Gwynns Falls, Maryland, US
|
|
Villa Nova to Woodlawn
| Usual Difficulty |
II (for normal flows) |
| Length |
2.5 Miles |
| Avg. Gradient |
22 fpm |
| Max Gradient |
55 fpm |
Gauge Information
River Description
Lat/longitude coords are approximate, from TopoZone.
This short, pleasant trip straddles the beginning of the fall line. The put in is a little north of
Liberty Road (Md. 26), half a mile above the USGS Villa Nova gauge at Essex Road (which is not
quite as convenient a put in). The initial mile has good current but is pretty flat, with the first
serious riffle coming as you approach Liberty Road (which is too heavily trafficked to be an ideal
put in). After a little more flat water comes a series of five long class II- and class II rock
gardens, spread out over about three-fourths of a mile, with the final one as you approach the
bridge in Woodlawn Cemetery, where you meet the backwater from the first weir. Take out in about
200 yards, after paddling between tombstones and then exiting the cemetery; you might park in the
St. Phillips Baptist Church lot, off Woodlawn Drive. The alternative is to portage or run the first
(3-foot) weir and paddle a further half mile of backwater to the larger (8-foot) weir, which you
must portage. From there, a half mile of class I water brings you to the start of Section 2.
StreamTeam Status: Not Verified
Last Updated: 2005-05-11 21:17:23
Editors
No photos found. 
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User Comments
at Dickeysville. Above there the whitewater is no more difficult than class III and features three
portages around dams (including the one in Dickeysville). Below there the river changes character
and is more difficult and only has one "low pipe portage". Edit
which forms a Class 6-7 hole at high water. Portage! Also, at higher water, the section through
Woodlawn Cemetery (above the bridge) is nice Class 3, but there is a powerful, serious hole
directly underneath the bridge, where it's impossible to see if you're scouting from atop the
bridge. Run right, but scout first.