Peters Creek II-III+ (IV+)

Peters Creek Rd (22) to Gauley River

Peters Creek Falls 250cfs (Heath Damron and Chris Barry 12.14.07)

Spring 2008 MUWC clinics video 4 m in 13mb NEW 5.14.08

12.14.07 Video of Chris Barry and Heath Damron at Peters Creek 10mb 3 minutes

Description:

Everyone who has ran the Lower Gauley has drove right past Peters Creek.  Peters Creek runs from Summersville through the meadows and falls down to the Gauley at Peters Junction right at the train bridge on the Lower Gauley.  We have used Peters as an indicator for Mill Creek for sometime now.  If Peters is 100cfs and climbing and Fayette Co has received one inch or better there is a good chance for water on Mill.  They are 9 miles apart if you cross the mountains.  We put on Peters just below where the Co road 22 turns left up the hill to go to the LG putin.  There is actually a loop on Peters that brings you back to the second train crossing.  You could get about a mile of fun class II-III ledges and small surf and then walk 200 yards and put right back on where you started  (see map below).  Peters Creek Falls is about a quarter of a mile below the second train crossing.  There are good eddies above the falls but you probably want to have an idea where it is.  The train tracks are easy to scout from.  From the putin to the falls there is nothing over class II-III.  The falls is somewhere in around 25 feet.  From what we could tell the pool had some depth.  The level we were there was good (250cfs).  There is an online USGS gauge.  See link below.  I would say if you don't want to run the falls then the loop could be ran at a lower level.    The entrance is a bit intimidating due to the small waves blocking your view.  Chris Barry's line of more to the left bank just near the curl is the probably the best.  The lip is actually caddy-corner to the flow so a right boof stroke is best because it has a bit less purchase.  I boofed left and turned a bit.  The center has a good line but we were discouraged by the large boil line in the center.  It may be good but we did not want to mess with it.  There is a map below and a link to the video above.  The canyon is very beautiful down there.

Link to gauge:  USGS Realtime Gauge on Peters Creek at Lockwood WV

Runnable levels:

Falls 200+ and above

Just to run the loop: probably 150 or so would still be fun class II-III (but walk down to the falls so you know where to takeout)

Map