Gauley River

Sweet 's Falls

A kayaker passes through the Iron Ring rapids

An angler, probably waiting for rainbow and brown trout

The Gauley River is one of the most popular with kayakers whitewater rivers in the eastern United States and the main attraction for day trippers and tourists in the Gauley River National Recreation Area.

The body of water is the right source of the river Kanawha River in central West Virginia. The river has a length of 172 km, the catchment area of ​​3681 km ².

Headwaters and run

The Gauley River rises in the Monongahela National Forest, more precisely on Gauley Mountain in Pocahontas County, West Virginia, from the three source waters North, Middle and South Fork Gauleny River, flowing through all the extreme south of Randolph County; these unite in Webster County. The river then follows a generally west- southwest run by Webster, Nicholas and Fayette County and the cities have happened Camden -on- Gauley and Summerville. Below the Summersville Lake meanders of the river to the west, before he bends at Belva to the south, until he finally united in Gauley Bridge, with the New River and the Kanawha River forms so. About this and the Ohio River Gauley River is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River.

Inflows

Apart from the headwaters are the main tributaries of the Gauley River Cranberry River and Williams River, both of which open out in Webster County and the Cherry River, whose mouth is at Curtin in Nicholas County and the Meadow River, which at the county line between Fayette County and Nicholas County opens.

Dams

In Nicholas County, the river by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers through the Summersville Dam is dammed and forms the Summersville Lake. The Gauley River National Recreation Area is located below the dam.

Whitewater

The Gauley River is used all year round recreational kayakers; commercial rafting providers are from the spring to the autumn. During most of the year, the possibilities and the difficulty level of the rainfall and the water level at Summersville Lake are dependent. For the first time on Friday after Labor Day granted the Army Corps of Engineers, a series of 21 controlled Wasserablässen, the pronounced only serve the leisure seekers below. This " Gauley Season" will take place at the six consecutive weekends held from Friday to Monday last weekend on Saturdays and Sundays. Typically, 68-79 m³ / s of water to be released.

This water drain is due to an act of Congress, and the region thereby takes millions of dollars annually because many kayakers from across the United States and other countries, especially so to arrive. The Act was the first law in the United States, with the draining of water from reservoirs has been arranged for the purpose of whitewater kayakers.

The Gauley River is traveled usually in two sections: the heavier 16 km Upper Gauley in class IV -V and the lighter 18 kilometers of Lower Gauley in class III -IV, V parts of a 9 km long Middle Gauley in class III and IV are usually ridden in conjunction with the other two sections, sometimes referred to as a simple alternative alone.

In the upper section there are dozens of rapids, the best known of which are called Big Five:

• Insignificant (Class V - ironically named so because the first expedition above Pillow rock would have not found significant )
• Pillow Skirt ( Class V -. Accessible via a steep path from the battlefield at the Ferry Carnifax Very strong rapids. )
• Lost Paddle (Class V - a long, treacherous rapids, which consists of four parts, First Drop, Second Drop, Third Drop and Tumblehome. )
• Iron Ring (Class V - so called because many years ago had a big iron ring attached to a rock lumberjack; This ring was cut off in the 1980s by vandals and removed. )
• Sweet 's Falls (Class V - named after John Sweet, a canoeist and pioneer of the sport on the Gauley River. )

On the middle and lower reaches there are fewer rapids than on the upper reaches, and these do not follow each other so fast, although there are some technically challenging to ride rapids in this area.

History

On September 10, 1861 came on the river during the Civil War at the Battle of Carnifex Ferry to a victory for the Union forces.

Name Variants

According to the Geographic Names Information System of the United States Geological Survey of the Gauley River was known by several other names:

• Chin- que- ta -na
• Chinquetanacepewe
• Falling Creek
• Gaul River
• Gawly River
• Gualey River
• River of Gauls
• The Falling Creek
• The Falls Creek
• To- ke -be -lo- ke
• To- ke- ke -le- bel
• To- ke -bel- lo - ke
• Tokobelloke