Potomac River: Kayaking Little Falls (MD Side), Z-Channel, Midway Waves, & Beaver Slide at 3.0ft.

Описание: The Mighty Potomac River: kayaking the rapids of The Nation's River featuring the Dagger Axis 12.0, from the bottom of the Little Falls Reservoir through Little Falls at 3.0ft./2,970cfs, featuring the following rapids from C&O Lock 6 to Lock 5: Z-Channel, Rubble Dam, Midway Waves, Beaver Slide, & the the geologic marvel, Little Falls.

Date: December 11, 2021
Trip Length: 2.2 Miles
Class: II-III (IV)
Average Gradient: 15 fpm
Level (max flow rate):
3.0ft./2,970cfs
Water Temperature: 43°F
Stream Gauge: USGS 01646500 POTOMAC RIVER NEAR WASH, DC LITTLE FALLS PUMP STA
Location: Little Falls, accessed from the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal Locks 6 & 5
Bethesda, MD/Brookmont, MD
Washington D.C.
Put-In: C&O Canal Lock 6 Parking Lot (6100 Clara Barton Pkwy, Bethesda, MD 20816)
Take Out: C&O Canal Lock 6 Parking Lot (Lock 5, Bethesda, MD 20816)
Both the Put-In & Take Out parking lots have a considerably limited amount of parking spaces, often with there being limited availability after the early morning hours on weekends & holidays from April through October, particularly so at Lock 5. Alternatively, Lock 6 can be used as both the Put-In & Take Out, & offers restroom facilities & double the amount of parking spaces of Lock 6.
Featured Kayaks:
Dagger Axis 12.0
Pyranha Machno
Liquidlogic Gus

Description:
Nearing the start to the end of the Potomac's journey to the Chesapeake, & the sight of the last rapid of The Nation's River, this geologic transition zone, like with so much of the Potomac, from Point Lookout State Park, MD to Fairfax Stone State Park, WV, is the sight of gripping natural beauty...in this case where rushing whitewater & towering jagged rocks abound from a strikingly geologic story.

Just upstream from the Put-In is the Slalom Course, & attaining a tad upstream from it leads to the top of the Rubble Dam and the Little Falls Reservoir/USGS station. The only seemingly runnable line down the Rubble Dam is both creeky & hazardous. As seen from the video, the bottom of the dam is reached upstream from the bottom of Z-Channel. If putting in at Lock 5 another option and alternative route is to enter through Charlie's Little Shop Of Horrors, which leads to top of Beaver Slide without the need to portage. If coming down through the traditional route, a short rocky portage is required to access the channel for the top of Beaver Slide. Due to a variety of safety hazards, thorough scouting and great caution should be exercised if running Charlie's Little Shop Of Horrors, which during the winter months can be seen from the small beach used for the Beaver Slide portage. The sight of Charlie's Little Shop Of Horrors from the beach resembles the magnificent sight of the Fifth Slide of Fish Ladder when viewed from S-Turn. Like with White Horse at Harpers Ferry, Doughnut Bend of Patapsco, & Fall Line of Big Gunpowder Falls, the ocean like rollers of the Lower set of Midway Waves are worth the carry for a second high riding run. The terminus of Beaver Slide leads into the rugged entryway to the main event of where the tectonic ride gets its name.

While not quite being a limit tester, this trip showcases the maneuverability performance capabilities of the The Dagger Axis 12.0 in class II-III waves and running the the most conservative line of the Maryland Side of Little Falls at baseflow. Next on deck is run the most aggressive line of the Maryland side (as closest as possible to Meat Clever (Rock Island)), followed by the Virginia side. Please reach out if interested in how the Dagger Axis 12.0 performed; it's not often the Axis is seen in this kind of class III action, as its Green Boat cousin is the typical sight when it comes to the 12 footer long boats. It breaks & sheds waves like a Coast Guard Cutter, rides high, and despite what some people say about it, given the shape of its hull/crossover design, there isn't a class III that I wouldn't match it up against to the likes of a Pyranha 9R or Green Boat. The Axis got up to speed very quickly, truly handing like a boss with making the MD Side very straightforward & low impact.

Featured Rapids:
Mapping (0:09)
Slalom Course & the Little Falls Reservoir/USGS Stream Gauge (0:59)
Z-Channel (2:11)
Rubble Dam (3:42)
Midway Waves (5:25)
Upper Set (5:25)
Lower Set: (6:35)
Beaver Slide (7:03)
Little Falls (8:36)

Related Video:
"The Potomac River: Kayaking Z-Channel, Midway Waves, Beaver Slide, & Little Falls ( 3.0ft./2,970cfs)"
   • The Potomac River: Kayaking Z-Channel, Mid...  

I am always up for meeting new people to kayak with. If interested feel free to reach out

Educational Resources:
American Whitewater.org:
https://www.americanwhitewater.org/co...
River Facts.com:
http://www.riverfacts.com/rivers/1149...
USGS 01646500 POTOMAC RIVER NEAR WASH, DC LITTLE FALLS PUMP STA Stream Gauge
https://waterdata.usgs.gov/usa/nwis/u...
Potomac River Guide:
http://www.riverexplorer.com/details....