Below is the original Potomac River guide to playspots that was produced by David Mackintosh circa 1997, the era when the XXX and 007 were the hot playboats. Dave was also a hairboater and a regular on the falls. Tragically, he lost a friend to Charlie's Hole. Dave has since moved out of the area, but you can still surf his old web site via the internet archive. LINK The active playspot links and other useful information can still be found there.
This guide to playspots is intended as a reference so that you know the decent places to go at whatever the Little Falls stage level is. The skill level is my relative rating, from * to *****, of the skill level the boater needs to either reach the spot, or not get chundered. It could also be called the "Spankage Factor." Please e-mail me with any suggestions, comments, or corrections. I need some kind of maps here, too.
| Playspot | Lower | Upper | Skill | Comments |
| Maryland Chute | 2.7 | 3.8+ | * | Crowded! Good for spinning, enders, some cartwheels |
| Lower Center Chute Hole | 5.0 | 6.5 | *** | Sticky at lower levels, nice wave but crowded at upper |
| Upper Center Chute Ledge | 4.4 | 5.0 | *** | Possible to spin and cartwheel on far end |
| Virginia Chute | ? | ? | * | Squirt, surf |
| Offut Island Chute | 4.0 | 4.8 | * | Small, fast breaking waves |
| O-Deck 1 | 3.6 | 3.8 | *** | Huge wave, good for faster boats. |
| O-Deck 3 | 3.4 | 3.6 | *** | Breaking Wave |
| O-Deck 3 | 2.7? | 2.95 | *** | Pourover Hole |
| Wet Bottom | 2.5 | 4.5 | *** | Pourover ledge on river right, excellent around 4.0' |
| Rocky Island Waves | 4.0 | 4.7 | ** | smooth waves, good for faster boats |
| Horseshoe Wave | 2.7? | 2.9 | *** | Fast wave on river right below Horseshoe |
| Fishladder Wave | 2.7? | 2.85 | *** | Narrow steep wave, watch out for pourover just down stream |
| S-Turn | 3.6 | 4.0 | **** | Tricky to attain, best at 3.7-3.8' |
| Rodeo Zone | 5.1 | 6.4 | ***** | Large, powerful breaking waves |
| Dave's Wave | 6.2 | 6.5 | **** | 3 fast, big waves upstream of Sandy Beach |
| Sweetie-pie Wave | 7.0? | **** | Wide, fast wave downstream of Sandy Beach | |
| Showcase | 6.4 | 7.1 | **** | Hole on river right at top of Fishladder Channel |
| Dead Cow Hole | 6.5 | 8.5 | *** | Wide pour-over to wave |
| Corner Hole (Fudgepacker) | 6.9 | 7.5 | **** | Wide, sticky ledge/hole to wave |
| Tight Quarters | 4.5? | 5.5? | ****** | Pour-over ledge/hole above the Back Canyon |
| Skull Island Wave | 6.0 | 6.5 | *** | Tame but tricky to catch, 200 yards upstream of Anglers put-in |
| - more to come - | ||||
My Great Falls and Difficult Run maps show the locations of some of these spots, as well as the put-ins.
Thanks to Bobby Miller for this section. "HF" is the Harpers Ferry Gage, "M" is the Millville Gage. When the Little Falls Gage is at around 7.0' (steady), Harpers Ferry will be around 10-11'.
| Playspot | Lower | Upper | Skill | Comments |
| Maui Wave | 7 HF | 12 HF | ** | Wide surfing wave, pile on river left, best at 9-10' |
| Spin Dry | 8 HF | 11 HF | *** | Cartwheel hole, best at ~8.5' |
| Tumble Dry | 7 HF | 10 HF | *** | Cartwheel hole, best at ~8.5' |
| Bobby's Hole (Dash Hole) | 4 HF | 6.5 HF | *** | Best at 4.5' |
| Squirtland Hole | 8 HF | 10 HF | ** | |
| Bull Falls, Top Hole | 3.3 M | 4.0 M | *** | Best at 3.6-3.7' |
| Bull Falls, Bottom Hole | 4.6 M | 8.0 M | ***** | Best at around 5.5', Huge at 6.5-7.0' |
| Snake Hole | 2.6 M | ? | *** | Good at around 3.0' |
| Bridge Hole | 4.5 M | 6.0 M | ** | Best around 5.7' |
| Playspot | Lower | Upper | Skill | Comments |
| Pumphouse Wave | 4.8? | 6'+? | *** | Nice surfing wave below dam next to pumphouse |
