How to Catch an Elusive Gauley River Whitewater Rafting Trip
August 12, 2014It’s one of the best whitewater runs in the world, and you can only catch it a few days out of the year!
The Gauley River might have a limited window, but thankfully, you can be one of the lucky few to snag a run on its wild waters.
Here’s how to catch a Gauley River ride of your own:
1. Familiarize yourself
This is world-class whitewater, one of the Top 10 rafting rivers on the planet! Don’t go in blind.
First thing’s first: understand this wild river’s nature. Can you handle its “Big 5” formidable Class V rapids? 14-foot waterfall sound fun? Different sections of the river offer very different levels of fun, so make sure you know what to expect… and what you want from your trip.
If you’re on the fence, remember that with a professional adventure guide, and a team of 7 other paddlers, you’ll have plenty of support on your mission.
2. Know the dates
On board? Great. Now you need to know when the roaring Gauley is awake and moving.
There are only 22 days this year. Here is a schedule.
3. Get a guide
Remember when we talked about knowing how intense the Gauley is? A professional guide can navigate you through those raging waters so you hit every big wave, but steer as clear as possible of the dangerous obstacles.
How do you find one of these trusty and talented whitewater rafting guides? You reserve a trip with one of the outfitters that employs them! Each company puts its guides through intensive training and practice before they can take you or others down the river.
Here are some of the best rafting guides in the Gauley-running business:
4. Get to town
Next, get to the beautiful, sweeping New River Gorge. And, conveniently for you, you can plan the rest of your trip easily by exploring this site!
5. Hop aboard
Happy rafting!
Have you been on the Gauley yet? Any tips for newcomers?