Upper New River

From West Virginia (WV) Cyclopedia

Whitewater paddlers typically divide the New River Gorge into upper and lower sections. The "Upper New River" is the longest and least difficult. Its 11 widely-spaced rapids are rated Class III or less (with the exception of its last and lowest rapid, Surprise, which warrants a Class IV rating).

The term "upper gorge" or "Upper New River" as a whitewater paddling term in its broadest sense refers to the length of the New River that begins at Hinton, WV, and ends at the National Park Service's river-access area at Cunard, a distance of ## miles. Cunard is the put-in for trips on the "Lower New River." However, a large part of commercial raft trips on the upper section depart at the Stone Cliff River-Access Area, approximately ## miles above Cunard, or at the McCreery River-Access Area, near Prince, about ## miles above Cunard. Some commercial rafting companies also maintain their own put-ins and take-outs.

Departure points for commercial trips are generally adjusted to account for river conditions: higher water generally increases the speed of the raft and therefore the brevity of the trip. During higher water, outfitters may schedule trips to begin farther up the river to lengthen the time of the trip.

In many cases, the Upper New River Gorge accounts for the first day of a two-day or overnight rafting trip. These popular vacation packages allow rafters to exercise their skills on the easier upper portion on the first day and gear-up for a second-day run on the lower section.

Rapids of the upper segment include the following, heading downstream from Hinton to Cunard:

Tug Creek Rapids
Brooks Falls
Brooks Ledges
Sandstone Falls (un-runnable)
Rocky Rapids
Grassy Shoals Rapids
Quinnimont Rapids
McCreery Rapids
White House Rapids
Dowdy Creek Rapids
Ledges Rapids
Silo Rapids
Surprise Rapids
Plowshares Rapids