Western Maryland Boating

The question of what the boating scene is like in Western Maryland has come up a couple times recently. So I put together a brief description of the region and what there is to offer here. 

Enjoy!

Western Maryland is home to some the marquee whitewater runs in the Eastern United States. It includes the watersheds of the North Branch of the Potomac, the Youghiogheny River, and, with in an hour’s drive, the Cheat and Tygart watershed. According to regional tradition, Western Maryland begins just west of the City of Frederick, MD, and continues west along I-70 and then I-68 until the West Virginia state approximately 10 miles west of Friendsville.  This 150 mile journey takes one from around 300 feet above sea level all the way to the highest point of Maryland at over 3,000 feet of elevation.

The mountainous nature of the region mixed with river valleys provides paddling experiences from the moving flat water along parts of the Potomac and Monocacy Rivers to classic whitewater runs like the Upper Yough, Kitzmiller section of the North Branch of the Potomac, and the savage River. Some of the worlds best white water boaters cut their teeth on the rivers of the Western Maryland region. Given the close proximity of both the West Virginia Panhandle and South Western Pennsylvania there is some overlap in rivers that are included both in the Western Maryland Region and the rest of the surrounding area. Western Maryland is unique in that it is primarily a whitewater destination rather than a home to a large whitewater population like Ashville, NC or Fayetteville, WV. 

There is still a strong presence of boaters living in the region. To the east the Monocacy Canoe Club http://www.monocacycanoe.org out of Fredrick, MD is a strong club.  A smaller up similarly storied club is the Mason-Dixon Canoe club http://www.masondixoncanoeclub.org  centered around Hagerstown, and the recently formed Yough Paddling Club http://www.youghclub.com which is primarily paddlers living in Garrett and Allegany Counties and is loosely affiliated with the Adventuresports Center Internationale http://adventuresportscenter.com .

Each of the clubs offer opportunities to learn about boating, provide trips, and socializing opportunities for those who are boater as well as those who want to become boater. In addition to the region’s clubs there are a good number of boating schools and outfitters who offer classes and opportunities to participate in and learn about whitewater boating including rafting, canoeing, and kayaking. Included in this list is one of the Country’s two recalculating artificial whitewater courses, as well as some of the most stories paddling schools in the Mid Atlantic regions.

Some the many whitewater events that take place in the region include the Cheat River Festival, Ohiopyle Falls Day, Stonycreek Rendezvous, Upper Yough Race and Festival, along with several national, regional, and  level competitions each year. Region based boater are typically either students attending regional colleges, or are professionals who have chosen to employment that allows them to stay in the region to boat. There is a good bit of seasonal recreational employment with ski resorts hiring in the winter, and river-based employment opportunities in the spring and summer. In fact, the recreation industry is supported academically by Frostburg State University and Garrett College offer the national known Adventuresports degree programs which are home to many aspiring boaters. Needless to say there are many different ways to get engaged in the paddling community of Western Maryland.

List of all rivers in the area.

Potomac Watershed

N. Branch of the Potomac – Styer to Kittzmiller Class III-IV 
N. Branch of Potomac – Kittzmiller to James Randolph Lake – Class II-III 
N. Branch of the Potomac Barnum to Bloomington – Class I-II 
N. Branch – Bloomington to Keyser – Class II (WV) 
Difficult Run in N. Branch – Class IV 
Stony River in N. Branch – Class III – IV 
Abram’s Creek  - Class II-IV(Tributaries) 
Laurel Run – III-IV+ 
Lost Lands Run – III-IV 
Savage River – III-IV 
Upper Savage River – Class II-III 
Crabtree Creek –Class III IV 
George’s Creek – II-III 
Will’s Creek – III-IV 
Brush Creek - III 
Jennings Run – II-III 
Evitt’s Creek – I-III 
Fifteen Mile Creek – I-II 
Flintstone Creek – I-II 
Sidling Hill Creek – I-II 
Town Creek –I-II 
Antietam Creek – I-II 
Monocacy River – I-II 
 
Youghiogheny Watershed in MD

Tipy-Top Yough  - I-IV 
Top Yough –III-IV 
Upper Yough –IV-V- 
Deep CreeK – V 
Rock Creek – III-IV 
Bear CreeK – III-IV 
Upper Casselman River (Grantsville, MD) – II
Adventuresports Center Internationale artificial whitewater course – Class II-IV depending on release level

Other Regional Rivers from overlapping regionsLower Yough 
Cheat River & Tribs. 
Fike’s Creek 
Blackwater, Upper & Lower 
Upper & Lower Big Sandy 
Little Sandy 
Casselman  
Drake Run 
Indian Creek