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Whitewater timing varies with scouting, portages, and group pace. Use as a planning baseline.
Description
The first 1.6 miles from Boyds (Md. Rte 117) down to Hoyles Mill Road is class I. In the 1.7 miles from Hoyles Mill Road to Schaeffer Road, there are first a pair of class II rock gardens, about a half mile of flat water, then another class II followed by a class III-. The final 1.9 miles below Schaeffer Road is pretty flat. Expect about 1 strainer/mile. The scenery is nice, with almost no signs of civilization, and lots of wildlife (deer, birds, beavers).
What makes this stream particularly accessible is that during droughts there are releases from the Little Seneca Reservoir, intended to support the flow on the lower Potomac. In August 2002, the release was around 80 cfs, which was just enough to make everything runnable (and the rapids quite technical, but not pushy). The cool water is a delight on hot summer days, and the light mist hanging over the creek is alluring.