_Photo: Paul Lang drops the Falls, by Matt Muir._ This falls isn't too tough, but if you're a few feet off, you can get a shallow landing.
No gauge on creek-Min approx 5.5 usgs Philippi
Class: IV-VI
Jim Warlick writes on Boater Talk:
> Laurel Creek is really fun. I would put it at a hard class 3 or easy class four level. _(Editor's note: gnarl-boaters may call it a 3-4; many "normal people" would call it a V.)_ Danger wise, I would say it is one of the safer creeks around due to the lack of boulder drops that make sieves. There are a couple of undercuts, but how can you have a creek like this without one or two of 'em. It is mostly a bedrock creek with ledges of various shapes and sizes between two and ten feet. This bedrock bottom is strewn with the occasional boulder. It is pool-drop in nature, and you generally never have to make more than one move at a time between pools or at least large eddies.
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> It can be run really low, and really high. Low water gives you lots of time to do everything although everything you do has to be right down in the notches. High water is kind of pushy, but it lets you get really far out of the notches and gives you something to dip your paddle into as you slide around on all that bedrock.
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> It is a short run that can easily yield multiple runs in a session.
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> The only thing that is not really that obvious from upstream is the "class 6" rapid called Floating Boulder or Olympic Slalom. It is recognized as being the first major rapid after the bridge. The move is a finesse move, not a power move. You drive from right to left in front of the undercut. If you drive too hard you hit the left wall knocking you back in front of the undercut. If you don't drive hard enough, you can get in front of the undercut. This rock often holds strainers that stick out in front of the choice line, so it is good to scout it. Getting in front of the rock is not a death sentance, as many people have surfed the pillow off both sides of the rock and not been hurt. The undercut across the middle is not really an undercut, just a small space where the boulder meets the bedrock. On the right side, the boulder overhangs over a pool and acts like a large undercut that is open on its back side. If there is no wood, you would just flush under and out over there if you ended up there. Just watch for wood there. Accessing a strained paddler there would be REALLY hard. This rapid is easily snuck on the right at high water or carried through the sneak at low flows. To hit the sneak, you work your way down the right side of the creek hitting a succession of eddies until the very last eddy on the right just feet above the floating boulder. You hit that last second eddy and it puts you into the sneak. This can be scouted from the road as you drive shuttle, as can most of the other drops.
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> All of the other rapids have fairly obvious lines. The waterfall goes best on the middle right, as the left is only a foot or so deep. There is also a bad crack over on the left of the waterfall to stay out of. Really, all of the lines are easily scoutable with all of the eddies and pools.
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> The takeout parking is wherever you wish. The putin parking is best done at one of two places: at the bridge across the creek, although this is downstream of some fun drops, so it is more fun to go upstream to put in. The most fun put in is behind what used to be an old church that is now a private residence. The people at the church have been boater-friendly so far, and we have generally asked permission to park there when possible. _(Editor's note:
always ask permission to park there, to maintain good relations!)_
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> Laurel Creek is much more fun than
Teter IMO, but it is also a little bit harder. It is probably one of the most fun easy creeks in WV, and is a truly choice place to get an intro into creeking.
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> Teter is more rocky than Laurel, and has a good bit less gradient. It is fun at low and medium levels, but at into the banks levels it washes out into an out of control bobsled run without eddies. Fun to some, scary to those that like to be able to eddy-hop.
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Sandy Creek downstream on the tygart that runs into the lake is also fun and in the same difficulty class as Laurel and Teter. You should consider the three creeks a trio. Often you will find one creek to have good water and the two others to have none, and vice versa. They all three seem to have quite different drainages. So if Laurel is low, it is still really worth your time to drive over and look at Sandy and Teter. One day, Laurel and Teter were unrunnable low, but Sandy was up in its banks. So, definitely check all three if you can't find water and have time to look.