Big Coal River, Marsh Fork, West Virginia, US |
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| Usual Difficulty | III-IV (for normal flows) |
|---|---|
| Length | 4.2 Miles |
| Avg. Gradient | 65 fpm |
| Max Gradient | 65 fpm |
| Name | Range | Difficulty | Updated | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BIG COAL RIVER AT ASHFORD, WV | ||||
| usgs-03198500 | 900 - 4000 cfs | III-IV | 00h40m | 525 cfs (rc= -0.6 ) |
Marsh Fork is considered the Mainstem of the Coal River. Very scenic section, class 2-3+ when low, more class 3-4 at higher water.
The Tornado gauge (AW #1444) may also be used. 11.0' Minimum to 14.0 Maximum. The minimum on the ashford ft guage is 4.05
| Name | Range | Difficulty | Updated | Level | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BIG COAL RIVER AT ASHFORD, WV | ||||||||||||||||||||
| usgs-03198500 | 900 - 4000 cfs | III-IV | 00h40m | 525 cfs (rc= -0.6 ) | ||||||||||||||||
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| When | River/Gauge | Subject | Level | Reporter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 272d14h27m | @Big Coal River, Marsh Fork 3: Dry Creek to Sundial (Pettry Bottom) [WV] |
Troy Fultz on the Marsh Fork
|
n/a | troy fultz |
| 272d14h45m | @Big Coal River, Marsh Fork 3: Dry Creek to Sundial (Pettry Bottom) [WV] |
Sheldon Eubanks
|
n/a | troy fultz |
| 277d11h22m | @Big Coal River, Marsh Fork 3: Dry Creek to Sundial (Pettry Bottom) [WV] |
Delbert Carter at the big drop
|
n/a | troy fultz |
No rapids entered. If you know names, and locations of the rapids please contact and advise the StreamTeam member for this run. reach
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3: Dry Creek to Sundial (Pettry Bottom), Big Coal River, Marsh Fork West Virginia, US (mobile)
User Comments
time and at 4.8 you can get 10 foot rafts down. Am looking forward to seeing 5-6 feet for the
rubber. Have some falls footage i will try to get up soon.
couldn't imagine running this any lower
definitley deserves the class IV rating but it is very forgiving class IV. Strong boaters will
never need toget out of their boats. One thing I liked was that there are numerous horizon lines
that hide rapids from view but once you are over them lines are straightforward. You get the rush
of running rapids semi-blind, but without the consequences. I bank scouted every drop on my first
trip down and this would be the safest thing to do because of the possibilty of wood but at lower
flows there would probably never be enough force behind the water so as to create a
life-threatening pin situation. I ran it at 11.3 and was scraping a bit, I would say 11.6 would be
easiest and that at higher flows there would definitley have to be more caution taken. One
interesting rapid to note is the one right below the Peachtree Rd bridge. All the water funnels
down into a bottleneck and forms a high-energy rooster tail. I got some serious air there. Great
fun! Im surprised this section does not see more boater traffic, as its like a VERY forgiving
Cranberry. Note: At the time I ran it this run was the hardest I had done, I have since ran the
NRG, LG, and UG. The guys I paddle with ran this section and it did not impress them much. I would
probably have to agree with them after the harder water that I have seen now, but I would still
have to recommend this run if you have never done it.