The 'Goshen Pass' section of the Maury River is probably the most 'Classic' of Virginia's whitewater streams. Quality rapids for the intermediate or advanced paddler, outstanding scenery, and easy roadside access options combine to make Goshen the complete package for boaters in the Old Dominion. Add relatively reliable flows and you've got the makings of a great paddling destination. This river is the 'bread and butter' run for most paddlers in western and central Virginia. You can often show up and find folks to paddle with even for mid-week, after-work laps.
This run is almost entirely a roadside trip. Route 39 runs basically beside the river for almost all of the run. Above Indian Pool the land is state property - the Goshen Pass Wildlife Management Area. This land is preserved for all us all to enjoy through funds obtained through the sale of hunting and fishing licenses. There is private land below Indian Pool, but still plenty of access. Walking, jogging, biking, or bumming a shuttle are options. Put-in and take-out options abound.
Since 2007, this section of the Maury River has hosted an grassroots annual downriver race.
The Goshen Race typically occurs the first weekend in March in which there is flow over 600 cfs by 6 a.m. (Unless there is good local creeking going on!) If sufficient water is not available that weekend, the race automatically falls back to the next weekend with 600 cfs or more. The race starts at high noon above Undercut Rock rapid.
Trip Description:
It goes a little something like this:
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'Undercut Rock':* The first notable rapid, immediately below the 'lappers' put-in. A large undercut boulder rests near the right bank with most of the river passing to the left over an almost-river-wide 2' ledge. Most boaters run one of several lines down the river-left. The large undercut has had wood stuck up in it's maw for almost all of 10 years now.
'Wigwam' is the large loaf-shaped splat rock below this rapid. This one is easy to miss but is one of the best splat spots in the region. It splats at almost any level, has room for at least two splatting paddlers, and has plenty of rock space to work with. Get Splattered!
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'Roadside':* makes a small surfing wave, or two, or three, at certain water levels. Here the river necks down against the road embankment while dropping over shallow shale. As flows inch into the 2000s or more, this can turn into a larger and really nice glassy wave. If you catch it at that illusive level enjoy it!
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'Bikini Row':* Named for the lovely college women from Virginia's finest university ('dubyuhnell', of course) who decorate the riverbank here in the late spring and summer seasons, this class III section has several little pools, big boulders, multiple splat rocks, and a few mellow slot moves. A word of advice: that girl sunning herself on the rocks doesn't think splatting is as cool as you think it is. (In fact she wonders why you keep bumping into that rock like an idiot).
'Mogwai' hole is the small but loopable hole near the end of Bikini Row:
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'Devil's Kitchen':* After Bikini Row the water slows down (at most levels) at a large pool before entering a tilted boulder garden known as Devil's Kitchen. The Kitchen is the signature rapid in the Pass and there are many different options for lines. The classic line is to catch 'Cadillac eddy' behind the large rock on the upper left, then chart a course pointing 45-degrees towards the opposite (right) bank, negotiating small ledge holes on your way. This line should take you far away from the two undercut rocks which are below 'House Rock' (the biggest squarish rock near the middle-top). Alternative lines are everywhere for the creative paddler, so catch an eddy and look for something new if you need some variety. Award yourself one point for every eddy you catch through Kitchen. The record is around 40-45 eddies.
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Below Kitchen:* There is a series of distinct two-foot ledges jutting out from the right bank; then a jumbled rock garden, called 'Double Pin.' The rapids then quickly taper into a pool just above Laurel Run picnic ground.
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Laurel Run Picnic Area:* A long flat stretch of water with a developed picnic area on the right bank. Alternative access is possible here. Open-boaters can be seen here puffing hard on cigarettes, to calm their nerves.
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'School Bus Boof:'* A 3' ledge on river-left forms a very nice boof onto a very shallow rock shelf at levels of 800+ cfs.
The ledge immediately below School Bus is...
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'Laurel Run wave:'* This was once a wide retentive hole. Now it is a small surfing wave at lower levels. Tiny, brushy
Laurel Run enters from the river-right through a scenic stone bridge arch. After the wave, some class II-III water wraps around the corner toward...
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'Corner Rapid:'* Although Kitchen is longer and more technical Corner seems to cause more carnage. You'll know you're reaching Corner when the river turns sharply left and a concrete-and -rock buttressed overlook is visible high above the river. Tourists and shuttle bunnies lurk far above the river, hungry for your carnage. Will you deliver? A sizable pourover dominates the center of the river. At low to medium flow, the sides of this pourover make a
great boof. Some folks opt to run to the left of the boof rock and then cut quickly back to the right in order to miss 'Hematoma Hole,' an aggressive chunk of barely-submerged sandstone that is a few boat-lengths below the pourover/boof rock. Other route options exist, including 'the meltdown,' 'Hoffa Slot,' and 'Jimmy Hoffa Jr.' - all of which are to going farther to the right of the boof respectively. Hoffa Slot is a thin line into a hidden room where you can disappear like Jimmy Hoffa... but hopefully not for as long as old Jimmy. The 'Jimmy Jr.' slot only appears when flows are well into the thousands.
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'Wall Rapid:'* (aka, 'Sliding Rock rapid') Here the river is pushed to the right against a bare, sloping rock wall. Run against the sloping rock for the deepest water. Rock spins!
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'Indian Pool:'* (aka, 'the stairs') After 'Wall' and a few more small rapids, you'll reach a quiet stretch known as Indian Pool. Access is possible here if you want a shorter run of just the meat. This is the spot to take-out if the water is low or you want to do multiple laps on the best drops on the river. The small rapid above Indian Pool reportedly has a nice eddy line for squirt boaters. The last hole becomes a primo playspot at 4000 cfs.
Below Indian Pool: Below the pool, there is a playful stretch of class III water with several workable playholes. Along the left bank, in the middle of more class II-III water, three ledges in a row stick out from the left bank. All three are retentive, but shallow. Access is possible at 'the springs' - look for a pipe sticking out of the woods above a creek. You may note the sign, 'Water Not Safe For Drinking.' Park in the gravel pull-out there.
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'The Ledges:'* Another stretch of class II-III water leads into The Ledges. Here, in typical Goshen fashion, a rock ledge juts from the left bank. The ledge creates a river-wide surf hole big enough for at least five boats. The surf is best here at 1000 cfs or above. Look for a blue house with a concrete retaining wall rising from the river. Access is possible immediately after The Ledges on the river-right.
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'Lava Falls:'* There is no 'lava,' and this is not a 'falls.' At most levels this rapid is pretty mundane, but in the *very rare* high flood this rapid is transformed into possibly the biggest hole on the river - a huge standing wave/hole reminiscent of the 'real' Lava Falls on the Colorado. I kid you not, this little thing comes alive in big water.
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'Brillo:'* An easy class II-III drop runnable on the right, or down a middle line. There is a jumble of rocks on the left.
After Brillo you'll soon paddle under the Route 39 bridge; and soon after that a swinging footbridge on your way to the old General Store and Post Office in Rockbridge Baths. Enjoy.
See Also:
Virginia DWR Maury River Maps
*Classic Virginia Rivers,* Ed Grove (1992 ed), p. 247.
*Virginia Whitewater*, Roger Corbett (2000 ed.), p. 308.
*Exploring Virginia's Waterways*, Ed Gertler (2022 ed.), p. 220.
*Southeastern Whitewater*, Monte Smith (1995 ed.), p. 241.