Rafting the New River

Upper New vs Lower New at a glance

How hard is the Lower New, really? Depends who you ask. The Park Service whitewater page says "Class III to Class V," its private boater page says "technical Class III - IV," and American Whitewater lists III-IV. Outfitters land all over that range. Think of it as solid Class III-IV water with a few rapids that climb a grade when the river rises.

The Upper New: splashy, scenic and good for kids

Pick the Upper New for young children, first-timers, or anyone who would rather float and swim than hang on tight. American Whitewater calls it "a great mild whitewater run" and "a good run for those who don't feel up to either the Upper or Lower Gauley at fall release levels." Mild isn't the same as small, though. The Park Service describes "a big powerful river, but very beautiful, always runnable," and easy rapids on a river this size still move a lot of water.

"Upper New" covers several stretches. Trips launch from Glade Creek, Grandview Sandbar, McCreery, Stone Cliff or Thurmond depending on the flow and the format, and McCreery to Stone Cliff alone is an 11.1-mile float. Boats vary too: Adventures on the Gorge runs its Upper New full day in single or double inflatable kayaks, with rafts "available upon request," while River Expeditions and New & Gauley sell duckie options beside the raft.

It's also the cheapest family day on the river, as long as it isn't a Saturday. ACE, Adventures on the Gorge and River Expeditions all let a child aged 6 to 11 raft free with a paying adult. ACE's offer "Excludes Saturdays and some holidays" and runs only from Memorial Day through Labor Day, and Adventures on the Gorge's says "(excludes Saturday)." River Expeditions lists no Saturday exclusion, but its Saturday adult price is $30 above Sunday's.

The Lower New: the big rapids under the bridge

This is the run that put the gorge on the whitewater map. Below Cunard the river drops about 20 feet a mile through a string of named rapids: Upper and Lower Railroad, the three Keeneys (which merge into one long rapid when the water is up), the zigzag moves of Double Z, the hole at Greyhound Bus Stopper and, last of all, Fayette Station, just above the take-out beneath the bridge. American Whitewater says the 6.5 miles from Cunard to Fayette Station hold "all of the rapids except for one called Surprise," which sits upstream and gets run on trips that put in at Thurmond.

You'll need to meet the company's age floor (12 at most outfitters, 11 at two, 13 at Alpine) and be able to swim. Full-day and express trips run the same rapids; the full day adds upstream miles, a riverside lunch, Jump Rock and swim time. That's why ACE lists "8-13 miles" for both of its Lower New trips and New & Gauley calls its half day "a straight shot of the 8.5-mile whitewater section" starting "from the Cunard putin."

Take the swimming part seriously. Adventures on the Gorge says "All adventurers on the trip should be able to swim," and ACE's guest eligibility criteria ask Lower New guests to swim in current while wearing a life jacket, attempt re-entry, escape from under a flipped raft and swim 25 yards in flat water.

The named rapids, top to bottom

One spot every guide steers clear of: Meat Grinder, an undercut, sieved rock on river right at Lower Keeney. It's a hazard, not a rapid to run.

What New River rafting costs in 2026, and how old kids need to be

Prices below are each company's own "from" or listed figure, per person before tax and fees, checked September 22, 2026. Only Alpine Ministries labels its rates for 2026 ("Based on 2026 rates"), and River Expeditions' holiday note still cites last year's Memorial Day and Labor Day dates, so confirm the price when you book.

Saturday is the expensive day. River Expeditions adds $25 to $30 on Saturday only and prices Sunday like a weekday, New & Gauley charges its weekend rate on both days, and Alpine's Saturday Lower New runs $19 over its Monday price. Bring friends to West Virginia Adventures on a Monday through Thursday and a group of four pays $125 each for a Lower New day instead of $145.

Budget a bit past the sticker price. River Expeditions adds 6% sales tax and a $5 river usage fee per rafter per day, ACE adds a $5 resource use fee, and Adventures on the Gorge prices "before taxes/fees" (its September 2026 group pages showed a Saturday Lower New at $153 plus 6% tax and a $6 activity fee). Wetsuit rental is extra where offered (New & Gauley lists $20), photos are sold after the trip, and a cash tip for your guide is customary, though no company sets an amount.

Rafting with a 10 or 11-year-old? ACE's product pages say "Minimum age: 12 years old (ages 10-11 must ride in oar-controlled rafts)," while its site menu says "Min. Age 10," so ask about the oar raft, where the guide does the rowing. Kids also need to fit a life jacket: ACE's FAQ says a child's "chest must measure 24 inches to fit securely," and Adventures on the Gorge's jackets top out at a 56-inch chest. The family planning page lines up the other age limits around the gorge.

What a day on the New is like

The day starts with check-in and waivers. ACE asks you to arrive 60 minutes before trip time, or 90 with breakfast; New & Gauley says 30 minutes; West Virginia Adventures meets at 9 a.m. at its Hico base and gets you back around 3 p.m. Next comes the safety talk (paddle commands, the swimmer's position, getting back in the boat), then a bus ride down steep, narrow gorge roads to the put-in. A "six-hour trip" usually means the whole outing, and River Expeditions says its full days run "five to seven hours on the water, including time for lunch on the riverbank."

Wear clothes that dry fast and shoes that stay on: Adventures on the Gorge suggests "sport sandals or an old pair of tennis shoes," and ACE warns that in cool weather "Cotton WILL NOT keep you warm." Leave valuables in the car. Adventures on the Gorge has no lockers and runs a cashless resort, though guests can still tip guides in cash. ACE, Adventures on the Gorge and River Expeditions post photographers on the bank to catch your raft mid-rapid and sell the shots afterward; River Expeditions' flash drives start at $55.

Trips go rain or shine. ACE, Adventures on the Gorge, New & Gauley and River Expeditions all keep the right to move a trip to another section, another river or a different raft size when the water is too high or too low, and ACE gives no weather rain-check "unless all events of the day are cancelled." Alcohol is out everywhere: Adventures on the Gorge calls its policy "Zero tolerance," and New & Gauley ends the trip for anyone impaired.

How the water level changes your trip

You'll hear two gauges quoted, and a level in feet means nothing until you know which one. Outfitters and the USGS read the New River at Thurmond; American Whitewater and most paddlers talk about the Lower New in feet on the Fayette Station gauge. The Park Service's conversion table ties them together:

Above the top of that table, American Whitewater says "At 12ft the Park Service cutoffs put-ins for commercial rafting trips," and ACE says it runs commercial Lower New trips from just below 1,000 cfs to about 32,000 cfs. At levels like that, your outfitter makes the call on the morning of the trip.

The season shapes the ride as much as the day does. Flows usually peak from February through April and bottom out from July through September, when the Lower New trades big wave trains for rock-dodging lines, especially at Double Z. The Park Service puts the commercial season at April through October; ACE and River Expeditions print May to October, and Alpine mid-April to October. The river conditions page explains what each level on the live panel means.

Is rafting the New River safe?

Reported injuries are uncommon, and among the state's commercial runs the Upper New has the lowest rate. A 2001-2010 rafting injury analysis for the West Virginia Whitewater Commission counted 589 injured guests over ten years, at these rates per 1,000 rafter days: Upper New 0.078, Lower New 0.213, Lower Gauley 0.220, Upper Gauley 0.556. Its author calls the rates "questionable" because of reporting gaps. The largest share of injuries (45%) were sprains, strains, dislocations or fractures, and about half happened in the raft rather than in the water, so hold on when your guide says to.

The same report lists the Lower New spots with the most reported injuries from 2003 to 2010: Lower Railroad (24), Greyhound Bus (19), Middle Keeney (18), Surprise (15), Jump Rock (12) and Miller's Folly (10). Jump Rock is a swim stop, not a rapid, which is worth remembering when the guide offers the jump.

A newer peer-reviewed study of 2017 to 2021 rafting injuries counted 149 injured guests statewide, 0.228 per 1,000, and no fatalities. American Whitewater's West Virginia accident database does list a fatal "flush drowning" on a commercial high-water Lower New trip on April 4, 2024, with no company named. The Park Service says about half of boating and swimming deaths in the park involve alcohol. On a commercial trip, your life jacket stays on the whole time.

No source publishes safety figures by company, so this site doesn't rank outfitters on safety. The rafting company comparison covers what each one does publish.

Flood update for fall 2026

The August 15 and 16 flash floods dropped a debris slide on Cunard Road and closed parts of Fayette Station Road, the Nuttallburg road and Glade Creek Road, West Virginia Explorer reported. MetroNews said on August 19 that the Cunard washout was expected to reopen within days. Adventures on the Gorge's half-day Rapid Run page still said on September 22 that its put-in "is not currently available," with full-day Lower New trips offered instead. An open road and a usable put-in aren't the same thing, so ask your outfitter where you'll launch.

Want to watch the rafts finish under the bridge? Fayette Station Road is an 8-mile one-way drive with hairpin curves and a 12-foot railroad clearance, closed to RVs and trailers. Cell service fades at river level.

Running the New in your own boat

The Park Service says "The New River below Thurmond is suitable only for advanced and expert paddlers," and rates Hinton to Thurmond "Class I, II, and III rapids suitable for intermediate whitewater paddlers." Call the recorded river lines before you drive: Bluestone Dam (New River) 304-466-0156, updated by 9 a.m., and the Corps of Engineers 304-529-5127, updated by 10 a.m. The vehicle shuttle from Cunard to Fayette Station is about 21 miles and 45 minutes each way.

So which section should you book?

Anyone under 11 in the group? Book the Upper New on a weekday or a Sunday and use a free-child offer (ACE's runs only from Memorial Day to Labor Day). Everyone 12 or older and able to swim? Book the Lower New full day rather than the express: the rapids are the same, and the lunch, Jump Rock and swim stops are what the extra buys, $30 more at River Expeditions. The numbers back that split. The Upper New's reported injury rate was less than half the Lower New's, and no Lower New option takes a child under 10.

If big water is the point, go early in the season rather than late summer. And if your group is 16 or older, experienced and in town on a release weekend, the Gauley is calling; the Gauley season page has the dates. Most outfitters run their own cabins and campgrounds, but it pays to compare places to stay near the put-ins before you book a package.