Drop Me In the Water

Swimming holes, whitewater runs, float trips, park and play, lake cruising: Take your pick to cool off in the heat of summer.

1. Classic Run: Paddling the Lower New

Deep in the New River Gorge careening down the chute above the big hole at Hook 99 rapid, my wife yelled: “Paddle hard!” Her frantic tone caught my attention. We had agreed early on in our relationship to never scream at each other. But it was too late. “Uh oh,” was the only response I could muster. Our tandem kayak skirted a large boulder on the downstream side pausing on a watery precipice. The boat began to lean into the hole. I thrust my paddle in and arched back, trying to avoid the spray. But like the bar patron trapped by a spit-spraying local drunk, we were going to get wet!

We dropped into the hole, flipped, and swam after a futile attempt to roll up. I sat back into my PFD with my feet up, laughing and enjoying the scenery as our borrowed boat took off down river. The driver of the Wednesday night free shuttle had called our craft a marriage breaker, but we had been confident in our ability to keep it laid back, upright and fun. After all, it is hard to embrace trite relationship battles when immersed in such grandeur. My wife and I met in the eddy after Greyhound hole, got back in our boat and kissed before the river’s cascading green backdrop. A prehistoric canyon, the gorge is a steep, forested guardian to a more primitive time. It is wild, runs fast, and is the perfect place to get wet. So get out there. Float the river with your significant other or just grab a friend. I’ve seen more relationships forged in this beautiful gorge than not and that is part of the magic. HOW TO GET THERE: The Lower New River is wild whitewater. Seek experience, either learned or bought (guide) before embarking on a river run. A number of area outfitters offer kayak clinics and Lower New rafting trips. The New River Gorge Convention and Visitors Bureau (800-927-0263; newrivergorgecvb.com/newrivergorge-rafting)has a full list of outfitters. —Brian Vincent

 2. Hidden Spot: Swimming the Meadow

The Meadow River is well known for smallmouth bass and tiger muskie fishing, for climbing (the Rehab Wall is just uphill from the water), and for Class III to VI kayak runs. But at summer levels, the water is clear and the current in the Middle Section slows to meandering. In between rapids are calm pools deep enough to jump in from a rope swing. HOW TO GET THERE:  The Meadow flows can rise significantly after a good rainfall so check the river gauge before going at www.lrh-wc.usace.army.mil/wc/whitewater.html. Look for flows around 50 CFS on the Meadow River (Mount Lookout, WV) reading. The section with the best swimming opportunities is found by taking U.S. 19 North from the New River Gorge Bridge, East on Route 60, then North on Route 41, which eventually follows the river.

3. Natural Waterpark: The Dries at Low Water

The New River Dries is called the Dries because most of the New River is diverted around Hawksnest  Dam. What’s left is a shallow playground. A steep, treacherous trail with loose rocks guards the river from the weak-kneed. Biting flies in the heat of summer keep the delicate away. Overcoming these obstacles is worth it: an entire riverbed of flat rocks and a natural waterslide that rivals anything man-made awaits. HOW TO GET THERE: Take Route 16 West from Fayetteville. After several miles, you’ll reach Cotton Hill Bridge, which crosses the Dries. A half a dozen pull-offs can be found on the left. Steep scramble to the river bank.

4. Extreme Fun: Boogie Boarding Canyon Doors

Canyon Doors is the coolest place that I know of on a hot day. Canyon Doors is the name of the rapid that lies beneath towering, copper colored cliffs on the Lower Gauley River.  When the river levels are right—between 400 and 900 CFS—a wave hole forms that is perfect for the whole family to surf. Kayaks are okay in the hole but the real magic is experienced more simply: just a boogie board and a lifejacket.  This fish eye view while the water rushes under you provides endless fascination plus a total body massage. When you wash out of the hole it’s a short swim back into the eddy, and you can do it all over again.  It’s the perfect swimmers treadmill with a thrill. When the hole is in, the river is low enough that you can wade your coolers and gear out to a flat rock, island perch upstream of the action. The water in the Gauley is always crisp so cold blooded folks may like a piece of neoprene to keep their core warm.  Also, just like any river play spot you have to be aware of dangers. Rocks on the bottom of the river form the hole, so if you’re like doing tricks a helmet is a good idea. I like snorkeling goggles to keep the water out of my nose and to look at the underwater world when swimming.  Also, keep an eye out for each other. Higher levels make the eddy harder to catch. Scout out the river downstream and give newbies a few lessons on river swimming and catching eddies before they try surfing.  There are also plenty of calm pools around for anyone wanting a milder experience. HOW TO GET THERE: From Fayetteville, head North on U.S. 19. Take the Route 60 exit towards Hawks Nest State Park.  Just off the exit take Sunday Road to the right.  Sunday Road turns into Saturday Road. From there take Lucas Road (you’re on the right road if you pass Liberty Baptist Church).  Follow this for one mile and take a right at the Horseshoe Creek Road sign.  Pass two gates and take your second right.  Find the access trail from the parking area next to the pavilion.  This is private property, owned by Adventures on the Gorge, who shares it with the community all year except during Gauley Season in September and October. —Katie Johnson

5. Lucky Catch:  Summer Upper Gauley Run

It must have been a high water day on the New River because we were done with our daily commercial rafting trip around noon. We had lunch at base camp and then there was plenty of time for a staff run on the Gauley. Though a storm front was near and flow was a little high—2,900 CFS (cubic feet per second)—we included cute reservationist, Peggy, and forever friend and Mom of two of our guides, Stephanie. These were not the types of rafters who want to swim. The light was beautiful with the afternoon sun shining between the sharp storm clouds and fresh greens of the forest. We were one raft of six and several kayaks. Our raft was a slightly twisted DIB Slipper our company had bought on the cheap as a “second”: a self-bailer, tapered tubes, pretty nice raft but with that extra twist for fun. We got on the water pretty quick and felt pretty darn good. This was summer, not fall Gauley season, and we had the Upper Gauley, a national treasure, all to ourselves! Our first runs were relaxed over cool, green water, and then the breeze started to pick up when we arrived at Pillow Rock, the second of the five big Class V rapids on this stretch of river. I figured the pillow at Pillow Rock Rapid would be just a bit extra big with this extra water. We had two non-guides with us, but the day was beautiful and we took a perfect line up high on the pillow. Maybe it was that twist, maybe it was meant to be—but the raft went over and we all went into the swirl over, under and around Volkswagon Rock and those big boulders on the right. When I came up, one of my flip flops was floating in front of me and one was somehow still on. Sweet Peggy the reservationist was swirling nearby, trying to remain calm, calling in her sweet voice, for priority attention “Office girl! Office girl!!” Barber, grinning with the spectacle of it all swooped over in his kayak and saved her. Everyone got back in the raft—there were no injuries and it was more fun than a barrel of monkeys! For commercial summer Gauley trips, sometimes you can luck out on being here for a perfect mix of water, weather, people, but for local river rats, these trips are what make us rich beyond money. The rest of the run was just the same old beautiful, amazing whirl down the river, with good friends. HOW TO GET THERE: The Gauley River flows out of Summersville Lake, 18 miles north of the New River Gorge Bridge. In September and October, Gauley Season offers guaranteed water flows as the Army Corps of Engineers draws down the lake to its winter level. Gauley Season isn’t the only time the Gauley runs, though: if your timing is right, it runs after unusually heavy summer rains. The Gauley is Class V whitewater: choose guided trips unless you have expert level whitewater skills. Both Adventures on the Gorge (888-650-1932, adventurewestvirginia.com) and Ace Adventure Resort (800-787-3982, aceraft.com) offer summer Upper Gauley rafting trips when the water is flowing. —Eric Autenreith

6. Deep Blue:  Cruising Summersville Lake

Last summer, we rented a pontoon boat from the marina for my husband’s birthday. The excitement of the adventure built as we all piled onto the sturdy craft, slathered each other in sunscreen and secured the kiddos in their PFD’s. Safety first, right? And then we were off. Idling through the wake zone, we spotted another pontoon boat filled with friends and chatted as we cruised toward the open water. We kept the caravan together as we sped across the lake, enjoying the wind and the sun and the peals of laughter from the front of the boat. The kids took turns driving on dad’s lap as we approached a quiet cove, perfect for swimming. We dropped anchor and abandoned ship. The biggest kids (a.k.a. Dads) cannonballed off the deck and dared the rest of us to join them. With a little coaxing and a lot of shrieking, all the kids (big and small) wound up in the water. We splashed and swam, snorkeled and climbed, and then eventually made our way back to the boat to feast. Between the two boats, we laid out gin and tonics with blueberries, locally brewed beer, lemonade, chocolate chip cookies, and sweet potato, black bean, and cream cheese burritos. We ate to our heart’s content and then baked in the sun until we couldn’t take it any longer, and back into the water we went. And so went the day. Play, eat, bask, laugh and repeat. HOW TO GET THERE: Summersville Lake is located 18 miles north of the New River Gorge Bridge. Access points to Summersville Lake are found off U.S. 19 and off Rt. 129, a left off the highway. Summersville Lake Retreat (888-872-5580, summersvillelakeretreat.com) rents pontoon boats as well as canoes and kayaks. ­ —Kim Maxwell

7. Low Key: Floating the Upper New

Perfect for just about everything low key you might want to do: first moving water kayak run, whitewater initiation on a SUP, giving the kids their first taste of whitewater, just floating. Several sections are called the Upper New: Prince to Thurmond, Thurmond to Cunard, even the Upper Upper New:  Glade Creek to Prince. They all offer the same kind of bliss: shallow Class I and II rapids, many floatable on your back with just a lifejacket to remind you you’re not a fish, toes in the air (keep your feet up!), arms out wide feathering the current that rushes past you, eyes on the clouds. HOW TO GET THERE:  A number of area outfitters offer Upper New rafting trips. The New River Gorge Convention and Visitors Bureau (800-927-0263; newrivergorgecvb.com/newrivergorge-rafting) has a full list of outfitters.  Photographs (top to bottom):  Ken Thomas, Cristina Opdahl, Christopher Danz, Katie Johnson, Courtesy of ACE rafting, Kirk Mulcahy, Chris Smith for Adventures on the Gorge  

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