The Upper Yough Friendsville, Md. & The Tygart Albright, WV

Are you ready for one of the crown jewels of East Coast whitewater? This Class IV-V river is truly a classic. Tumbling down through the mountains of Western Maryland, this trip is more like running a steep creek than running a river. Fast paced and action packed you have to be on your toes, ready to paddle hard and precisely following the commands of your expert guide!

Your day will begin at the town park in Friendsville, Maryland. There you will get suited up and receive your initial safety talk. Once in your gear and properly warned about your future endeavor, you head for the put-in. There you will meet your guide, climb into a raft and put on the water!

YAHHOO!! The fun begins....The first two miles of the Upper Yough is deceivingly calm and tranquil. Enjoy it! Soon you'll be dropping into Gap Falls & your adrenal glands will start working over time. You will pick your way down through Class IV rock ledges and tight slots making your way to the pool above Bastard Falls. This is where it gets interesting. Four Class V rapids back to back falling a ridiculous hundred and twenty feet per mile. Steep drops, big munchy holes, tight shoots, and powerful wave trains characterize this section of the river. When you pause in the pool below National Falls and gaze back upstream, it will dawn on you that this is what real whitewater is all about. This is just the beginning to your Class V day. You still have the likes of Heintzerling Falls and Meat Cleaver to deal with, not to mention Powerful Popper, Lost and Found, and the Rockies I through IV.

By the last rapid you will have had your fill, and you can feel free to relax through the remaining calm water. Once back on land we will load up our gear and head back to the outpost, where you can get changed and then dig in to our lunch fresh from the Falls City Restaurant and Pub, washing it back with a nice cold beverage. Now all you have to do is enjoy a beautiful Appalachian evening and swap river stories till it’s time to hit the road.

As far as booking a trip goes, The Upper Yough has a dam release on every Monday and Friday, plus the first Saturday of every month beginning in April and ending in October. The Saturday trips are especially sought after, so book in advance. But the Monday and Friday trips are less crowded, so instead of seeing a boat in every pool, you see the nature that you came to enjoy. Click here for pricing or call us at 800-272-4141 to book your trip!