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Maryland | Allegany County / Western Maryland
Potomac River
Paw Paw Tunnel Campground to Bond's Landing
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
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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 Paw Paw Bends Potomac leg from the C&O Paw Paw Tunnel access to Maryland DNR's Bond's Landing ramp. It is the first day of the official Green Ridge two-day float and ends at a public riverside campground and vehicle-access point.
Prepare this trip
Take the plan with you
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Put-in
Paw Paw Tunnel Campground river accessPaw Paw Tunnel is an NPS/C&O access-area anchor and Bond’s Landing is a Maryland DNR state-forest access anchor; both coordinates are near-water landing references, not a guarantee of current waterline or carry conditions.
Take-out
Bond's Landing - Green Ridge State ForestBond’s Landing has small unpaved parking, a gravel soft launch, temporary restroom, no turnaround, and a possible 4x4/stream-ford approach. Verify current road and flood conditions with Green Ridge headquarters before staging a shuttle vehicle.
Plan this segment
Pulling access map tiles. Usually under 5 seconds.
Access caveats and watch for
Access caveats
- Paw Paw Tunnel is an NPS/C&O access-area anchor and Bond’s Landing is a Maryland DNR state-forest access anchor; both coordinates are near-water landing references, not a guarantee of current waterline or carry conditions.
- Bond’s Landing has small unpaved parking, a gravel soft launch, temporary restroom, no turnaround, and a possible 4x4/stream-ford approach. Verify current road and flood conditions with Green Ridge headquarters before staging a shuttle vehicle.
- The Paw Paw gauge is direct same-river evidence but local rain, tributary inflow, wind, debris, and access flooding can differ from the instantaneous station reading.
Watch for
- USGS 01610000 stage, discharge, trend, 4.62-ft American Whitewater low-runnable context, recent rain, and fast rise
- strong/deceptive current, cold water, wind, strainers, floating wood, private/opposite-bank property, and limited shore exits
- Paw Paw campground/towpath carry, Bond’s Landing gravel carry, small parking, road/stream fords, campsite status, and the hard Bond’s Landing 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 Paw Paw, 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 | 4.62 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 Paw Paw Bends flow context |
| 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 corridorPaw Paw Tunnel Campground to Bond’s Landing, approximately 12 miles, Class I
Maryland DNR names the leg and its distance, duration, class, access sequence, and camping posture; American Whitewater names the Paw Paw Bends family and gauge context.
- Authoritative public accessNPS Paw Paw Tunnel access to Maryland DNR Bond's Landing
NPS identifies the C&O river access context and Maryland DNR documents Bond’s Landing’s public ramp, parking, hours, launch type, and campsite.
- Direct flow evidenceUSGS 01610000 at Paw Paw; American Whitewater low-runnable context around 4.62 ft
The station is direct same-river context for the Paw Paw Bends; the American Whitewater value is a route-specific planning screen, not a guaranteed safe-flow limit.
- Camping postureBond's Landing first-come canoe campsite at the take-out
Maryland DNR identifies the riverside campsite and Green Ridge road/vehicle-access context; verify current flood and closure status.
- Live gaugeUSGS 01610000, Potomac River at Paw Paw, 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 same-river context; it does not certify current flow, access, or camping conditions.
Verify it yourselfCheck the source links
Use these links to double-check the gauge, route details, and access notes before you head out.
Paddler reports
Recent notes from paddlers
A few quick notes from people who were on this route recently.
Reports
Paddler reports
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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 Paw Paw, WV and uses 4.62 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 Paw Paw Tunnel Campground river access and ends at Bond's Landing - Green Ridge State Forest, about Approximately 12 river miles, Maryland DNR Green Ridge State Forest Paw Paw to Bond’s Landing leg on the water.
Is this Potomac River route good for beginners?
This is listed as an easy route, but conditions still matter. Check today's score, water level, weather, and access notes before you go.
Flag a change
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Access, hazards, wood, and shuttle details change. Send a quick correction if something looks off.