The Trough

Last updated • 2 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

The Trough, photographed on July 3, 2016. The Trough South Branch Potomac River WV 2016 07 03 07.jpg
The Trough, photographed on July 3, 2016.

The Trough is a 6-mile long wooded gorge carved by the South Branch Potomac River (SBPR) and situated in the Allegheny Mountains of Hampshire and Hardy Counties, West Virginia, US. The area was the site of a 1756 skirmish of the French and Indian War, known as the "Battle of the Trough".

Contents

The steep slopes of the Trough are forested primarily with oaks, hickories, Virginia pine, large quantities of paw paw, with several rock outcrops visible on both sides. The two wooded ridges that define The Trough make it inaccessible from either side. Entry into The Trough is only by the South Branch Valley Railroad (the SVBR, along the foot of Mill Creek Mountain), by boat, or on foot.

Geography

The Trough is a narrow valley bounded by Mill Creek Mountain to its west and Sawmill Ridge (1,716 feet) to its east with the SBPR flowing in between them. The Trough's opening is located at the southern slopes of Mill Creek Mountain and Sawmill Ridge at McNeill in Hardy County. Mill Creek Mountain is made up of several steep ridges and knobs while Sawmill Ridge is one long continuous sharp ridge. River Ridge (1,906 feet) is the first of Mill Creek Mountain's ridges to rise over the South Branch. For canoeists, The Trough officially begins at the SBVR’s trestle at Sycamore just below where Stony Run joins the river.

The Trough continues its northwestern course with several bends in the river and large boulders dislocated from the ridges above dotting its shores. The Trough passes into Hampshire County at High Knob (2,648 feet) on Mill Creek Mountain followed by a series of knobs separated by spring gaps. It is at the third spring gap where Wickham was once located at on the railroad. Following Wickham, Mill Creek Mountain's Long Knob (1,725 feet) flanks the Trough. Sawmill Ridge ends at the mouth of the Trough at the point where Sawmill Run descends the ridge and joins the river. The communities of Sector and Glebe are located here to the west and east, respectively. The concrete piers of the old bridge that once carried Fleming-Sector Road (County Route 8/3) connecting these two communities are still visible here as well. A typical Trough canoe run ends at the Harmison's Public Access Site below the old bridge and behind The Trough General Store.

Recreation

Kayakers Paddling The Trough TroughKayaking.jpg
Kayakers Paddling The Trough

The Trough is a popular canoeing/kayaking venue, although not a "true whitewater run" (difficulty level = Class I-II). It is, however, a markedly beautiful stretch of river. The Trough General Store in Glebe at The Trough's mouth offers canoe rentals and shuttles canoers and kayakers to The Trough's opening near McNeill in the South Branch Wildlife Management Area. Several primitive campsites are accessible along this stretch.

The area is well known as a habitat for bald eagles, hence its Potomac Eagle Scenic Railroad sightseeing train on the SBVR. Visitors can board the train at Wappocomo Station on West Virginia Route 28 in Romney.

See also

39°13′25″N78°51′27″W / 39.22361°N 78.85750°W / 39.22361; -78.85750

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Potomac River</span> River in the Mid-Atlantic United States

The Potomac River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States that flows from the Potomac Highlands in West Virginia to the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. It is 405 miles (652 km) long, with a drainage area of 14,700 square miles (38,000 km2), and is the fourth-largest river along the East Coast of the United States. More than 6 million people live within its watershed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mineral County, West Virginia</span> County in West Virginia, United States

Mineral County is a county in the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is part of the Cumberland metropolitan area, together with Cumberland, Maryland. As of the 2020 census, the population was 26,938. Its county seat is Keyser. The county was founded in 1866.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hampshire County, West Virginia</span> County in West Virginia, United States

Hampshire County is a county in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 23,093. Its county seat is Romney, West Virginia's oldest town (1762). The county was created by the Virginia General Assembly in 1754, from parts of Frederick and Augusta Counties (Virginia) and is the state's oldest county. The county lies in both West Virginia's Eastern Panhandle and Potomac Highlands regions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allegheny Front</span> Major escarpment in the Allegheny Mountains

The Allegheny Front is the major southeast- or east-facing escarpment in the Allegheny Mountains in southern Pennsylvania, western Maryland, eastern West Virginia, and western Virginia. The Allegheny Front forms the boundary between the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians to its east and the Appalachian Plateau to its west. The Front is closely associated with the Appalachian Mountains' Eastern Continental Divide, which in this area divides the waters of the Ohio/Mississippi river system, flowing to the Gulf of Mexico, from rivers flowing into Chesapeake Bay and from there into the Atlantic Ocean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Branch Potomac River</span> River in United States

The South Branch Potomac River has its headwaters in northwestern Highland County, Virginia, near Hightown along the eastern edge of the Allegheny Front. After a river distance of 139 miles (224 km), the mouth lies east of Green Spring, Hampshire County, West Virginia, where it meets the North Branch Potomac River to form the Potomac.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cacapon River</span> River in West Virginia, United States

The Cacapon River, located in the Appalachian Mountains of West Virginia's eastern panhandle region, is an 81.0-mile-long (130.4 km) shallow river known for its fishing, boating, wildlife, hunting, and wilderness scenery. As part of the Potomac River watershed, it is an American Heritage River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Savage River (Maryland)</span> River in the U.S. state of Maryland

The Savage River is a 29.5-mile-long (47.5 km) river in Garrett County, Maryland, and is the first major tributary of the North Branch Potomac River from its source. The river was named for 18th-century surveyor John Savage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Branch Valley Railroad</span>

The South Branch Valley Railroad is a 52.4-mile-long (84.3 km) railroad in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. The branch line, which parallels the South Branch Potomac River, runs north from Petersburg to Green Spring, where it connects to the national rail network at a junction with the CSX Cumberland Subdivision.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Mill Ridge Wildlife Management Area</span> State Wildlife Management Area in Hampshire County, West Virginia

The Fort Mill Ridge Wildlife Management Area is located on 217 acres (0.88 km2) two miles (3 km) southwest of Romney in Hampshire County, West Virginia. Fort Mill Ridge WMA is owned by the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources. The Fort Mill Ridge Civil War Trenches are located at the top of the Fort Mill Ridge access road.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue Knob State Park</span> State Park in Pennsylvania, United States

Blue Knob State Park is a 6,128-acre (2,480 ha) Pennsylvania state park in Kimmel, Lincoln, and Pavia townships in Bedford County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The average annual snowfall at the park is about 12 feet (370 cm). The park is named for Blue Knob, the second highest mountain in Pennsylvania at 3,146 feet (959 m). It is the location of Blue Knob All Seasons Resort, the ski slope in Pennsylvania with the highest elevation. Blue Knob State Park is just off Interstate 99 on Pennsylvania Route 869 west of Pavia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mill Creek Mountain</span>

Mill Creek Mountain is a continuous mountain ridge that runs northeast through Hampshire and Hardy counties in the Eastern Panhandle region of the U.S. state of West Virginia. Rising to its greatest elevation of 2,650 feet (808 m) at High Knob, Mill Creek is a folded mountain ridge, belonging to the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians. Mill Creek Mountain forms the western edge of the South Branch Potomac River Valley and is named for Mill Creek that carves through it at Mechanicsburg Gap allowing the Northwestern Turnpike to pass through as well. Along with Sawmill Ridge, Mill Creek Mountain forms the Trough along the South Branch.

Patterson Creek Mountain is a mountain ridge that forms the border between Mineral and Hampshire counties and Grant and Hardy Counties in West Virginia's Eastern Panhandle. The mountain's namesake, Patterson Creek, parallels its western flank. The southern end of the Patterson Creek Mountain is near the confluence of Lunice Creek and the South Branch Potomac River and its northern end is located southwest of Springfield. The mountain reaches its highest elevation at Charles Knob.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green River (North Carolina)</span> Stream in North Carolina, USA

The Green River is a dam-release river that flows through the mountains of North Carolina, south of Asheville. The Green has numerous tributaries, but much of its water flows from a confluence with Big Hungry Creek. The Green River is itself a tributary of the Broad River. The river is dammed to form Lake Summit, in Tuxedo, North Carolina, and Lake Adger near Mill Spring, NC. The Green River is named for its deep green color but runs brown after heavy rains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mill Creek (South Branch Potomac River tributary)</span> Tributary stream of the South Branch Potomac River in West Virginia

Mill Creek is a 14.0-mile-long (22.5 km) tributary stream of the South Branch Potomac River, belonging to the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay watersheds. The stream is located in Hampshire County in West Virginia's Eastern Panhandle. Mill Creek flows into the South Branch west of Romney Bridge near Vanderlip along the Northwestern Turnpike.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Larrys Creek</span> Tributary of the West Branch Susquehanna River

Larrys Creek is a 22.9-mile-long (36.9 km) tributary of the West Branch Susquehanna River in Lycoming County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. A part of the Chesapeake Bay drainage basin, its watershed drains 89.1 square miles (231 km2) in six townships and a borough. The creek flows south from the dissected Allegheny Plateau to the Ridge-and-valley Appalachians through sandstone, limestone, and shale from the Devonian, Mississippian, and Pennsylvanian periods.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ohiopyle State Park</span> State park in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, United States

Ohiopyle State Park is a Pennsylvania state park on 20,500 acres (8,300 ha) in Dunbar, Henry Clay and Stewart Townships, Fayette County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The focal point of the park is the more than 14 miles (23 km) of the Youghiogheny River gorge that passes through the park. The river provides whitewater boating, recreational fishing, and kayaking. Ohiopyle State Park is bisected by Pennsylvania Route 381 south of the Pennsylvania Turnpike. The park opened to the public in 1965 but was not officially dedicated until 1971.

Wickham is an extinct unincorporated community in Hampshire County in the U.S. state of West Virginia. It originally developed as a stop on the South Branch Valley Railroad in the Trough. Wickham is located within a gap in Mill Creek Mountain on the South Branch Potomac River. One white clapboard structure remains of the community.