-
August 2024 by Josh O
Very nice folks who rent good quality equipment. Beautiful place for a boat trip. Good fishing. Keep in mind they leave it to you to be familiar with river levels and boat handling skills. Which is to say, they’ll rent you a boat during non-optimal conditions regardless of your skill level. And once you commit to the Trough, there is no easy emergency exit. It’s all or nothing. 8 feet on the S. Branch Moorefield gauge is fine. 6.6 feet is too much walking and pushing off with your hands in a kayak (very tiring and not enjoyable) and impassable for a novice or physically unfit canoeist, IMO.
-
July 2024 by Chris D
Did not use their services (but have used their predecessor in the same location in the past) but reached out to the parent company by email and they were helpful. With that said, I called the phone number for this outfitter maybe 4 times, at different times, throughout the week--and nobody ever answered. They are losing business they don't know they could have.
-
July 2023 by Brian Lane
We found Trough Outfitters because our usual river for our annual canoe trip was too dry to run. Christian responded to my inquiry immediately, and was able to set up a trip for us last minute. He was very knowledgeable telling us where to camp and what to look for. Probably most impressive was that because we put out in a rainstorm, he went out of his way to buy and drop off 4 bundles of firewood. To be sure we would see it, he built a pyramid of river rocks to hold a stick with a sign on it with my name to be sure we wouldn't miss it (and so no one else would take it). Would 100% book again. Highly recommend.
-
June 2023 by Reilly Harbison
Outfitter was prepared, knowledgeable and extremely helpful. They were also very responsive with communications and aided us with insight as to the best camping spots along the river...spoiler alert: we got what passers-by called "the best spot on the river". They even dropped some dry wood for us along the river because we launched in a downpour. The river was gorgeous, albeit a little slow. But it was a nice canoe trip and quite easy to navigate. Not dicey enough to necessitate a tie down with the gear. Highly recommend.
-
June 2023 by Steven Guinn
New management of a local outfitters, I am so happy that Calleva took over the infamous Trough General store and is keeping it going. Boat rentals and shuttle service, call the friendly staff for all the river info you will need.
-
November 2022 by Twila Zepp
Wonderful trip
-
November 2022 by Ron Morse
Closed until Memorial Day
-
October 2022 by Abby
What an awesome ride! We booked online same day, and waited for someone for about 45 minutes, so definitely recommend calling, too, if it’s less than 1 day out (the people before us were late and delayed their schedule). It all worked out great though, Christian was super friendly and accommodating and immediately got us going. This is the longest run we’ve ever done and Wow. It’s a stunner, you won’t be disappointed! The water was low and it was still great (had to walk & drag only once for a tiny bit). Plenty of deep areas so you aren’t scooting around on rocks. It took longer since it was low (7 mi/4 hrs), paddling most of the time - so plan timing with the water level. The scenery is amazing - we saw deer, fish, turtles, huge rock faces, a train go by and over a bridge (with waving riders :) ), the tiniest frogs I’ve ever seen (pulled over for a snack), and we even had tiny ‘rapids’ to make it exciting (no skill needed, we’re amateurs). We texted Christian from the water (there’s a sign 200 yards from the takeout) and he was there in a jiff. Smooth and fun day, thanks Calleva!!
-
August 2022 by Jacques Rosenberg
Very friendly and accommodating. Great canoe ride! Dogs accepted no problem.
-
August 2022 by Mychal Miller
Always a good time with them. We have rented equipment and done just shuttle service makes a fun day.
-
August 2022 by Mark Avadikian
Second time using Calleva Trough Outfitters for shuttle service. Great service very friendly driver. We did the shorter run with kayaks stopping along the river about half way (eagle rock). Apparently you can just stop and camp overnite in that area. We just stopped for a shore cooked shrimp and fish lunch with a water view! Potomac Eagle train comes by ocasionally and love it when you give the passengers a wave. Saw many eagles and some balanced stones on the shore! Some shallow spots and a couple of faster rapids. We did it with a 7 year old in his own kayak with no issues. Mostly an easy paddle, will do again!
-
July 2022 by Abby Tyree
What an awesome ride! We booked online same day, and waited for someone for about 45 minutes, so definitely recommend calling, too, if it’s less than 1 day out (the people before us were late and delayed their schedule). It all worked out great though, Christian was super friendly and accommodating and immediately got us going. This is the longest run we’ve ever done and Wow. It’s a stunner, you won’t be disappointed! The water was low and it was still great (had to walk & drag only once for a tiny bit). Plenty of deep areas so you aren’t scooting around on rocks. It took longer since it was low (7 mi/4 hrs), paddling most of the time - so plan timing with the water level. The scenery is amazing - we saw deer, fish, turtles, huge rock faces, a train go by and over a bridge (with waving riders :) ), the tiniest frogs I’ve ever seen (pulled over for a snack), and we even had tiny ‘rapids’ to make it exciting (no skill needed, we’re amateurs). We texted Christian from the water (there’s a sign 200 yards from the takeout) and he was there in a jiff. Smooth and fun day, thanks Calleva!!
-
July 2022 by Randy R
Absolutely beautiful place to kayak! Iv been on almost the whole north branch Potomac and through on South Branch Potomac is the best trip ever! Very pretty!
-
July 2022 by Adrian Davidson
Would recommend kayaking this spot but can get through with a float if you're okay with walking a little
-
June 2022 by Julie C.
My entire family gathered for an awesome weekend near Romney, and this spot was the centerpiece of our reunion! We all had a blast even though the water was low (it was late August when we visited). Our youngest is 13 and oldest family member is 82 -- literally everyone enjoyed the canoe trip. SOOO many eagles and other birds!! Calleva Trough Outfitters took over the place in 2021, and their staff were incredibly friendly & helpful. The team there made things easy -- they were prompt & attentive, anticipating our questions to help us avoid any major issues during our paddle.
