The New River rafting trip is great for the first time adult/teenager. This trip begins with easy ripples and builds to Class 5 rapids before your day is over. Our trips put on the river at Stonecliff, near the town on Thurmond, known as the Dodge City of the East. The river meanders around river bends with the first major rapid being “Surprise”! You have about 45 minutes of float time and ripples to prepare for the brick wall of water known as the highlight of the first half of the day.
Lunch is packed in coolers and strapped into the rafts (crossing our fingers that the bread doesn’t get wet). As everyone makes their way through Surprise, a lunch beach is picked out just in sight of the rapid. This allows everyone to watch other rafts come through Surprise. A hearty lunch is in order as you prepare for the challenges ahead.
Lunch is packed up, everyone loads back into the rafts & away you go into the Gorge! The first rapid after lunch is called “Big Balony” aka: “Lost Lunch”!! It is also a class 3, like Surprise. Around the bend you have some warm up rapids and as you pass by Whale Rock, entering into the Keeney Rapids, you are in the heart of the New River Gorge in all of it’s glory!
This New River trips ends beneath the New River Gorge Bridge, the Western Hemisphere’s longest single steel arch bridge! The tiny beach were we load the rafts out is the same beach base jumpers parachute to when they leap from the top of the bridge on Bridge Day, Oct. 17th this year.
So you’ve done the New River and want something bigger! Well, hold onto your wetsuit, the Gauley River is flowing and will be great for the next three weekends.
The Gauley River is dam released so we keep close tabs on what the water is doing. For this time of year, we choose the section, raft size & trip length for you. A personal favorite is the Lower Gauley at high water. It is fabulous! Hay stack waves that look like they were picked up out of the ocean and dropped into the hills of WV!
May is a great time of year to be in New River Country. Big Water Rapids and Great Values. Spring rates are still available. As you make your plans, check for the value added package that suits your group. So, there are great rafting rates! There are great water levels to be had on both of our rivers!
You may keep tabs on river levels by following us on twitter.
