Excerpted from Appalachian Whitewater: The Northern States by John Connely, et al.

There are two standard runs. The Top Yough is a short, exciting stretch from Swallow Falls State Park, to the power plant at Hoyes Run Road, (two and a half miles) or to Sang Run Bridge (six miles). The better-known and ultra-hairy Upper Yough is a run from Sang Run Bridge to Friendsville (nine and a half miles).

The Top Yough begins with two miles of premium whitewater, followed by roughly half a mile of flatwater to the power plant at Hoyes Run and nearly three and a half more miles of flatwater to Sang Run Bridge.

Adding the 9.5 miles to Friendsville, a combined run of the Top and Upper Yough makes for more than a 15-mile trip. Over five miles of this, however, is the flatwater from Hoyes Run on the Top Yough to Warm Up Riffle on the Upper Yough. The Top Yough can be paddled to Hoyes Run in anything from one and a half hours to more than three hours, depending on the group involved. Add one more hour of flatwater paddling to reach Sang Run.

Reading the Stream

The six-mile trip to Sang Run has a total gradient of 280 feet, most of which occurs at Swallow Falls and the drops immediately below. The gauge for the Top Yough is located on the downstream east right bridge piling at Sang Run. This gauge can be correlated to the Pittsburgh Weather Service phone gauge reading for Friendsville, (412) 644-2890, which is between 1.2 and 1.3 feet higher than the Sang Run gauge.

Running Swallow Falls

If the phone reading for Friendsville is 3.4, the reading on the bridge at Sang Run should be approximately 2.15. By subtracting 1.25 feet from the phone gauge reading, you can determine with reasonable accuracy the level at Sang Run without leaving home. In addition to these gauges, local paddlers and raft guides can often give you a very accurate reading by checking another gauge on the bridge over the river in Friendsville.

The minimum runnable level for the Top Yough is 1.5 feet on the gauge at Sang Run. You'll wind up walking if you catch it any lower. Normal runs are in the 1.7- to approximately 2.5-foot range. Above 2.5 feet, extra caution would be in order. Of course, as with any river of this type, the maximum level will be significantly higher for a skilled paddler who is intimately familiar with the river, or for anyone else with paid-up life insurance premiums.

Avoiding the Flatwater

The take-out that eliminates most of the flatwater is located at the power plant near Hoyes Run. Take Route 42 south from Friendsville to Route 219. Bear right on Old Route 219 (also known as Deep Creek Drive) just past this junction; very shortly thereafter take a sharp right down Sang Run Road. After less than a mile, turn left onto Hoyes Run Road.

The power plant and its road are not open to the public. Take out instead at the fishing access at Hoyes Run about 0.5 mile below the dam outflow on river right. Seen from the road, it's a small pullover on the Sang Run side of a small creek. A short (100 yards) trail leads to the river.

The put-in for the Top Yough is located at Swallow Falls State Park. This can be reached from Route 219 by taking Mayhew Inn Road west to Sang Run Road. Take a left on Sang Run Road and a right on Swallow Falls Road, following the sign to the park. You can also reach the park from the power plant take-out.

Challenging Views

This ride combines a rolling mix of intermediate challenge with the best views of any of the Comox Lake rides. While the loop is short — only 3.83 km (2.3 miles) — it is the kind of ride that will make you want to stop, build a cabin, and stay forever.

It leaves the road at the west end of a lava rock knoll, over which the trail then climbs, bouncing up and over fun, technical stretches of slickrock. As you crest the summit of this small outcrop, you achieve one of the premier vantage points over the lake. Its beautiful blue waters seem that much more pleasant when contrasted with the reddish, peeling bark of the arbutus trees rimming the slickrock.

The next section of the trail varies between technical ups and downs and great views. It's the kind of ride that intermediate cyclists will do over and over. Heck, it would be worth bringing a picnic and just hanging out near the best views.

Move on to Top Yough II

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Appalachian Whitewater: The Northern States is available from the Adventurous Traveler Bookstore. Click here to order! Click here to visit Menasha Ridge

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