Virginia whitewater - Pohick Creek, Fairfax County
Fairfax
county,
Route 636 to Route 1 section whitewater kayaking, rafting, and paddling information.
CLASS II-III+ 5.5 miles
Ran it last night-25 Oct 05. CFS was 220. I put on at Hooves road vice the walk down from the sub division noted in AWA write-up. The whole run from Hooves to bridge at Route 1 took me 2 hours of paddling straight, no playing. 40 mins of that was in the dark or near dark. Nice and worth while run if you have the time. 3 mandatory portages in first 2 miles from Hooves to valley area behind Rolling Road subdivision due to down trees. If you're short on time, just put on by the walk way down to the creek from that neighborhood (can't remember the street)
off Rolling road. That's where the fun rock garden area is. Easy section and really fun creek type section where all the gradient drop off is. Great area to practice beginner creek style running. Next run will be South run of the Pohick when it comes back up. I looked at it yesterday
too and thought it was runable but higher than 220 would be better, I'm guessing 250 -275 cfs. I pretty sure Pohick will not be runable today. The great thing about the run is there are huge sections were you never know you're in a urban/suburban surroundings. Take out on right side of bridge at route 1. If you get the chance do it. Dave Robey Says Dave Robey
Whitewater rafting and kayaking in this state is often easier than elsewhere, so don't forget that many of the rivers here are not very demanding. This stretch of Pohick Creek in Fairfax
County is 5.5 miles long and is according to American Whitewater a class II-III+ section of whitewater. The beautiful scenery of Fairfax County and the sparkling of the sunlight on the water make the trip here worthwhile. For all you camping people there are campgrounds nearby.
This stretch has has enough mileage, it's good length for a morning trip. Great exercise and a chance to spend some time outdoors are sure to keep you coming back for more. There are many good hotels to choose from, and if you make reservations in advance you're all set. Whether
you're whitewater rafting or kayaking this is an area with plenty of rivers for that. The starting location is a reasonable drive from Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, there's a road map further down the page with more info on that. Pohick Creek doesn't have a lot of paddling stretches,
the Route 636 to Route 1 stretch is the only one.
Briefly about the general area: A typical amount of precipitation falls here at Pohick Creek; through the month of May you get the most rain around here, and the driest month is January. At Pohick Creek during the days
of summer highs are in the 80's, and through summer nights temperatures are in the 60's. The wintertime comes with highs in the 40's, and after the sun is down all through the winter temperatures at Pohick Creek descend into the 20's.
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