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PAN
Access Advisory Cacapon
River at Edwards Run/Cold Spring, WV
by Bing Garthright, 301-330-1225, April 22, 2004
The DNR access on the Cacapon River on County Road (CR) 15 between Edwards Run and Cold Spring will be closed, due to the new landowner’s decision, until further notice. The closure was not related to any misbehavior by paddlers or fishermen.
Paddlers’ Access Network (PAN) is advising you to put
in about 0.2 miles upstream from the closed DNR access on CR15. CR15 is the road that parallels the Cacapon
on the west side through the town of Capon Bridge. The launch is easier than the DNR site,
and lies on the property of Mr. Sine, whose kindness was remarked on
by several people in Capon Bridge.
Mr. Sine owns property on both sides of the road in this location. The put-in is 200 yards south of his large
brick house and directly across CR 15 from a two-story purple house.
Use the purple house as your landmark, and drive into the gravel
and dirt driveway on the river side across the road from the house.
(In April, 2004, there was a small trailer parked on the put-in
site also.) The purple house is 0.6 miles north of the Edwards
Run W.M.A. parking lot, and 0.5 miles south of the furthest point downstream
where CR15 is next to the river.
It is 0.2 miles south of the former DNR access, but the landowner
is seeding the old DNR access, so it might not be a good landmark in
a few months. Mr. Sine’s house is the big redbrick house
about 200 yards upstream from the purple house. Mr. Sine is kindly tolerating our use
of the land, but not giving permission, so don’t bother him with visits
to ask him. Likewise, don’t
bother the folks in the purple house with any courtesy calls.
SPECIAL CONDITIONS: If Cacapon has been flooded recently,
consider putting in at Capon Bridge instead. Mr. Sine’s property is low-lying, and
the unpaved drive towards the river might get you stuck. There is currently a small recreational
trailer parked on the land, and a recent campfire was still smoldering
on April 22, but you don’t have to bother whomever might be in the trailer. It appears to be occupied only sporadically.
Other people who use the site leave some trash from time to time,
so let’s pick it up the trash others have left and return a small favor
to Mr. Sine. When not too wet, the site could hold
five vehicles easily, but let’s park as few vehicles as possible here.
THANKS TO: the kindness of Mr. Sine; the initiative
and helpfulness of Glenn Burton, Commander of American Legion Post 137
in Capon Bridge, WV; the scouting and intermediary services of Zeth
Zajac; and the American Legion contact by Tina Shriver’s brother, John
Shriver.
PLEASE NOTE: Private owners and organizations never
invite paddlers to use their land.
Most are kind enough to tolerate it. Just as we paddle at our own risk, we
use advisories, parking spaces, and access sites at our own risk.
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