Dam 5 Luke Chute to Dam 4 in Beverly

Muskingham River

July 2021

Dam 5 in Luke Chute to Dam 4 in Beverly

PLEASE NOTE: This put in is directly alongside lock 5 and very close to the water coming over the dam. If you're a paddler I might suggest postponing a visit here until after you have a good week of heavy heat to tame the water level a little. This put in is also quite remote. You don't want to come all the way out and then find that you'd rather not proceed due to the current.

Another complication - this is a large, nearly 9 mile pool with the only public put-in being this one at Luke Chute. For safety reasons as a solo paddler I generally like to paddle upriver to start and then go back downstream. That's not possible here. Please judge the current and decide how much of this section you want to paddle. You may not want to paddle the whole thing as I'll be describing here. If you do, however, you'll want to come early. It took me 8 1/2 hours to cover what I'm describing.

This put-in is a little remote. I came up from Marietta, crossed the bridge over the Muskingham River at Beverly, Ohio and then followed the white-on-brown "Luke Chute" signs to get here. The markings were actually pretty easy to follow for such an out of the way place. Upon arrival I was, as always, impressed by the beauty of this old lock and dam location (more photos of the park area itself at the end of this journal).

Complete honesty- when I arrived here and saw how close this ramp was to the rush of water coming over the dam directly ahead I seriously wondered if I wanted to try this, yet after scouting around a bit I found an option. I decided not to use the ramp at all. Instead I used the sandy, rocky area just beside it. This provided a somewhat calmer environment. Then, once on the water, I paddled just a little bit downstream before turning back and paddling back up. I wanted to judge the pace of my progress. If I was going to paddle the entire pool that progress would have to be pretty good. Below is what it looked like once I got on the water.

After going just a little downriver you'll find that nearly all of the water coming over the dam goes around one side - the one that you've been paddling. However, perhaps 10% of it actually goes another way - down the opposite side of an island you may not have noticed at first! It's pretty cool - especialy the little oasis at the downriver tip...

From here you can paddle back up to the dam on other side of the island amid much calmer water to get a pretty comprehensive view of the lock park across the river. However, your best shot might be later in the day when the sun is shining on it from behind you. Below are my best efforts at photos...

From here I began heading back downriver. This 9 mile pool looks something like a molar tooth when you look at it on a map with Meigs Creek coming in directly in the middle. I might suggest timing yourself down to Meigs and then doubling that time to allow for the current on the way back. This, to see if you want to paddle the whole pool. For example, it took me 1 1/2 hours to reach the stream at the beginning of the day and a little more than 2 1/2 hours to get back.

Anyway, as you paddle downriver you'll actually be headed North and up this molar shape I've described for about the first 4 miles. This is an incredibly peaceful section. There are dwellings along the river, but the roads are sparsely travelled. This makes for a nicely contemplative section, and as you near the end you'll have some nice views open up on your right side. Yes, those black shapes in the middle are cows enjoying a respite from the sun. :)

Following this you'll round a bend to enter into your next 1.5 mile stretch that will have you travelling East along the top of the molar. The bend here appears to be called Big Bend as per the sign you'll see along an interesting spot on your right. Not sure if that's a restaurant there or just a house.

As mentioned, Meigs Creek comes in inthe middle of this pool. My main goal today was to see if I could paddle the whole thing, so I bypassed this creek in favor of doing so if I had time on the way back - I didn't. Thus, I'll have to see how far back you can paddle into this creek on another trip. A couple other things I found interesting are in the photos below. Say what you will about power lines, but they do clear things out so that you can actually see what's around you. I wish I'd been able to see more of the beautiful farmland that was up there. Also, there was what looked like a logging operation in here. I couldn't get the name of it. There'd be another further down.

For the next 2 miles (and as you round the curve to paddle down the molar shape) you'll have the operations of Globe Metallurgical dominating your right side. I hadn't expected to see such a large operation in this section. It was an interesting surprise. As of this writing it appears that the company has been acquired by a company called Ferro and that the merged operation is now known as FerroGlobe. The photos below were taken from the other side of the water with the second shot looking upriver.

Olive Green Creek comes in on the left side now and I was able to get in nearly 1 mile on my way back upstream. A dog in here was none too happy with my presence, but this creek ended in a way I seldom see and I was glad that I'd had the time to explore it today. It also had a sharp curve which, for me, was memorable for it's beauty.

From the mouth of this creek I'd say that you've got about 2 more miles to go before you reach the lock and dam (the lock will be on your downriver left side). This is another very peaceful section in which you'll have large swaths of farmland alternating sides of the river. First it'll be on your left and then your right.

Also on the right side in the midst of some farmland I noticed what looked like a very intriguing old factory of some sort, complete with a smokestack. The spot looks like it's off of Sparling Road and it's very near lock and dam 4. If anyone could tell me more about this interesting old business I'd be grateful. My email address is on "Contact" page. At any rate, you'll want to be on the lookout for this chimney because I'd want to be well on the left side of the river at the point you take your very first glimpse of it. It's on the downriver right side and a little distance away from the shoreline in the midst of some farmland. The photo below is my best one, but it was taken right at the mouth of the lock entrance. You'll want to have been on the left side before the point the photo below greets your eyes.

You'll also want to start looking for the bouys which will guide you away from the water going over the dam. The photo below was taken just before I turned to enter the lock canal. Can you see the wall ahead about 1/3 of the way over fromthe left? Also note the bouys which are just visible. These dams are very dangerous. I want to do my best to keep you informed.