Trucking the Youghiogheny

Teutonic Whitewater: Heinzerling

Sang Run Bridge to Friendsville

County: Garrett
USGS Quads: Sang Run, Friendsville
Difficulty: Class II V with 4.5 miles mostly steady Class IV V
Gradient: 53 feet per mile; three miles at 100 feet per mile
Average Width: 30 50 feet
Velocity: Fast
Rescue Index: Remote
Hazards: Class V rapids (National Falls, Heinzerling, Meat Cleaver, Lost and Found); many Class IV rapids. Two dangerous undercuts: Toilet Bowl at second drop on right of Charlie's Choice, Tombstone Rock to left of main channel of Lost and Found.
Scouting: Previously mentioned Class V rapids; boat-scouting of others is recommended when possible
Portages: Paddlers thinking of many portages should not run this river
Scenery: Beautiful in many places
Highlights: Wilderness gorge
Gauge: National Weather Service (Friendsville phone gauge), (703) 260-0305 or (412) 262-5290
Runnable Water Levels: Minimum Maximum
Sang Run gauge 1.5 feet 2.5 feet
Friendsville phone reading 2.8 feet 3.7 feet
Months Runnable: Winter/spring after rain or snow melt; summer/fall on weekdays when water is released into Hoyes Run hydroelectric station
Additional Information: Friendsville Gauge: Penn Elec, (814) 533-8911; Precision Rafting, (301) 746-5290; Mountain Surf, (301) 746-5389

The Upper Yough is the ultimate whitewater run for expert paddlers in Maryland. It is one of the premier streams in the entire eastern United States. Longer and tougher than the Top Yough, it should be attempted only by expert boaters accompanied by someone who knows the river.

The total gradient on the Upper Yough for the entire 9.5-mile run from Sang Run to Friendsville is about 500 feet. From Gap Falls to Friendsville, the gradient is roughly 65 feet per mile, but for the section between Bastard and Heinzerling rapids the gradient is in excess of 100 feet per mile.

A normal run from Sang Run Bridge to Friendsville can take anywhere from three to six hours, depending on the skill levels and the group involved. Local boaters blast down at a much faster pace. If you are dependent on flows released at the power plant (see next paragraph), it would be risky to loiter excessively. Most releases are now three hours, and as long as you catch the beginning of a release and maintain a moderate pace, you will not run out of water.

The Upper Yough is runnable on natural flows throughout the spring and at other times with adequate local rainfall. However, thanks to efforts by local rafting companies and the American Whitewater Affiliation, there are now three-hour releases, generally from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Monday and Friday, as well as some Saturdays between April 15 and October 15 (provided Deep Creek Lake is not drawn down too far).

At moderate natural flow, it takes the release 1.5 to 2 hours to reach the Sang Run put-in from Deep Creek Lake. So if a three-hour release begins at 10 a.m., it will reach Sang Run just before noon. Water starts to fall just after 2 p.m. To get the latest information, contact Mountain Surf in Friendsville at (301) 746-5389 or call Penn Elec at (814) 533-8911. The power plant releasing the water was sold in 1999, and this could change everything from the phone number to release schedules.

The gauge for the Upper Yough is located on the downstream east (right) bridge piling at Sang Run (See gauge information for Top Youghiogheny). Normal runnable levels range from a minimum of 1.5 feet to somewhere around 2.5 feet on this gauge. From 2.5 feet on up, the steeper sections get noticeably more heavy-duty.

Do not confuse this gauge with the telephone gauge for Friendsville, which is between 1.2 and 1.3 feet higher than the Sang Run gauge. There is also a river gauge on the upstream left abutment on the bridge in Friendsville that reads 0.1 feet higher than Sang Run. As in the case of the Top Yough, the maximum runnable level is an individual matter of expertise, bravado, and life insurance.

Narrow, Technical, and Political

The Upper Yough does not have the stupendous individual Class V falls and drops that characterize the Upper Gauley or the Big Sandy in West Virginia. Instead it has a more narrowly channeled and continuous technical character. Consequently, it is usually accorded an overall Class IV to V rating.

Unfortunately, there have been numerous accidents — damaged boats, broken paddles, bruises, and cuts are common. Even broken noses and legs are not unheard of. Exercise good judgment regarding your boating skills and those of the other boaters in your party.

No one should paddle the Upper Yough without being aware of one big problem: politics. Political struggles have continued in the 1990s over the number and reliability of releases to be made from Deep Creek Lake. Because this waterway furnishes recreational opportunities to whitewater paddlers, anglers, and lake users, and also provides power to the citizens of Pittsburgh, there is no easy answer.

The American Whitewater Affiliation continues its struggle and negotiations with Maryland authorities to improve the number and reliability of summer releases from Deep Creek Lake. If you want to help in this effort, send $20 to join the American Whitewater Affiliation, P.O. Box 85, Phoenicia, NY 12464.

The political situation and the pattern of private land ownership used to make it tough to access the Upper Yough. Thanks to the National Lands Trust, which purchased the put-in in 1985 and transferred it to the state of Maryland, things have changed dramatically in the past few years. The state of Maryland now has a very good put-in on the river in a field just upstream of the Sang Run Bridge. Please put in here because it is the only legal access for the public in this area.

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