Destress Outdoors

Ohio River

Moundsville, WV (Mile 102) to McMeechen, WV (Mile 96.5)

September 1018 and 2012

I've timed this section a couple times in order to see the sternwheel boats as they return from the Marietta Sternweel Festival. Since the festival is always held the weekend after Labor Day I've found that if you come the following Monday you're apt to see at least a couple of them. That's true of the section just downriver from this too. You could probably time others.

The put-in I used for this section is in Moundville, West Virginia within the riverfront park that's just downriver from the Moundsville Bridge over the Ohio River. What's amazing is how similar this community looks to Ravenswood, West Virginia from a river perspective. If you take a look at both on a map you'll see what I mean. A major bridge crosses the water just after a sharp left curve in the river, there's a stream within the community at about the same spot and almost every countour of the river is similar.

It is a little different here, of course. It looks like there are marinas on either side of the ramp - one just downriver and another just upriver - so you're likely to find yourself in the company of quite a few power boaters, especially on weekends. There is a paved spot along the beach on the downriver side of the ramp that paddlers can use if the ramp itself is crowded, however. Either way, when you put in you may find yourself in the company of some ducks...

Interestingly, there used to be a large power plant across the river from this point - the R.E. Burger Plant (Wiki article here). It's demolition was completed in 2016, but there are still quite a few riverside mooring cells visible and plans are apparently underway to convert the spot to something they're calling the Dilles Bottom Cracker Plant.

The photos below were taken looking back at the bridge. I found that these were the best photos I could get as the sun was in short supply today. The ramp is between the lines of boats you see in the photos below, but what's really interesting is that a ferry boat used to cross the river here! The ramp was one landing point, and if you look to the right in the first photo below you'll see the other landing spot! More information about the history of this Moundsville/Dilles Bottom Ferry can be found here.

As you continue to head upriver you'll have mountains on the Ohio side for the first 3 miles along with Ohio Route 7 and a railroad track. There are mountains on the West Virginia side as well, but they're further receded. I've always encountered sternwheelers in here - two on each trip. A couple are below with the first being the E.L. Thumper. Interestingly, this vessel passed me in the section downstream in 2016 and I've got that photo in that journal. :) From the web link it looks like it's headed back up toward Pittsburgh. As for the second sternwheel, I couldn't catch the name of it, but it looked like it was pushing some kind of portable shelter upriver. You can see the roof of it in the photo.

Little Grave Creek (as opposed to Big Grave Creek which lies just downstream of Moundsville) enters on the West Virginia side at about mile 101. It goes back about 1/3 mile on a really winding path, and as I was emerging I was very fortuante to meet up with the egret seen in the second and third photos below. I know that there's a bird called a kingfisher but this egret was a master fisher as well! It must have nabbed a couple dozen minnows as I was snapping photos. The only way that I was able to get so close was by angling my boat towards the bird and timing my momentum so as to float right up to it as I remained completely still with my camera never leaving my eye. Luckily the sound of the photos being taken didn't startle it, but I sure wish I'd had better light.

After all this the river will make a left curve and you'll spot the Wegee Creek coming in under and old bridge along with the Wegee Light and Daymarker marking mile 92.2 on the Ohio side. I wasn't able to make it into this creek too far. It was quite shallow.

There are points of interest on the West Virginia side at this point as well, including some black silos which mark the site of a Warren Distribution facility. There's also a pier that might be a public put in point at the site of Nana's Landing, a bar and restaurant at the end of Railroad street in the community of Glen Dale. The Amherst Madison vessel below shows the area. Unfortunately, I could not make out the name.

Following the creek you'll have some interesting rock formations on the Ohio side. I've found such formations to be rare on this river so close to the water. The one below actually looks like a face to me, and there was another spot where someone had set up a rope swing. The Shadyside Boat Club follows at mile 97.5. There were perhaps a couple dozen boats here when I passed. The spot is interesting in that you can only access it by passing under Route 7. Not sure if they'd let a paddler put in here without a membership.

There's another pier on the opposite side of the river just another 1/2 mile down at the mouth of an unnavigable Jim's Run. The spot is not open to the public as per a sign here, but there's an incredibly interesting old structure atop the bank. I see no indications as to what it might be, but it's at the site of an Americo scrap metal operation. If someone could tell me what this is I'd really appreciate it. My email address can be found at the bottom of my "About Me" page.

You're now technically amid the community of McMeechen, West Virginia and the town ramp is just ahead within their Riverview Park. As per the web link, McMeechen was incorporated in 1905 and named after it's original settlers. The ramp itself looks very interesting. I'll try it next time. One last note further below...

I post this final photo of what it looked like when I got back to Moundsville. I do so both to show what the spot looks like as well as to show paddlers that there's another option in case someone is using the ramp as is the case below. Do you see the paved area just to the right of the ramp down by the water? That's where I took my boat out. You can actually drive half way down the ramp and then turn into this area to park your car as you put your boat on it. This is the first ramp that I can remember that has such a feature and I've probably used hundreds of different ones at this point.

DIRECTIONS:

The ramp in Moundsville is located within the town's park. If you're driving over from Route 7 you'll take a right after the bridge and then another immediate right to reach the ramp which you'll find straight ahead. Otherwise, I'd look up "Moundsville Riverfront Park" on Google Maps to get directions.