After working upstream from Friendsville in the Hoyes Run area all day, we took a quick run up to Friendsville just to see what the water looked like. Our intention the following day was to either drive or walk south from Friendsville to get to some of the water discussed on AmericanWhitewater.com.
I’m glad we took the time to do this as we were not impressed by the look of the water around Friendsville. Maybe it gets better the farther south you go – something I have to check out later. But, it looked dull, slack and low in the Friendsville town area.
We walked down the road to Kendall for a quarter mile to see if it changed dramatically – no luck. Based on the visual from both sides of the river, this really does not look like a good area. Your time may be better spent on Bear Creek which flows into Friendsville on the southeastern side.
The other thought on any water like this in or near a town is that folks like me will take one look and keep going – so it may be a hidden treasure that everyone skips.
Pressure: Not assessed since we did not fish here. I did not see anyone else fishing
Getting There: Just look up Friendsville in MapQuest. Work your way to the river and follow the road along the east of the river going south. You will see the closed gate that marks the trail to Kendall. Park there and just walk on in.
Bottom line: Can’t really come to a conclusion because we did not walk far enough towards Kendall. I bet that the water gets better the farther upstream you go. After all, the whitewater kayakers use this part of the river and there has to be enough water to make them happy.
This is the trail down to a locked gate that is the start of the road to Kendall
Water at the bridge south of the gate to Kendall
Shot looking upstream
Shot #1 on the drive by – slow and stagnant looking
Looking south from the west bank
Looking north from the west bank
Picture looking downstream at the whitewater takeout
Looking upstream at the whitewater takeout
Unless stated otherwise, this article was authored by Steve Moore