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River · New River Gorge

Gauley River

The most celebrated whitewater in the eastern United States. The Upper Gauley drops roughly 335 feet in about 10 miles through more than 100 rapids, including five rated Class V: Insignificant, Pillow Rock, Lost Paddle, Iron Ring and Sweet's Falls. It runs on scheduled autumn releases from Summersville Dam — roughly six weekends beginning the Friday after Labor Day — plus spring flows. The Lower Gauley is Class III–IV and a superb run in its own right.

Class V · Upper Gauley100+ · Rapids2,800 cfs · Release flow

Know before you go

  • Most outfitters require prior rafting experience and a minimum age for the Upper
  • Gauley Season weekends book months out — reserve early
  • The Lower Gauley is the better choice for first-time big-water rafters

What you can do here

Whitewater Rafting

Apr–Oct

Whitewater Kayaking

Year-round, peak Mar–May

Fishing

Year-round
AdvertiseThis space is available

Guides, gear and lodging near Gauley River

Place-level placement for operators within range of this trailhead, put-in or crag.

List your business here

Who looks after it

Friends of New River Gorge National Park & Preserve Nonprofit Supports the New River Gorge, Gauley River and Bluestone National Scenic River through conservation, recreation and National Park Service partnerships. Visit Wildwater Kayakers Nonprofit Charleston-based paddling community covering the New, Gauley, Elk and other rivers. Visit New River Gorge National Park & Preserve Federal America's newest national park — 53 miles of protected river, 1,600+ climbing routes, hiking, rafting and mountain biking. Visit Gauley River National Recreation Area Federal 25 miles of the Gauley and 6 miles of the Meadow — the whitewater that defines autumn in West Virginia. Visit Bluestone National Scenic River Federal Ten miles of quiet, wooded, under-visited river gorge below Pipestem. Visit USACE — Summersville Lake Federal The clearest lake in West Virginia and the source of Gauley Season releases — SUP, diving, cliff climbing and camping. Visit Visit Southern West Virginia Government Regional tourism covering the New River Gorge, Beckley and the southern coalfields. Visit New River Gorge CVB Government Destination marketing for the national park region — outfitters, lodging and events. Visit

Nearby in the New River Gorge

Overlook · New River Gorge

New River Gorge Bridge

A 3,030-foot steel arch carrying US 19 some 876 feet above the New River — for decades the longest single-span arch bridge in the world, and still the image most people carry of West Virginia.

876 ft above the river3,030 ft arch span
Trail · New River Gorge

Endless Wall Trail

A 2.4-mile point-to-point trail along the gorge rim through hemlock and rhododendron, crossing Fern Creek on a footbridge and reaching Diamond Point, an exposed rock outcrop with a view up the gorge to the bridge.

2.4 mi point to pointDiamond Point the overlook
Trail · New River Gorge

Long Point Trail

About 3.2 miles round trip on mostly level old roadbed to a rock promontory below the rim, which provides the most-photographed view of the New River Gorge Bridge.

3.2 mi round tripFlat most of the way
Overlook · New River Gorge

Grandview

1,400 feet above a horseshoe bend in the New, with a seven-mile view up the gorge — the widest perspective anywhere in the park.

1,400 ft above the riverLate May rhododendron peak
River · New River Gorge

Sandstone Falls

The largest waterfall on the New River — not tall, but 1,500 feet wide, spilling across the full breadth of the river between islands at the point where the gorge begins to open.

1,500 ft falls width10–25 ft drop
Trail · New River Gorge

Kaymoor Miners Trail

A steep descent from the gorge rim to the ruins of the Kaymoor One coal mine and processing plant, including 821 wooden steps down the former haulage incline.

821 steps2 mi round trip

Almost Heaven Swings