North River (Cacapon River)

North River
Bridge over the North River near North River Mills
Origin	South Branch Mountain, Hardy County, West Virginia
Mouth	Cacapon River at Forks of Cacapon, Hampshire County, West Virginia
Basin countries	United States
Length	52 miles (84 km)
Basin area	206 sq mi (530 km2)

North River is a tributary of the Cacapon River, belonging to the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay watersheds. The river is located in Hampshire and Hardy counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia's Eastern Panhandle. The mouth of North River into the Cacapon is located at Forks of Cacapon. From its headwaters to its mouth, the North River spans 52.4 miles (84.3 km) in length.^[1]

Headwaters and course

South Branch Mountain to Rio

North River's headwaters comprise two streams that converge in the southeastern hollows of South Branch Mountain (3028 ft) in Hardy County. From its source, the river flows east through the communities of Inkerman and Rock Oak along North River Road (West Virginia Secondary Route 1) where it is joined by Grassy Lick Run. North River continues to flow east as a shallow stony stream and after it passes through a gap in Short Mountain (2864 ft), it acts as the border between Hardy and Hampshire counties. It is in this stretch that the river is home to the Rio Turtle, a large turtle-shaped rock painted to resemble a turtle. The river then enters exclusively into Hampshire County where it meets the community of Rio and Sperry Run, which flows in from the south.

Rio to Forks of Cacapon

At Rio (pronounced RYE-O), North River makes a ninety-degree bend and flows north into the wide fertile North River Valley along North River Mountain (2149 ft). Also beginning at Rio, North River parallels West Virginia Route 29 (Delray Road). On its journey northward, North River is fed from the west by Deep Run and Mick Run, which drain off of Short Mountain. Further north along WV 29, the river passes through the communities of Delray and Sedan at Pearl Ridge (1302 ft). Departing from Sedan, North River flows under the Northwestern Turnpike (U.S. Route 50) at Hanging Rock and winds its way northward around North River Mountain. Pine Draft Run and Tearcoat Creek join the river south of Hoy before the river bends yet again and joins Gibbons Run. Flowing through the historic village of North River Mills, North River is joined by Hiett's Run, which flows from the eastern side of Ice Mountain (1489 ft). After North River Mills, the river makes a sharp linear curve around the Devil's Backbone (856 ft) and then commences its movement northward along Pine Mountain (1726 ft). North River crosses under the Bloomery Pike (West Virginia Route 127) and is then joined from the west by Crooked Run before flowing under Gaston Road's one-lane bridge and finally arriving at its confluence with the Cacapon River at Forks of Cacapon.

History

Since the early settlement of Hampshire County, the North River had been considered unnavigable by locals and experts alike. While groups of Native Americans probably used the river to transport meat to Ice Mountain, the first known European-American party to successfully float it did so under the direction of the renowned forester and naturalist Paul Bogdan. His group of men, who hailed from nearby New Creek, began their journey at RiverBend Farms and made it to the river's confluence with the Cacapon. Inspired by their feat, one member of Bogdan's crew wrote "Floated from North River Road ford just before the road joins Springfield Grade Road to Rt. 127 on May 24, 2008 when the water level in the Cacapon River was at 4.0 - 3.5 feet. Wonderful scenery, very little development, Ice Mountain nature preserve borders the river for about a mile. Not sure of the climbing possibilities of Ice Mountain, but it does appear to be white/gray Tuscarora quartzite same as Seneca Rocks/The Narrows with some pink quartzite boulders in the water as you float."

Gallery

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  North River at Gaston Road (County Route 45/7) near Forks of Cacapon

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  North River at Gaston Road (County Route 45/7) near Forks of Cacapon

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  North River at Gaston Road (County Route 45/7) near Forks of Cacapon

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  North River at Gaston Road (County Route 45/7) near Forks of Cacapon

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  North River at Gaston Road (County Route 45/7) near Forks of Cacapon

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  North River at Gaston Road (County Route 45/7) near Forks of Cacapon

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  North River viewed from Cold Stream Road (County Route 45/20) bridge at North River Mills

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  North River viewed from Cold Stream Road (County Route 45/20) bridge at North River Mills

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  North River viewed from Cold Stream Road (County Route 45/20) bridge at North River Mills

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  North River viewed from Cold Stream Road (County Route 45/20) bridge at North River Mills

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  North River viewed from Cold Stream Road (County Route 45/20) bridge at North River Mills

Bridges

Bridge	Route	Location
Bridge at Skagg's Run	CR 1/5	Inkerman
Bridge	North River Road (CR 1)	Inkerman
Bridge	North River Road (CR 1)	Rock Oak
Rock Oak Bridge	Rock Oak Road	Rock Oak
Bridge at Waterlick Run	CR 1/1	Rock Oak
North River Bridge	Augusta-Ford Hill Road (CR 53)	Rio
Upper Mullins Road Bridge	Mullins Road (off CR 53)	Rio
Lower Mullins Road Bridge	Mullins Road (off CR 53)	Rio
Rio WV 29 Bridge	Delray Road (WV 29)	Rio
Sedan WV 29 Bridge	Delray Road (WV 29)	Sedan
Sedan School Road Bridge	Sedan School Road (CR 11/1)	Sedan
Hanging Rock Bridge	Northwestern Turnpike (US 50/WV 29)	Hanging Rock
One-Lane Double Arch Bridge	Cold Stream Road (CR 45/20)	North River Mills
North River WV 127 Bridge	Bloomery Pike (WV 127)	Forks of Cacapon
One-Lane Arch Bridge	Gaston Road (CR 45/7)	Forks of Cacapon

Tributaries

Grassy Lick Run in Kirby.

Tributary streams are listed in order from south (source) to north (mouth).

• Skaggs Run
• Pot Lick Run
  • Horn Camp Run
• Waterlick Run
• Grassy Lick Run
• Meadow Run
• Sperry Run
• Deep Run
• Lick Run
• Elkhorn Run
• Hanging Rock Run
  • Stuart Hollow Run
  • Henderson Hollow Run
• Pine Draft Run
• Tearcoat Creek
  • Turkeyfoot Run
  • Bearwallow Creek
• Gibbons Run
• Maple Run
• Hiett Run
  • Riggs Hollow Run
• Crooked Run
• Castle Run

List of cities and towns along the North River

• Delray
• Forks of Cacapon
• Hanging Rock
• Hoy
• Inkerman
• North River Mills
• Rio
• Rock Oak
• Sedan

See also

• List of West Virginia rivers

References

1. ^ U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map, accessed August 15, 2011

External links

Media related to North River (Cacapon River) at Wikimedia Commons

Potomac River system Cities and towns | Bridges | Islands | Tributaries | Variant names District of Columbia | Maryland | Pennsylvania | Virginia | West Virginia Streams shown as: Major tributaries • subtributaries • (subsubtributaries) • (subsubsubtributaries)

Tidal Potomac River Gulf Branch | Donaldson Run | Maddox Branch | Windy Run | Spout Run | Foundry Branch | Rock Creek | Boundary Channel | Tiber Creek | Rocky Run | Washington Channel | Anacostia River • Pope Branch • Watts Branch • Hickey Run • Northwest Branch • (Sligo Creek) • Northeast Branch • (Paint Branch) | Four Mile Run | Oxon Creek | Hunting Creek • Cameron Run | Broad Creek | Henson Creek | Swan Creek | Piscataway Creek | Little Hunting Creek | Dogue Creek | Accotink Creek • Daniels Run | Pohick Creek | Pomonkey Creek | Occoquan River • Bull Run • Broad Run • Cedar Run | Neabsco Creek | Powells Creek | Mattawoman Creek | Chicamuxen Creek | Quantico Creek | Little Creek | Chopawamsic Creek | Tank Creek | Aquia Creek | Potomac Creek • Accokeek Creek | Nanjemoy Creek | Port Tobacco River | Popes Creek (Maryland) | Gambo Creek | Piccowaxen Creek | Upper Machodoc Creek | Cuckold Creek | Wicomico River | Monroe Creek | Mattox Creek | Popes Creek (Virginia) | St. Marys River | Yeocomico River | Coan River | Hull Creek Upper Potomac River North Branch Potomac River | South Branch Potomac River | Town Creek | Little Cacapon River • North Fork Little Cacapon River • South Fork Little Cacapon River | Fifteenmile Creek | Sideling Hill Creek | Cacapon River • Lost River • Trout Run • Capon Springs Run • Dillons Run • Edwards Run • Mill Branch • North River • (Grassy Lick Run) • (Tearcoat Creek) • (Bearwallow Creek) | Sir Johns Run | Warm Spring Run | Tonoloway Creek • Little Tonoloway Creek | Sleepy Creek • Meadow Branch | Licking Creek | Cherry Run | Back Creek • Hogue Creek • Isaacs Creek • Tilhance Creek | Little Conococheague Creek | Conococheague Creek • Back Creek | Opequon Creek • Abrams Creek • Mill Creek • Middle Creek • Tuscarora Creek (West Virginia) | Antietam Creek | Shenandoah River | Little Catoctin Creek | Catoctin Creek (Virginia) | Catoctin Creek (Maryland) | Tuscarora Creek (Maryland) | Monocacy River • Rock Creek • Marsh Creek • Alloway Creek • Toms Creek • (Middle Creek) • Double Pipe Creek • (Big Pipe Creek) • (Little Pipe Creek) • Owens Creek • Tuscarora Creek • Carroll Creek • Linganore Creek • Israel Creek • Double Pipe Creek • Bush Creek • Ballenger Creek • Bennett Creek | Little Monocacy River | Goose Creek • Little River | Broad Run (Virginia) | Sugarland Run | Broad Run (Maryland) | Seneca Creek • Dry Seneca Creek • Little Seneca Creek • Great Seneca Creek | Difficult Run | Cabin John Creek | Dead Run | Little Falls Branch | Pimmit Run | Rock Run | Watts Branch | Muddy Branch Shenandoah River North Fork Shenandoah River • Cedar Creek • Smith Creek | South Fork Shenandoah River • North River • (Middle River) • South River North Branch Potomac River Stony River | Abram Creek | Savage River | Georges Creek • Laurel Run | New Creek | Limestone Run | Warrior Run | Wills Creek • Brush Creek • Little Wills Creek | Evitts Creek | Patterson Creek • Mill Creek | Dans Run | Green Spring Run South Branch Potomac River North Fork South Branch Potomac River • Mill Creek • Seneca Creek | South Fork South Branch Potomac River • Kettle Creek | Lunice Creek | Mill Run | Mill Creek | Big Run | Buffalo Creek Lakes and reservoirs Lake Accotink | Lake Anne | Lake Artemesia | Lake Bernard Frank | Lake Braddock | Breckenridge Reservoir | Brushy Fork Lake | Burke Lake | Dalecarlia Reservoir | Georgetown Reservoir | Jennings Randolph Lake | Kingman Lake | Little Seneca Lake | McMillan Reservoir | Mount Storm Lake | Lake Needwood | Sleepy Creek Lake | Stony River Reservoir | Tidal Basin | Trout Pond | Warden Lake