White water rafting?

[CrueChief]

Upper Youghiogheny River with Ohiopyle Trading Po…: http://youtu.be/oSGdxZj8fG8


Great place to raft and has plenty of nearby camping or accommodations around deep creek lake

I second any of the companies in Ohiopyle. That's a great trip. Do the upper Yough if you want some big time rapids; lower if you just want a few exciting ones.

Easy (great for kids) - Shenandoah @ Harpers Ferry WV
Mild - Yough in Ohiopyle PA
Wild - Cheat River in Albright WV

Another vote for what these guys have said

 

[Tungsten]

Ocoee River in Tennessee. It's a little far, but it is a great river to play on.

 

[nedsurf]

Been twenty plus years since I went. The partying and sleeping on the ground don't hold the same attraction they once did...

You sir, are not partying enough if you care about sleeping on the ground.

+1 for middle and upper Yough and Gauley. Its worth it to take time off mid-week and do the upper to time with the water release from the dam. Gauley during Gauley season is magical. They bring in ringer guides from out west for that time of year. Not mentioned yet is the New River. Great for both rafting/kayak and climbing. Lastly, like an elk or bear hunt, start putting in for the Grand Canyon permit lottery and you will get it one of these years.

 

[Hawkeye]

Older dude / cardiac arrest? Someone died on the Upper Gauley 3 years ago that way. They landed the chopper right by pillow rock (if I heard the story correctly). My buddy was in their group, pretty much ruined the trip, they walked his people out a foot path to the next take out. It can be deadly, we've seen and been in some nasty situations. 4 to 5 seconds under the boat in 60° water feels like a solid minute. We swam hard right after Sweets last year, it can be scary for sure.

We went over at pillow rock once. It sucked.

We had a couple of weak paddlers in the boat, and we didn't make it to the chute. Got pushed up river left into the rock, and somebody in the bottom half of the boat did the wrong thing and reached for the high half. Closed the coffin door right on top of us. The whole raft went over and we all dumped. I managed to come up with the boat, just in time to watch my future wife shoot over the top of Volkswagen. I went through the chute left of Volkswagen and started to go after her, but realized I didn't have the steam to make it and went for the closest raft instead, and she got picked up by another one.

I *really* needed the beer that night.

 

[highli99]

Easy (great for kids) - Shenandoah @ Harpers Ferry WV
Mild - Yough in Ohiopyle PA
Wild - Cheat River in Albright WV

Rafting the Cheat River at near flood stage was one of the most insanely fun and memorable things i have ever done in my life. HIGHLY RECOMMEND.

When i went I told my wife we were going on a "River Float" which was technically accurate. At the outfitters place they had giant pictures of the river and massive class V rapids you go through...she looks at them and says "Who the hell would do that!?" Right then a guide handed her a helmet and said "you, sweetheart". I will never forget the look on her face.

That day she was the ONLY one in our 8 man raft who did not fall out of the boat, and we didn't even capsize. We came super close though numerous times including one large wave where I had to throw myself over the front of the boat to get us over. It was so awesome.

 

[choptank]

I have done approximately 600 whitewater trips, mostly in West Virginia, all as a guide, between 1992 and 2002.

Every river section will vary greatly depending on water level. Here is a breakdown assuming average natural level or normal release level.

Upper New/Lower Yough/low water Cheat/French Broad- not that there isn't danger, but anywhere you can go "self-guided" is more of a float trip. Small rapid with long pools to float and swim between. Great peaceful way to see a river, minimum age is around 8 years old.

Lower New and Lower Gauley, age recommendation 12 to 14 depending on water level. Good sized rapids, some technical, some rollercoaster, usually some surfing holes, generally the best place to start if you are looking for an adventure and are ready to actively participate. The rapids are separated by long pools, plenty of time to recover between rapids. High water Cheat is comparable.

Upper Gauley has many rapids, including the Big 5- Insignificant, Pillow, Lost paddle, Iron Ring, and Sweets Falls. They can all be run without incident, and usually are, but if things go wrong there can be significant punishment. Requires active participation and precision, not necessarily strength. Give me 8 nurses that work together any time over a boat full of football players. Age limit is 16.

The Upper Yough is arguably the hardest but its technical, lots of rocks and constant maneuvering, its more like a 5 mile long continuous rapid, but not necessarily a "fun splashy" ride that some may want. I think it is more work than some would like, and most novices will not really appreciate the technical side of it. Not sure of the cutoff because I never did it commercially, but probably 16 too.

Russell Fork, Kentucky- home of El Horrendo, huge falls you go over. Very limited fall release run. Seriously, I only list it here in case someone were to accidentally stumble onto a trip, you should PASS unless you are very experienced. In fact, most guides will only take crews that they have personally guided repeatedly on either the Upper Gauley or Upper Yough.

The age limits I mention are obviously guidelines, but use some sense if you are taking your kids. If you have a little beanpole of a 13 year old, the Lower New may be a bad idea above low water conditions. If you have an obese 16 year old that never gets off the couch, you may want to leave him at home. Nothing personal, its just a matter of physics- size, weight, body mass, floatation, cubic feet per second, and big sharp piles of submerged sandstone.

But it IS a lot of fun! If you go the New/Gauley, I'd recommend Class VI, ACE, NARR or Rivermen. There are several others, but the big ones do their own training for the most part. My old company has been sold and parceled out to the others.

 

[Magnumst]

Nnztg8r;4263461]New River or Gauley River in WV. [/B]

Most awesome.

Been twenty plus years since I went. The partying and sleeping on the ground don't hold the same attraction they once did...

It was a blast in the day though.

Enjoy n

I haven't been in the last10yrs but have traversed both rivers 1/2 dozen time each. I always use Class VI and stay in a B&B near by. Top notch outfit with great guides and services at the lodge. If I can dig up one of my videos Ill try to post it.

 

[TrappedinMD]

New River or Gauley River in WV. !

 

[sxs]

Someone mentioned the Middle Yough....it's class I and class II and, if the water is at all low, a pain in the a_s. I have been down that one 3 times with rank beginners. Twice we spent a lot of time getting hung up in shallow areas. The other time the water was higher and faster and not so bad...but not all that challenging either. The lower Yough is much more fun for those who don't want to do class V or greater but want something more than just a float trip. I did it in a raft first then twice in 'duckies' (rubber inflated Kayaks). The last time I went will be my last. I had some troubles with my shoulders developing that made it hard as hell for me to paddle for as long as I needed to (I've since had surgery...rotator cuff repair with bone spur removal on both shoulders). I really didn't realize how bad the problem was until I got about 1/2 way down and I was in a Ducky so I was responsible for getting my own self out of there. There are some class III and a class IV on this trip and the minimum age is 12. I got a waiver for my son who was just 10 (just short of his 11th birthday) on his first trip down the lower Yough....but he had been with me using the same guide on a trip down the Middle Yough previously. He and his 13 yr old sister did it with me in Duckies after the raft trip.

If you have beginners, I wouldn't do the Cheat at flood stage or the upper Yough . I would do either the lower or middle Yough to get 'em used to paddling and keeping control in white water.

I use White Water Adventurers in Ohiopyle for the Yough trips. We went there from Deep Creek Lake State Park where we camped most years. It's about an hour drive from there.

 

[nolesfan]

I want to go a trip in WV

eventually as I have heard about it being great there.

My family and I rafted the Kennebec River in Bingham, Maine last July and it was awesome.

 

[nedsurf]

Someone mentioned the Middle Yough....

Oh yeah the middle is the easy section and the lower are class 3. Thanks,
my memory is rusty.

 

[iggy]

Easy (great for kids) - Shenandoah @ Harpers Ferry WV
Mild - Yough in Ohiopyle PA
Wild - Cheat River in Albright WV

We did the cheat when I was a teen with a group of friends. We went self guided with a keg in the front of one of the boats. It was low water and a lot of easy paddling fun.
Fast forward 25 years and I decide to take the new girlfriend (now wife) and some of her friends rafting for a special occasion. I remembered the cheat as tame so I book the trip. When we get there the water was so high the guides were thinking of canceling. We push of anyway and watch as the first boats into the first rapid flip. It was a long day of avoiding the killer stuff and just getting though the hairy stuff. Out of 6 boats, ours was the only one that didn't get completely flipped. We ended up playing 'sweeper' and trapping all the stragglers and their paddles.
I've been on a lot of rafting trips, the cheat at that water level was the scariest I have seen. Still loads of fun

For an easy family trip try the lower yough. Just enough to keep the adults interested, and safe for the kids