i'm considering a trip to the Gauley (first time) this year and am
looking for any advice I can get as I am unfamiliar with the area and
would like recommendations on outfitters,etc. I have rafted the Ocoee
in TN a few times and was very comfortable each trip, however I never
had to swim. I would like to go sometime in the early summer, however
I hear that the water from the dam does not get released until Sept. A
couple of outfitters told me that depending on the conditions, they
may use inflatable kayaks. My wife and I have never paddled a kayak
and maybe I'm crazy, but 2 beginners in class IV-V water doesn't sound
like a good idea !

chris hodge wrote:

i'm considering a trip to the Gauley (first time) this year and am
looking for any advice I can get as I am unfamiliar with the area and
would like recommendations on outfitters,etc. I have rafted the Ocoee
in TN a few times and was very comfortable each trip, however I never
had to swim.

The Upper Gauley is a quite a bit more difficult stretch of river than
the Ocoee. If you're good enough to paddle the Ocoee in an inflatable
kayak, then the Lower Gauley might be more to your liking. If you're
absolute beginners, I'm not sure that you will have that much fun
kayaking either stretch.
Maybe it makes more sense to go with a raft and see how you'd like that.

If you're going to paddle during Gauley season, be aware of the huge
crowds going there during Gauley Fest weekend. The river will also be
pretty full in comparison.

I don't remember any rafting companies, but if you ask around on
http://boatertalk.com/forum/boatertalk/
or
http://boatertalk.com/forum/RaftZone

You'll probably get plenty of responses from people who have experience
with different companies on the Gauley. I've paddled the Gauley a couple
of times during the summer, but I didn't see any rafts then.

HTH.

Wilko


--
--
Wilko van den Bergh wilko(a@t dse d.o.t)nl
Eindhoven The Netherlands Europe
Look at the possibilities, don't worry about the limitations.
http://wilko.webzone.ru/

I don't know of any companies running the Gauley on a regular basis in the
summer. Most of them are running the New River. The upper New is class I -
III and the lower New is class II - V. Rivers Resort is who I usually go
through myself - their package deals are quite reasonable. They run
inflatable kayaks on the upper New and rafts (they put a guide in each raft)
on the lower.

You can check out their website www.riversresort.com for more information.


"chris hodge" wrote in message
om...
i'm considering a trip to the Gauley (first time) this year and am
looking for any advice I can get as I am unfamiliar with the area and
would like recommendations on outfitters,etc. I have rafted the Ocoee
in TN a few times and was very comfortable each trip, however I never
had to swim. I would like to go sometime in the early summer, however
I hear that the water from the dam does not get released until Sept. A
couple of outfitters told me that depending on the conditions, they
may use inflatable kayaks. My wife and I have never paddled a kayak
and maybe I'm crazy, but 2 beginners in class IV-V water doesn't sound
like a good idea !

Check out the web site at http://www.wvwhitewater.com/ for info about
most of the raft companies that operate on the New and Gauley rivers.
There are several good companies including NARR, ACE, Class VI,
Mountain River Tours, Rivermen, Songer, and Rivers. Links to web sites
of several of these outfitters are included.

There are no scheduled releases on the New River. However, the New
always has good whitewater - except possibly for late summer (August
through October) when the level can get pretty low. The outfitters
have trips on the New starting in April and continuing until some time
in October.

The flow on the Gauley is controlled by the Army Corps of Engineers
releasing water from Summersville Dam. The Dam is used primarily for
flood control porposes. In the fall, the Corps draws down Summersville
Lake to winter pool (75 feet below summer pool). The only scheduled
releases on the Gauley are during this drawdown - starting the first
weekend after Labor Day and going for 6 weekends. Most of the weekends
are 4 days (Friday-Monday). The flow is usually held to about 2800
cfs. In the spring, normally beginning in April, the Corps starts to
bring Summersville Lake up to summer pool.

Non-scheduled releases from Summersville Dam can occur almost any time
during the spring and summer, depending on the lake level and any
recent or expected rainfall. Flows from the Dam can be as low as 200
cfs and up to 15,000 cfs.

Several outfitters do have raft and/or inflatable kayak trips on the
Upper, Middle, or Lower Gauley - all depending on the "flow of the
day". It's uaually something that they cannot plan on until a day or
two before the trip. Their backup is to run the New.

You can find a good description of the Gauley and New Rivers by going
to http://www.americanwhitewater.org/rivers/state/WV/. Scroll down to
the river/section that you are interested in and click on the section
name.

Chuck