Overview:
Mill Creek drains bucolic portions of Rockbridge and Bath Counties before ripping through Panther Gap to join the Calfpasture in Goshen. It doesn't hold water for very long, but is really enjoyable if you catch it with water, which is generally in winter/spring following a good rain or perhaps a day or so after a prolonged period of sustained precipitation. Lovers of Virginia and maps will marvel at the strange watersheds in this part of the state, and wonder how such a region of relatively high elevation was blessed with so much groundwater.
Recommended Trips:
(1/3 daytrip) Panther Gap to Goshen
Directions to Put-ins/Take Outs:
View Mill Creek (Maury tributary) in a larger map
Panther Gap: There are many put ins for Mill Creek right along Rt 42, many of which seem to be posted, so you'll have to pick the least obtrusive. Panther Gap is obvious: in it and below it there is whitewater visible from Rt 42, while above it Mill Creek winds through a flat, grassy, lightly inhabited valley.
Goshen: The proprietors of Mill Creek cafe will let you use their parking lot and take out above the Rt 39 bridge in town, which avoids the necessity of portaging a low water bridge to use the gravel bar takeout a couple hundred yards downstream at the Calfpasture confluence. Mill Creek Cafe has the best food in town, incidentally.
Sections of River to Run:
Panther Gap to Goshen: Water levels make a huge difference in the difficulty and safety of this run. At lower levels it should be a relatively easy class two with pools separating the drops. At higher levels it is a straight flush, with sizable holes and partial strainers that could be deadly. Be careful to road scout, and if water levels seem to create continuous rapids be sure you are ready before you put in. Local paddlers seem to keep the stream semi-clear of strainers, so there may be places where they have cut a passage. Good boat control is essential to use these passages, as difficulty on this stream (coupled with danger from stainers) ranks it a class 4 at higher water. It is akin to running Little Sandy (WV) at 8 feet--very continuous. This stream is a decent run to combine with the Bullpasture gorge, upper Cowpasture, or perhaps even Stuart Run, or you can run it repeatedly in a day. It is approximately 4 miles long, and would take only 45 minutes if you ran it straight through.
