West Virginia offers the best whitewater in the east, and the best whitewater in West Virginia is within minutes of your cabin at Carnifex Ferry Cottages or the Driftwood Lodge.
The Gauley River is rated the best whitewater in the east and ranked in the top five in the country! The New River is also rated one of the best and offers trips for everyone from age six to eighty-six. These rivers may be run in rafts, duckies, kayaks, and canoes. Different sections of each river present you with different levels of challenge from mild to wild. The upper section of the New River is for family fun and fishing trips (fantastic smallmouth bass fishing). The lower New offers much greater challenges and depending on water levels, can rival the Gauley for excitement. The lower section of the Gauley River is mostly class III to class IV whitewater--very challenging but not too extreme for the beginner that likes excitement. The upper Gauley River is the “Beast of the East.” It offers the most challenging and exciting whitewater in the eastern United States.
You can observe class V whitewater action just a short hike from your cabin’s front door at Carnifex Ferry Cottages. Pillow Rock rapid slams Gauley River riders into the side of “Pillow Rock” every chance it gets. The rapid and the rock get their name from the water that billows up against the rock due to the high volumes of very fast water, creating a “pillow-like” visual effect. Please visit our “Whitewater Picture Gallery” for a few pictures of the action on local whitewater. Photos like these can be taken from the vantage point afforded you when you stay at Carnifex Ferry Cottages.
For a complete index of all whitewater rivers in West Virginia, follow me, and for river level information, go here.
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