North Fork Virgin River

Headwaters

Waterfall

Photo by Mark Wilder

River: North Fork Virgin River
Segment: Headwaters
Flow: 350 cfs at gage downstream
Date: June 1998
Class: V
Paddler:
Description: "We came around a corner and all we could hear was this thunderous roar. Then we saw the waterfall, falling 100 feet or more from a hanging canyon above. We couldn't stop and scout and we couldn't see if there was a line on either side of the boulder. When we got nearer, the winds coming out of the fall nearly blew us upstream. Fortunately, the lines around the boulder were clear." Nature progresses at its own rate. Rock and debris fall, big waterfalls such as this one, log jams and other debris deposited by flash floods, and the need for self-rescue capabilities put these type of runs in the expeditionary category.