“If you’re a paddler, you hope you’re good enough to paddle the Gauley River one day,” he says. “It’s one of the most difficult commercially rafted rivers in the country.” And possibly the only one guaranteed by a federal “whitewater rafting law.”
Most of the year, the Summersville Dam restricts the Gauley’s flow to a trickle, but a federal law mandates ideal rafting releases for six weekends in September and October. With 2,800 cubic feet per second of water crashing down, the 24-mile Gauley turns into a frothing roller coaster with 50 major rapids, including eight Class V cataracts, the most difficult and powerful rapids raft companies can paddle.
Like the New River, the Gauley breaks down into two sections. The Upper is the most demanding, says Mansfield, with over 50 rapids crammed into just 12 miles. There’s Pillow Rock, where most of the river crashes into a giant boulder—and cheeky rafters challenge themselves to tap the rock with their paddles—and Sweet’s Falls, a 14-foot drop that skirts a recirculating pour-over and a submerged boulder that’s tossed more than a few paddlers into the air.
Lost Paddle is the longest rapid, with three sections that string together into a fast-moving rush of waves, boulders, and hydraulics that requires continuous maneuvering. It’s so challenging, rafters must be at least 16 years old and previous rafting experience is highly recommended.
“You’ll absorb more of the experience if you’ve rafted Class IV before,” explains Mansfield. The scenic and remote-feeling Lower Gauley may be mellower, but that’s only a relative comparison, he says. It still has over 40 rapids including three Class V cataracts. Possibly the most technical section on the whole river is Mash, a long boulder garden strewn with hazards. And the Lower ends with a bang at the Class V Pure Screaming Hell rapid, a pinball run through rocks and a giant holes.