Extreme Rafting Trip Planning

For the last 8 years I have organized annual rafting trips down the famous Upper Gauley river in West Virginia. We go during a 22-day period known as Gauley Season. This is when the Army Corp of Engineers have a controlled dam release from Summersville reservoir dam. At the bottom of the dam the mighty Upper Gauley starts it’s decent through some of WV”s most beautiful scenery, while providing some of the best class 5+ white water action the northern hemisphere has ever seen!

There is a lot a variables that go into scheduling this trip, and after so many years of making this run I‘ve figured out a thing or two about planning it. I’ll share some things that may help you with scheduling your trip to have the best time possible.