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Maryland | Montgomery, Frederick, and Washington Counties / Central Maryland
Potomac River
Dam 4 downstream access to Shepherdstown Princess Street Boat Ramp
Check current paddling conditions for this Potomac River route, including water level, recent gauge trend, weather, and route details.
Route location
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Need to know
Why this call
Conditions
Gauge history and hourly forecast
The top card is the quick read. This lower section keeps the longer gauge trend, gauge context, and hourly forecast together.
Gauge detail
Gauge history & hourly forecastDetailed view
Gauge
Recent trend
Checking preferred range.
Checking trend.
Gauge source
--Checking timestampMN DNR provides the current paddling level here, but not chart-ready recent samples.
Weather
Hourly forecast
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Next 8 hours
Short-route forecast
Checking the next several hours.
Route overview
Quick facts and what's next
Distance, difficulty, shuttle basics, and the near-term outlook before you commit to the drive.
Quick facts
Plan ahead
Upcoming outlook
These are early planning reads. Re-check live conditions before you commit to the drive.
Waiting on forecast.
Waiting on forecast.
Plan
Plan your trip
Launch points, shuttle details, distance, and access notes.
Route logistics
Access and shuttle
A bounded Class I Potomac reach beginning below Dam 4 and ending at the public Shepherdstown Princess Street ramp. The corridor has slow moving water, several public or conditional access points, C&O camping context, and a documented downstream gauge directly at the take-out.
Plan a shorter segmentOptional
Access planner
Pick a shorter segment
This changes launch and take-out logistics, not today's river score.
Peltier Lake to Long Lake is the full route. Shorter access pairs are useful when wind, time, or group energy changes the plan.
Prepare this trip
Take the plan with you
Download the canonical route, add a calendar hold, or send a simple float plan to your group.
Put-in
Dam 4 downstream Potomac accessThe Dam 4 put-in is a route-specific downstream access anchor and must be confirmed as legal/current; the dam itself is not a launch or runnable feature.
Take-out
Shepherdstown Princess Street Boat RampTaylor’s and Snyder’s are public C&O access areas but have distinct ramp, parking, carry, and landing conditions; they are intermediate options, not a promise of rescue access.
Plan this segment
Pulling access map tiles. Usually under 5 seconds.
Access caveats and watch for
Access caveats
- The Dam 4 put-in is a route-specific downstream access anchor and must be confirmed as legal/current; the dam itself is not a launch or runnable feature.
- Taylor’s and Snyder’s are public C&O access areas but have distinct ramp, parking, carry, and landing conditions; they are intermediate options, not a promise of rescue access.
- Shepherdstown’s Princess Street landing is in West Virginia on the shared Potomac corridor; confirm current town rules and parking. USGS 01618000 is direct at the route endpoint but cannot certify upstream depth, wind, debris, or access.
Watch for
- USGS 01618000 Shepherdstown stage, discharge, and trend
- American Whitewater 1.0 ft low-runnable and 7.6 ft high-correlation screens, fast rise, flood products, wind, cold water, floating wood, strainers, and private/railroad boundaries
- Dam 4 upstream exclusion, downstream put-in legality, Taylor’s and Snyder’s landings, Killiansburg camping context, Princess Street parking, and the hard town take-out
Route gallery
See this route on the water
Photos help show what the access looks like and what the route actually feels like on the water.
Score & sources
Why this score
See the gauge, weather, and source notes behind today's call.
Why this scoreToday's evidence strength is checking
Evidence strength mostly comes down to three things: how direct the active gauge is, how clear the range is, and how fresh the data is.
- Checking evidence-strength notes.
- Checking evidence cautions.
Data behind the scoreGauge, thresholds, and timing
These are the live readings and threshold notes behind today's score.
| Gauge site | Potomac River at Shepherdstown, WV |
| Gauge height | Checking |
| Discharge | Checking |
| 24h trend | Checking |
| 24h change | Checking |
| Current band | Checking |
| Rain last 24h | Checking |
| Rain last 72h | Checking |
| Air temp | Checking |
| Water temp | Checking |
| Wind | Checking |
| Gusts | Checking |
| Rain timing | Checking |
| Ideal range | Needs paddler reports |
| Known low-water floor | 1.00 ft |
| High threshold | Not calibrated yet |
| Evidence strength behind the range | Official data source |
| Gauge observed | Checking |
| Paddle Today updated | Checking |
| Main source behind this score | American Whitewater Dam 4 to Shepherdstown route correlation |
| Gauge source | Checking |
| Weather source | Checking |
| Rainfall source | Checking |
NotesWhat to know before you go
These notes cover the access details, route quirks, and source caveats most likely to matter once you get there.
- Named moving-water corridorDam 4 to Shepherdstown, approximately 11.6 miles, Class I
American Whitewater names the route, exact endpoints, intermediate Taylor’s/Snyder’s access, Killiansburg camping, direct Shepherdstown gauge, and route-specific flow correlation.
- Authoritative public accessC&O/NPS access sequence plus Shepherdstown Princess Street public riverfront launch
NPS/C&O materials document the park’s public river access and Shepherdstown’s civic riverfront documents the public launch/parking context. Confirm the below-dam entry and current town rules before launch.
- Direct flow evidenceUSGS 01618000 Potomac River at Shepherdstown; 1.0 ft low-runnable and 7.6 ft high-correlation context
The station is directly at the route’s downstream endpoint; American Whitewater supplies the route correlation. Local upstream stage, wind, debris, and landing conditions remain controlling.
- Dam boundaryDam 4 is an upstream exclusion; launch only below the structure
NPS and American Whitewater identify Dam 4 as a major hazard and the route put-in below it. Do not run the dam or improvise access around power works.
- Camping postureNearby C&O hiker-biker camping; no riverbank camping
Big Woods, Horseshoe Bend, and Killiansburg Cave are separate campsites near the reach and do not imply boat landings or vehicle access.
- Live gaugeUSGS 01618000, Potomac River at Shepherdstown, WV
This is a direct same-river station. Readings are provisional and must be combined with trend and visual conditions.
- Approved route imageryRights-cleared public-agency or public-domain corridor image
Wikimedia Commons public-domain C&O/Potomac corridor image used as route context; it does not certify current flow, ramp, weather, dam, or take-out conditions.
Verify it yourselfCheck the source links
Use these links to double-check the gauge, route details, and access notes before you head out.
- American Whitewater Dam 4 to Shepherdstown
- NPS C&O boating and whitewater warnings
- C&O Canal Trust boat-ramp inventory
- NPS C&O Lock 38 / Shepherdstown access
- Historic Shepherdstown riverfront launch
- USGS Shepherdstown current conditions
- Maryland public water-access layer
- USGS 01618000 monitoring location
- USGS 01618000 current conditions
- Approved corridor image
Paddler reports
Recent notes from paddlers
A few quick notes from people who were on this route recently.
Reports
Paddler reports
See recent photos and notes from people on the route.
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More routes to check next
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Quick answers
Potomac River paddling FAQ
What water level is good for paddling Potomac River?
Paddle Today watches Potomac River at Shepherdstown, WV and uses 1.00 ft as the conservative low-water floor for this route. The ideal range still needs more paddler reports.
Where does this Potomac River route start and end?
This route starts at Dam 4 downstream Potomac access and ends at Shepherdstown Princess Street Boat Ramp, about Approximately 11.6 moving-water miles from below Dam 4 to Shepherdstown on the water.
Is this Potomac River route good for beginners?
This is listed as a moderate route. Expect more planning than an easy float, and use the live score, route notes, and source links before committing.
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Access, hazards, wood, and shuttle details change. Send a quick correction if something looks off.