National Park Guide: West Virginia's Gauley River
— -- For Heather Lukacs of Russellville, W. Va., a favorite part of the Gauley River is near a break in a 100-foot rock wall where Canyon Doors Rapid forms standing waves.
With a lifetime of experience on the river, Lukacs, 33, sometimes enjoys not running the rapid with the conventional kayak or raft used on the often rigorous Gauley waters — but rather surfing it with a boogie board.
Lukacs, whose family once owned a rafting business, is more than familiar with the Gauley River National Recreation Area's world-class whitewater. At age 17, she became a rafting guide on the Gauley River and nearby New River and still guides occasionally.
Now West Virginia program manager for the National Parks Conservation Association, Lukacs says she has rafted and kayaked down rivers in the western USA that, while beautiful, are dry and stark compared with "all different shades of green" found on the Gauley River.
"People who are used to those rivers are in awe of the vegetation and the wildlife (along the Gauley and New rivers)," she says.
Though the lower part is less strenuous than the upper, the park's entire 25½-mile stretch of the Gauley includes challenging rapids that are unwise to traverse except for advanced kayakers and rafters, Lukacs says, or those guided by one of several companies providing tours.
"If you're looking to float down on a tube, this isn't it," she says.
Highlights on the Gauley River include Sweet's Falls — the last of the Upper Gauley's strenuous "Big Five" rapids — where rafts and kayaks run down a 12-foot chute of water, and the Upper Mash, a rapid where kayakers can ride the surging waters over a rock to catch some air.
"Gauley Season" falls in September and October, when releases from Summersville Lake fuel the river's rapids and guarantee 22 days of whitewater.
In addition to rafting and kayaking, visitors can climb on sandstone cliff walls along the river, fish (several types of bass are common), hike, view wildlife (including deer, songbirds and black bears) and explore the park's history.
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About the park
Size: 4,092 acres along 25½ miles of the Gauley River and 5½ miles of the Meadow River
Visitors: 109,780 in 2011
Established: 1988
History: Native Americans lived, hunted and fished for thousands of years in what is now the recreation area. The introduction of a railroad line in the late 1800s helped build various industries in the area but led to pollution. Efforts in 1922 helped revitalize the river.
When visiting: Headquarters at 104 Main St. in Glen Jean; Canyon Rim Visitor Center at 162 Visitor Center Rd. in Lansing; Sandstone Visitor Center at 330 Meadow Creek Rd. Info: 304-465-0508.
Of note: In some spots, the Gauley River provides the opportunity to "surf " on standing waves. "On the ocean, waves move through the water. On the river, water moves through the waves," says Heather Lukacs of Russellville, W.Va., who has many years of experience rafting and kayaking on the river.
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