, a pinned boat was abandoned so that it could be recovered during safer low-water conditions. The boat was dislodged and was reported to the Park by visitors who saw the upside down boat floating down the river far below. These reports triggered a needless rescue squad response. Please help prevent similar situations in the future.
Blackwater Falls State Park is very supportive of whitewater recreationists using the Blackwater River, and paddlers certainly appreciate it. Let's show our appreciation by meeting these very reasonable requests from the park.
If you have any questions, please call Blackwater Falls State Park @ 304-259-5216.

Gradient, mile-by-mile: 280, 200, and 80 in the last 0.4 mi.

Original description provided by Bobby Miller: updated by Geoff Calhoun 2012

The Upper Blackwater is one of the most challenging and dangerous runs in northern West Virginia. There are no huge drops but it is constant maneuvering over 2-8-foot ledges and around big boulders with ugly sieves. The rapids stay consistently difficult the whole way to the end so be prepared to bring your "A" Game when you venture into the canyon. This Description will not help you run the river safely. There are far too many rapids to name, or describe. The only safe way to run the river is with a competent team of experts who know the river.

After working your way down the steep trail to the putin, make sure you take a look at the first rapid, Phil's or 100 Yard Dash. You'll probably gaze upstream at some point to see a horrendous looking drop on the river right side called Puke. Here the river falls off an 8-10-foot ledge into a sieve. The sieve is not quite large to fit the whole flow of the river, so some water bubbles up and over the sieve rock (which creates an extra 3-foot drop). It has been run (including by the ZoneDogg) but it is not recommended. At higher flows (over 300 cfs), the river left side of this rapid goes through a very difficult but slightly less heinous drop than Puke called the Notch. It is runnable but, again, not recommended.

Back to Phil's, it begins with a sloping 6-foot ledge into a roostertail followed by some shallow stuff slamming into the right wall and pouring off a 3-foot ledge. Most people catch the 1st eddy on the right at the bottom of the first sloping ledge and ferry out in front of the wall. This works, except that it is difficult to peel out of the eddy due to a submerged rock. You could also head straight down the first ledge on the far right (just to the right of the roostertail), then drag your left blade once past the rooster to turn left away from the right wall. The hole at the bottom of the next ledge can get rather stiff as the water goes up. Either way, you don't want to go straight down the middle of the first drop and piton into the roostertail. If this dosen't look fun to you, put your boat on your shoulder and hike back up to the parking lot because this is one of the cleanest rapids on the run.

From here, Phil's continues over a juicy 4-foot ledge that is boofed on the left or right. the approach to this rapid changed in 2010. Then, it narrows and goes over a narrow drop that is best run left of center with right angle to avoid an undercut on the left. The next 50 yards are fast and technical with small ledges and moves leading into the Upper Blackwater Rodeo Hole. This hole is at the very bottom of the rapid and would probably be a great hole in a rodeo boat (it can get a creek boat vertical). It is kinda sticky and there are lots of tough drops still to come in the next 2.5 miles, so play with caution.

The river widens out below here and I run a small channel on extreme river left that contains some small drops. For the next quarter-half mile the run goes through delightful boulder patches that are all boat-scoutable.
Soon, you will reach Z Falls, which is recognized by a good horizon line and a triangle-shaped rock with a pillow on it in the middle of the river. Go to the left of the triangle rock and boof off a 6-8-foot ledge. After landing, I zig zag over some small drops with right angle and pillow off the left wall. There is a good boof on the left in the next part and a good boof left of center in the final drop of the rapid.

After a small pool, you want to stay to the right through some shallow stuff. At the bottom of this shallow stretch lies SIK Slot. It is on the right side of the river. You run between a boulder on the right and a fan rock a few feet to the left of the boulder. I drag my left blade as I go through the slot and over a 4-5-foot ledge to prevent my paddle from hitting the boulder. Very cool.

Immediately after SIK Slot, there is a really cool boof on the right. The rapids remain steep with lots of cool boofs and slots for the next 1/4 mile.

After a particularly fun rapid that requires dodging offset holes comes Goldilocks. This rapid resembles Pincushion on the Green Narrows. A 1-foot ledge leads into a junky drop. The move is to boof and turn your boat 90 degrees to the left, then immediately angle back to the right to avoid Chopper's undercut.

When you see a sizeable horizon line, you will know that you have reached Tomko Falls, which marks the start of the steepest and hardest stretch of the Upper B (Oh Yesh!).

Tomko is the steepest rapid on the Upper Blackwater and definitely one of the most fun. It is broken into two parts. The top part can be run a number of ways. The most common line is to boof off the top 8-foot ledge on the right and swing into an eddy on the right. You can also boof the left side of this drop and go through a slot on the extreme left but this tends to filter you towards an inconveniently placed boulder right above the second part.

From the eddy on the right, ferry out in front of the inconvenient boulder and into an eddy on the left. The second part of this rapid is another 8-foot boof located left of center. I head sideways with right angle towards the boof and, at the last second, take a wicked bitchslap of a boof stroke to get a SIK launch. As you fall, there will be spray flying up underneath you, hinting at the possibility of there being a rock that you will land on. I have never landed on any rock coming off this boof so I don't worry about the spray. A junky runout drop carries you into an eddy on the left. At higher levels there is also a Center line (the big splat line) that can be done with hard left angle to avoid catastrophe. There is also a narrow slot move on the far right.

After a twisty slope into a hole, you reach Shock to the System. Here, the river necks down and pours over a slope into a 4-5-foot ledge with a vicious hole at the bottom. At lower flows (below 250 cfs), you can go right down the middle and punch/jump the hole. As the run gets higher, you may pay a severe penalty if you attempt to punch the hole. At higher flows, the best idea is to start in the river right eddy and then angle hard across the drop to the left, boofing the left side of the hole. This is a very tricky move to do correctly but, if nailed, it will prevent a nasty surf in the hole, which you should not swim out of.

After a fast pool and a small sloping ledge, you reach Sticky Fingers, one of the most dangerous rapids on the run. Get out on the right and have a look. Most paddlers walk this rapid and with good reason. This was the location of the first fatality on the Upper B. The absolute worst thing you could do is to drop through the slot right next to the big triangle rock in the Center that used to be called "A Matter of Time". It spits you out above a huge sieve than can swallow a boat and paddler whole. If you decide to run the rapid, the best line is to ferry out to an eddy agains the left bank. From here, peel out and punch an irregular shaped hole, being sure not to get pushed too far right. You run off a small narrow drop in the center next to a large toilet bowl sieve. the far left is pretty junky too. This is a very scary rapid! An easy way to sneak at decent flow is to gorilla walk yourself through the far river right slot at the top of the rapid with a little bit of left angle, then drop your bow sharply to the right. You will land right next to the outflow of the seive. portage on the right.

The next rapid, Pinball, is a steep, trashy rock pile. Half of the flow goes far right and drops off into a sieve. You don't want to go here. The best way to run this rapid is to run far left and stay all the way left until the last chute that falls off to the right. Avoid any temptation to take any of the chutes that drop off to the right early (they are rather pinny). However some paddlers avoid the pinball slots by catching an eddy on river left and ferrying over to the right in front of a nasty looking pin rock. Done well - this is the cleanest line and it drops you in an eddy. Sound confusing? Scout it while you are portaging Sticky Fingers.  Immediately and with no break, there is another horizon line. This can be run down a double drop on the left or a 5 foot boof in the center.

Immediately after, the river pools up behind a pile of boulders. This is Angle Left or Piton, but other names have been suggested too.  Here, the river drops off a sloped 6-foot ledge into a stiff holenext to an overhanging boulder. At higher water (over 300), there is a sneak on the far right through a very narrow slot. Take this if you have any doubts, it sets you up for a safe approach to Flatliner. Or, you can portage both drops on the left.The Main line is start on river right, get in the main current, angle slightly left and take a strong late boof on the sloper. This should launch you out clear of the hole. If your too far left at the top you will scrape over a shelf lose your speed.  Too far right is really bad because a large boulder overhangs the hole.  If you blow it, you might get backendered or surfed. there are some funky boils in the run out. work your way over to the big eddy on river right.

The river winds to the right quickly through some small holes that lead to Flatliner Falls. Two paddlers have died here 18 months apart. This is a simple ledge that should be run in the center. Not on the left. Much of the water is channelized on the left, where it falls onto a shallow pin  rock under the ledge. there have been numerous close calls here and 2 fatalities, despite the fact that this is the most notorious pin spot on the river. Starting from the river right eddy is probably best. Stay in the center, on top of the thin current flowing over the smooth slab. go off the tip of the center of the convex shaped ledge. Most of the water is falling off to the left. Don't be on the left. There will be a square boulder on the bottom right next to where you should land.
Click here for a description and some photos, courtesy of JB Seay.

After some more fun boulder drops, Shay's Run enters on the left. the river widens out and you reach a stretch called No Man's Land. For the next 3/4 mile the river alternates between wide shallow stretches and more steep, challenging boulder drops. A lot of the boulder drops are very fun and complex . Pendleton Run comes in on the right, coming off the mountain in a beautiful cascade.

A  rapid of note in this section soon after Pendleton is the Hanging Gardens or 'U-turn'. there is a big pool on the left and a big cliff visible downstream on river right. the line is to go just right of a pillow at the top, then eddy out behind a large boulder and use it to ferry over to river right. Punch the hole to avoid the undercut on the right at the bottom.  At higher levels you can run straight down the right. The next rapid is the classic Mogul Field.  It starts off with a sweet 5-foot boof, then a series of offset pillows and shelves.

As you near the North Fork (you will be able to see the cut in the mountain where the North Fork comes in), you will come to a large congested boulder garden. This is "Maze" also called the Slots. Wood is often a problem here but the safe line is to enter through the hallway on river left, stay straight and scrape off a shallow drop and turn right. Picking the correct channel is crucial, as there are a lot of ugly spots here.  The river funnels down a little chute into another boulder garden. Blackwater Don Smith called this rapid Mumina Humida. The right side lands on a rockpile, but there are sweet boofs in the center and down the left. These drop you onto a long, shallow, but fun slide that used to have a big boulder sitting midstream that has rolled away. 

It is at this point that you confront My Nerves Are Shot And I Can't Take It Anymore! This is a long series of bedrock slides starting with the infamous rapid Turncoat. There is also a sneak on far river left for those who don't like having to make tough choices. If you stay in the main channel you should catch an eddy on river right. Turncoat appears as a horizon line broken up by boulders. the far far right tunnel slot has been run but it attracts wood. the Center-right line is dangerous because much of the water falls into a pothole seive left of center. The popular line- Bungee Jump is to ferry across to the far left and boof into a shallow pool then catch your breath for the rest of "Nerves."

The first slide of Nerves is simple and straightforward but this leads right into the second slide. This slide is steeper than the first with diagonals pushing to the left. much of the water falls off the left side of the shelf about halfway down. You don't want to drop off to the left too early because this will put you into a crease. You don't want to paddle straight off the end of the shelf because this will land you into a nasty hole against the right wall. Try to be aware of where you are in the rapid, find the 2nd and 3rd diagonal that drops off the far corner of the shelf and hit the sweet spot.

The third slide is a smooth slope into a hole. The right side of it slams into an undercut cliff on the right that is intimidating but mostly out of play unless you are swimming. Most people run down the center, riding the huge pillow coming off the cliff. Immediately head left and run off a sweet 5-6 boof that is drop #4 of Nerves. This drop can be run down a slope in the center too. The 5th part is a simple slide that can be run anywhere. At high water these ledges form huge holes, some can be snuck or portaged on the left.

After a big pool, you reach a junky drop.  Avoid the temptation to hit a boof at the top of this rapid on the right. There is a horrible sieve on the right side waiting below you if you blow it and some ugly rocks all around the boof rock. Run left of center down a jumble, or make an S-turn from center to left. Afterwards, there is one more noteworthy rapid before the take out. the right line is fairly simple and leads up to a junky 4 foot boof. The left line requires you to punch a hole and angle right to avoid a big sieve on the left bank. afterwards is another junky drop where there historically was a rapid called Tightness just before the confluence. Instead, you will see an ugly truck sized boulder perched midstream reminding you of the shifty nature of this riverbed

Yuck! well that concludes the Upper Blackwater. Eddy out right at the North Fork,  hike out and run the Upper again, or continue on down the Lower B to Hendricks.

Shuttle: Take Rte. 32 towards Davis. Turn at the Exxon station (there will be signs for Blackwater Falls State Park). Follow it back for a mile or so until you reach a "Y" in the road. Make a left at the "Y" and cross the Blackwater. Shortly after, there will be a parking lot on your right. Park here. You will be able to hear the roar of the river from here. Follow the trail down the side of the mountain until you reach the river. This is the putin. The takeout can be in Hendricks (the Lower B takeout) or at the confluence with the North Fork.

Levels: The gauge is very convenient for this run, being the Davis gauge just upstream of Blackwater Falls. Generally, the Upper Blackwater is run most between 250 cfs and 325 cfs. However, the Upper B is enjoyable on down below 200 cfs. I like to see 150 cfs or higher before I'll drive out (I have done it as low as 80 cfs, very scrapy). Between 150-250 cfs, the river is not pushy and is channelized enough that there is not a lot of scraping. This is a great level to see the run at for your first time. As the water progresses over 300 cfs, there is more padding but also a lot of power. Nasty holes begin to develop and the distance between rapids shrinks. Once it reaches 400, most paddlers will want to head elsewhere. My personal cutoff is at 500 cfs. Of course, there are guys that run it at higher levels than I do--and I wish them the best of luck.

Permit Information

sign in inside the front entrance of the Lodge up the road from the put in