Donaldson Run, Virginia, US

Military Road to Potomac River

Pump House Falls

Pump House Falls
Photo of Donaldson Run by Erik Amason taken 04/02/05 @ Medium

Gauge Information

River Description

Extremely hard to catch. Very flashy. The run takes a super cell of rain in a short amount of time. It doesn't have to be a lot, just sustained hard rain for a decent amount of time - around 30 minutes. You must be very spontaneous and in the area to catch it.

Put-in is right after it goes under Military Road. This is all park land. There is one significant drop before it starts dropping under the George Washington Parkway. This is "Pump House Falls," which is just a 10-foot drop with a sticky hole at the bottom. The Gorge consists of three main drops, all of which are unnamed.

I (Erik Amason) believe I am the only person to have ever run this; please correct me if I am wrong. I have only run it twice, beginning with a run in 2003. The stream is very fast, has few eddies, and is very prone to wood jams and strainers. Scout all main drops. The rapids in the Gorge are constantly reconfigured due to log jams.