Cheat, West Virginia, US |
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| Usual Difficulty | III-IV (for normal flows) |
|---|---|
| Length | 9.5 Miles |
| Avg. Gradient | 25 fpm |
| Max Gradient | 40 fpm |
| Name | Range | Difficulty | Updated | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHEAT RIVER AT ALBRIGHT, WV | ||||
| usgs-03070260 | 11.00 - 15.00 ft | III-IV | 01h09m | 11.93 ft (rc= 0.3 ) |
Corresponds roughly to 1.0-2.25' at the Bridge. Gauge has been fixed |
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The Cheat is a local favorite, with 10 miles of wilderness paddling, impressive rock formations, and more than a handful of III-IV rapids with great play at many levels.
Every year, on the Friday of Cheat Fest (the first weekend in May), this river is host to the "Cheat River Mass-Occurrence," a truly legendary race. With a mass start of as many as 150 paddlers, this race begins with chaos and ends with a phenomenal party.
Put-in - 1 mi north of Albright. From Interstate 68, head South on Route 26. After about ten miles, take a sharp Right into Teter's Campground. Drive through Teter's campground to land owned by Friends of the Cheat. This is an AW paddlers' easement. Or you can put in at the bridge on Rte. 26 (where the paddlers' gauge is located) at Albright.
Take-out - Jenkinsburg Bridge, at the confluence of the Cheat and Big Sandy. Look for the turn-off to Hudson Road (WV 15), about 6 miles South of I-68; take it west for about 7 miles to Jenkinsburg. Another option if you don't want to torture your car's suspension is to call Glenn Miller (304-379-3404), whose shuttle service is reasonably priced and very convenient. Show up on time, and whatever you do, don't stand him up! Glenn is a famously nice guy, and he and his service deserve respect.
Charlie Walbridge adds:
Mountain Streams and Trails, the new owner of the Jenkinsburg Access, asks that private paddlers running the Cheat and Big Sandy use the Upper Parking Lot during Cheat Fest Weekend. The Lower Parking Lot should be kept clear for outfitter trucks and buses. Vehicles parked there make maneuvering these big rigs difficult or impossible. So please park where you're supposed to and give a big THANK YOU to any MS&T employees you see on--or off--the river.
Canyon Topo Map showing rapids
Take-out - On river right side just below Jenkinsburg bridge.
Lat/Longitude coords verified by GPS.
Paddlers generally go by the painted gauge on the bridge in Albright.
Cheat Albright PS Gauge
Albright Bridge = (Albright USGS) - 10.0'
Low 1.25' bridge, High 5' bridge
Power Bridge Gauge is now working again but has been moved to the SR26 bridge. Another gauge of interest is Parsons, but it's farther upstream, allow 18 hrs for Parsons flow to reach .A graph showing Albright Bridge Vs Rowlesburg Flow is linked here. However it looks like the USGS has shutdown this gauge.
| Name | Range | Difficulty | Updated | Level | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHEAT RIVER AT ALBRIGHT, WV | ||||||||||||||||||||
| usgs-03070260 | 11.00 - 15.00 ft | III-IV | 01h09m | 11.93 ft (rc= 0.3 ) | ||||||||||||||||
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Corresponds roughly to 1.0-2.25' at the Bridge. |
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Gauge has been fixed |
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| Mile | Rapid Name | Class | Features (Legend) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.8 | Decision | III |  |
| 1.5 | Beech Run | III | |
| 2.5 | Big Nasty | IV |   |
| 2.7 | Typewriter | ||
| 3.0 | Even Nastier | III+ | |
| 5.8 | Cue Ball | III | |
| 6.2 | Teardrop | III+ | |
| 6.5 | High Falls | IV | |
| 6.9 | Maze (Top) | ||
| 7.0 | Coliseum | IV+ | |
| 7.2 | Pete Morgan - Lower Coliseum | IV | |
| 8.0 | Boulder Line Rapid | ||
| 8.5 | Fossil Falls (Mouth of Connor Run) |
DecisionThis first rapid is a series of offset holes. If you have much trouble here, you can make the Decision to hike back upstream to the putin.
Coliseum
Pete Morgan Rapid (iCal)
The Jenkinsburg Project is a partnership between a private landowner, two river-oriented non-profits, a state environmental agency, five canoe and kayak clubs, and hundreds of donors from West Virginia and the surrounding states.
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2. (Canyon) Albright to Jenkinsburg Bridge, Cheat West Virginia, US (mobile)
User Comments
reasonably high-clearance vehicle.
would recommend this to everyone. But the shuttle is no joke. I wouldn't go down there again
without 4 wheel drive or expect to do serious damage to your suspension (oil pan too if your car is
small!). Some other paddlers had shuttle set up via 4 wheelers, they were smart. Does anyone have
an updated phone number to reach Glenn Miller for shuttle service? The number on the main page has
been disconnected.
Little Sandy. Check it out, and voice your opposition, please! Go to
http://www.dailymail.com/ap/ApTopStories/201106030350.
http://www.wboy.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=100986 Send letters to: Preston County Solid
Waste Authority c/o Mr. Fred Taylor 118 Lick Run Rd. Newburg, WV 26410 and also Preston County
Commission 106 W Main Street, Room 202 Kingwood, WV 26537
conversion required is to subtract 10' from its reading to get the painted bridge gauge reading. I
would appreciate if paddlers could verify this in the next few weeks. Also USGS has promised to
eventually add CFS data to the link.
(AW's Streamteam river editor) the link to the Parsons' Gauge has been corrected. Thanks John. Kurt
Good Morning, I apologize if my information is misleading, so please correct me if I am wrong about
this. Thank you. Kurt In the "Flow" tab is the following: "Another gauge of interest is Parsons,
but it's farther upstream, allow 18 hrs for Parsons flow to reach Albright." This link to Parsons
goes to the http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Gauge_detail_id_1327_ which shows as USGS
Station 03070260 which I believe is the Albright Gauge and not the Parsons Gauge. Here's the link
to Parsons Gauge on the USGS website: http://waterdata.usgs.gov/usa/nwis/uv?03069500
Louisville Viking Club, Hoosier Canoe Club, and local river guides trying to extract it. If it is
still there or if you find a yellow/orange Medium Burn on the Cheat or Cheat Lake please contact
Monica at 574-229-3145. The boat has been found and returned. Thank you to all of those involved in
the retrieval.
is wrong, don't use it, use the Parsons Gauge instead. By looking at the flow of the Parsons Gauge
you can estimate the Albright Bridge Level: Albright Bridge Level = 1.0 foot at ~ 1000 cfs Albright
Bridge Level = 3.0 feet at ~ 3100cfs Albright Bridge Level = 5.0 feet at ~ 6000 cfs Albright Bridge
Level = 8.0 feet at ~ 11000 cfs
delightful, with clean lines, no scraping and lots of play, even though it was slightly below
minimum according to this site. It was also quite runnable when I did it at 1.0 a few years ago.
Perhaps the minimum level should be adjusted downwards.