Piney, South Fork, Virginia, US |
|
| Usual Difficulty | V (for normal flows) |
|---|---|
| Avg. Gradient | 350 fpm |
| Max Gradient | 480 fpm |
| Name | Range | Difficulty | Updated | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PINEY RIVER AT PINEY RIVER, VA | ||||
| usgs-02027500 | 600 - 5000 cfs | V | 01h19m | 69 cfs (rc= -0.1 ) |
Breaking News!: There is a new painted gauge on the downstream river-left bridge abutment on the bridge at the intersection of Dickie Rd. and Perkins Mill Rd. - the usual takeout for the class III-IV Upper Piney ("Big Piney") section. Boaters heading to the South Fork Piney from the east will cross this bridge before they hit the gravel road that runs up the South Fork. Please check this gauge when you make your run on the South Fork and post a comment here to help us all figure out how the levels correspond for the South Fork. !Gracias!
"Ain't no cold like the Big Piney River. Hottest day of summer it'll still make
you shiver."
- from Nelson County local tunesmith Byron Massie's, "Cannonball" (from the
album, "I Still Think Of You")
The South Fork Piney is a very tight, technical creek flowing between Brush Mountain and The
Cardinal. The first two miles drop at 400 fpm. One boater likened the South Piney to a
combination of the North Fork Tye
and the South Fork Tye, which are
both just a ridge away in Nelson County, VA. There will likely be a fallen tree or two in the
stream so be heads up for wood. The run is mostly roadside so choose your own trip length.
Takeout no farther downstream than the dirt parking area at the National Forest sign. From
the take-out, drive about 3.5 miles upstream to the first bridge over the South Piney. There is a
dirt parking circle just across the bridge on the left. The first mile of the run contains a
series of super-fun slides in an area that the local fishermen call, "The Cascades."
After the Cascades, things stay technical for a half-mile or so before, "Switchblade."
The tree is now gone from Switchblade. After that it is all technical class IV to V- through a
wooded gorge. Enjoy "No Fishing Falls," an easy near-vertical 12 foot drop, two tight,
identical twin off-angle slots, and "Shotgun" - the last notable rapid before the
take-out. There are several easy slides and seemingly-unending boulder gardens. Please be
low-profile and respectful of the local residents in this area - especially during trout-fishing
season.
Take-out at the National Forest boundary sign and do not continue downstream unless you are
going ALL the way down to Woodson. Your actions affect everyone's access to this fun little
technical run.
Thanks, Gordon
There is a new painted gauge on the downstream river-left bridge abutment on the bridge at the intersection of Dickie Rd. and Perkins Mill Rd. - the usual takeout for the class III-IV Upper Piney ("Big Piney") section. Boaters heading to the South Fork Piney from the east will cross this bridge before they hit the gravel road that runs up the South Fork. Please check this gauge when you make your run on the South Fork and post a comment here to help us all figure out how the levels correspond for the South Fork. !Gracias!
There is a USGS streamgauge on the Piney River at the town of Piney River, 5 miles below the South Piney take-out. Look for 300 cfs on a rising gauge, or 400+ on a falling gauge. Please "Add A Comment" at the bottom of this page and let us know what date and level you made a run.
| Name | Range | Difficulty | Updated | Level | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PINEY RIVER AT PINEY RIVER, VA | ||||||||||||
| usgs-02027500 | 600 - 5000 cfs | V | 01h19m | 69 cfs (rc= -0.1 ) | ||||||||
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No rapids entered. If you know names, and locations of the rapids please contact and advise the StreamTeam member for this run. 
reach
state
reachlink
First bridge to National Forest boundary., Piney, South Fork Virginia, US (mobile)
User Comments
<br>
I went up to check out the South Fork of the Piney this morning. It was my first time on the South
Fork, the gauge was reading about 500 cfs. There seemed to be plenty of water, but at the moment
there is a lot of wood throughout the run. We scoped out some clean looking sections and ended up
running the Cascades section multiple times. We had a blast and plan on going back to clean out
some wood, so we can run the South Fork uninteruppted.
of 375 cfs. Both creeks had a thin flow but were definitely doable and worth the drive. By the time
we puton the S Fork of the Piney at 2:00, the gauge was approximately 340 cfs. There were a ton of
trees in both creeks and especially the South Fork. We portaged a few of the drops because of trees
but most of the major drops were passable.<br>
<br>
Bobby