River Links

AW has pulled together a partial list of lodging options near the Gauley, including hotels, bed and breakfasts, cabin rentals, and camping. This should give you an idea of what's available near the Gauley. Sleep tight...

There are no federally-owned access points below Gauley Dam. This means that your public river access is provided at the whim of several benevolent landowners who have agreed to work with American Whitewater and allow you to trespass for a few weeks every year on scheduled release weekends. Please take a few mintues to review the access rules for the Upper and Lower Gauley.

In 1996, Representative Rahall sought to help the whitewater community by sponsoring legislation requiring the Park Service to acquire a river access point for the public on West Virginia’s Gauley River. The legislation passed, but in the intervening years, the Park Service has made no apparent progress on meeting the required terms. The Gauley is a national recreation area where you can launch at the dam, but can not get off without trespassing. AW is seeking to facilitate the rapid acquisition of permanent, public (non-commercial) access to the Gauley River National Recreation Area at Woods Ferry, Bucklick Creek, and Swiss. Please help to hasten the Park Service purchase of this land by writing to Representative Rahall.