Choose a white water rafting Trip

New River & Gauley River
NARR runs commercial rafting trips on both the New River and Gauley River in Southern West Virginia. Offering these two dynamic rivers allows our Guests to choose between slower, family-paced whitewater and rushing, world-class rapids. Riverside lunch is included with all NARR river trips (except Express Trips) and allows fellow crew members to take a break and share stories of the morning’s adventure. Take in all the scenery as your guide entertains you with stories of local ghost towns and past rafting experiences. Even with all of that going on around you, nothing takes away from the excitement of the river!

Spring Rafting Trips
Summer Rafting Trips
Fall Rafting Trips
Boat Types

The day starts with your trip leader giving instructions at check-in and handing out personal flotation devices (PFDs), helmets, and paddles. Everyone loads onto the transport bus to head to the river, where the guides are waiting. From this point you will load your raft into the water, receive paddling instructions from your guide, and head towards your first rapid!

NARR offers trips that range from Family Class, Adventure Class, and all the way up to World Class. The time of year has a lot to do with what you will experience. Here are some facts about the rafting seasons in West Virginia.

Spring Rafting Trips: April through mid-May
Upper New River Trips
Lower New River Trips
Spring/Summer Gauley River Trips*
River Packages

If you are a serious outdoor enthusiast, this is the time of year to go rafting. Prices are generally at their lowest, but that’s not the only reason to take a spring rafting trip. Chances are greater for higher water levels from spring rain runoff since the ground is generally saturated from snow melt. This is also a chancy time for weather conditions – you can get anything from cold rain to balmy sunshine – sometimes in the same day!

High water can be wild rapids with heart thumping adrenaline. The waves are big. The hydraulics are mean and menacing. The river is pushy as it sends up to ten times its normal volume through the same space. At some of the highest levels, the tactic is to run from the stuff that can mess with you and to stay out of the trees. And sometimes it does get too high to run, forcing trips to other river sections. However, some of the mid-range high water levels can provide excellent standing waves and the feel of a liquid roller coaster.

Today’s technology has created solutions to cold weather rafting in lightweight formats. Check out any active clothing catalog for an abundance of options. Layering is the preferred technique when kept to a minimum (i.e. – you don’t want so many layers that they constrict body movement and blood flow). Layers trap more body heat and can be peeled off to suit temperature changes. If you don’t want to invest in more gear (although the clothing does lend itself to other active pursuits), wetsuits (available for rent) work well, too. Don’t forget to protect the head and neck – these are sources of heat loss. Recommended footwear includes wetsuit booties or wool/fleece socks with lightweight shoes (no need for heavy duty boots) that have good soles on them.

Groups with young children and those looking for a mild introduction to whitewater should consider the Upper New in the spring. This will provide a good feel for what rafting is like without getting yourself in too deep, so to speak. The rapids on the Upper New are smaller than any other section, yet still provide a wonderful taste of river running. The Lower New can feature some seriously big whitewater in the spring if conditions are right. The sections of the Gauley River can also boast some very challenging whitewater – often much bigger than anything during the Fall Gauley Releases.

Summer Rafting Trips: Mid-May through early September
Upper New River Trips
Lower New River Trips
Spring/Summer Gauley River Trips*
River Packages

If you’re more of the fair weather type, a summer rafting trip may be your best (and most comfortable) bet. Be forewarned that spending up to eight hours on water reflecting the sun’s rays can create for some very painful sunburn. A number of solutions include building up to sun exposure gradually over time, wearing protective lightweight clothing and applying sunscreen frequently and then some. The weather is not as temperamental as the spring, but summer storms frequently blow in and out in a day, or several times in a day.

During the summer months the river levels are generally lower than in the spring as the spring rains have tapered off and summer is in full swing. The lush foliage is soaking up the moisture as it reaches its peak of nutrient need. Occasionally, heavy local rainfall can swell the rivers to flood stage. At times, heavy rains in the headwaters can impact levels here without any local rainfall. The rapids are relatively less intimidating and less pushy at summer level than their high water counterparts. At moderate levels, the waves are still big and the hydraulics can be steep. At the lower levels, the waves tend to disappear as the drops themselves become more distinct (often steeper) and the water becomes channelized. Often the routes through the rapids become more challenging because of the increased number of exposed rocks and less water flowing through a given area.

Clothing at this time of year generally doesn’t require anything more than what you already own (which means no additional investment in gear!). A pair of shorts over your bathing suit with a t-shirt and windbreaker generally round out your clothing needs. Add sun and wind protection with a lightweight windbreaker and sun visor or hat. Protect your feet with a good pair of lightweight shoes with good soles or river sandals. Far too many of the aqua shoes (those pull-on water shoes) have ended up at the bottom of the river – they just don’t stay on well in fast-moving water.

This time of year truly provides something for just about everyone. The Upper New is a great place to start with its gentle whitewater. The Lower New is primed for summertime fun. Summer Gauley trips are a welcome change to the normal rafting routine because of the increased unknown – the water level or the type of boat for the day.

Fall Rafting Trips: Early September through late October
Lower Gauley River Trips
Upper Gauley River Trips
River Packages

As daylight begins to dwindle, the action gets ramped up a few notches. The first weekend after Labor Day weekend heralds the onset of Gauley Season, commonly known as the Fall Drawdown. By late September to mid-October, the foliage is usually at its peak in color. It’s a brilliant backdrop for rafting trips on the New or Gauley rivers. Like the spring, weather in the fall can be ‘iffy’ although we get our share of some really nice days.

Two rather diverse river runs are available – Fall Gauley and Fall New. On the one hand, there’s the annual pilgrimage for the Fall Gauley releases that turns a boulder-strewn riverbed into stunning whitewater by simply releasing water from Summersville Lake into the riverbed. It’s big – it’s beautiful – it’s colorful. Since water is released from the bottom of the lake, the river water is ‘refreshingly’ cool. The Upper and Lower Gauley boast big drops, big waves, big holes, lots of undercut rocks and technical runs requiring teamwork. The Upper Gauley has steeper drops than the Lower Gauley while the Lower Gauley has more wave trains than the Upper Gauley. This is a busy river in the Fall as people flock from all over the world to run one of America’s best stretches of whitewater.

And, on the other hand, the New River is now devoid of the summer populace. In its own way, it’s also big, beautiful and colorful. The summer crowds are gone, but the river remains. During Gauley Season, the New River is just about forgotten by most whitewater enthusiasts although it’s a beautiful time of year to raft the New. Generally the New River still sports summertime water levels with the splendor of fall color in the gorge and the lack of crowds. Wildlife sightings are common, too.
Fall clothing needs are the same as spring. Technology has created some wonderful lightweight clothing options that pack in a lot of heat. If you don’t have your own gear, renting a wetsuit is usually worth the investment. Stay away from cotton since it has no insulating qualities when wet. Today’s synthetics are as comfortable as cotton (but dry faster) and as warm as wool (but less itchy). Start with a bathing suit and add a few layers to suit the weather.

Boat Types
Rafts: We basically offer two sizes of US-made, self-bailing rafts by Maravia: Standard and High Adventure. In general, commercial rafts share these characteristics: They consist of an outer tube of several separate compartments. Cross tubes, also called thwarts, connect the outer tubes of the rafts and are also separate compartments. Separate compartments are important should the raft incur a hole that lets air out. Separate compartments allow the raft to still float despite the loss. Thwarts provide two important functions: lateral stability and a means to “brace in”. Bracing in is a way to use your legs and feet as a means to provide personal stability while going through rapids. One leg is pressed against the tube in front and the other leg is pressed against the tube behind you. By pressing out and against the tubes, you essentially wedge yourself in with your bottom placed on top of the outer tube. You use your legs to absorb the bouncing of the raft, much like riding a bike through bumpy terrain. The Standard raft has room for up to nine Guests plus the guide while the High Adventure raft seats a maximum of five Guests plus a guide and is shorter in length. The High Adventure raft delivers a wetter and wilder ride and is more expensive than the Standard raft.

Duckies: Duckies are often described as inflatable, self-bailing kayaks. Duckies have inflated outer tubes, thwart(s) and floor like a raft. They are like a canoe because they have an open cockpit. They resemble a kayak because you most often use a double-bladed paddle to maneuver and propel the duckie. Because duckies are much smaller than their rafting cousins, the relative difference between you and the river is substantial. In a ducky, everything appears to be bigger than when in a raft. Duckies are relatively stable in whitewater (it is possible to flip over and/or fall out) and a delightful way to enjoy a one-on-one challenge with the river. Duckies also come in a two-person format.

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