Guest
USFS recreation area (Rt. 72) to Clinch R.(Guest River Gorge)
| Difficulty | IV-V |
| Length | 13.8 mi |
| Avg Gradient | 100 fpm |
| Gauge | Guest River at Coeburn, Va |
| Flow Rate as of 1354 days | 19 cfsstale data |
| Reach Info Last Updated | May 22, 2025 |
The Guest River Gorge is the final half-dozen or so miles of the Guest River before it enters the Clinch River in the Upper Tennessee Watershed.
The Guest was originally called Guests River and is named after Christopher Gist, an early explorer in the Appalachian area.
The Gorge flows through the Guest River Gorge Recreation area, which also contains a Rails-to-trails style bike trail, which is wide and slightly sloping, and visible for much of the run. The trail is on River Left for all of the run with the exception of the first quarter mile of easy class I-II. Most of the run is visible from the trail or a short walk from it. The more difficult section (after putting in from 29 down to Whorehouse) is not visible from the trail, but can be accessed with a little bush-wacking.
FYI, there's also good rock climbing, trad and sport, on the cliffs you can see from the river/trail. Currently climbing is off limits in the summer months due to falcon nesting.
Overview of the Run:
The Guest has a “Bell Curve” style gradient: it starts out with easy class II-III rapids, moves into a consistent and sustained series of class IV rapids with one solid V, then slows back down to Class II and III rapids before hitting the flat water on the Clinch.
There is one mandatory portage on the river and wood is nearly always an issue. The run is easily navigable by experienced paddlers, just be sure to scout. It is also a great high water alternative to the Russell Fork Breaks section (about 1.5 hours away); and with a proper guide + scouting + portages, it can be a great step-up run for beginning creekers.
On the whole, the river is comparable to other river runs in the area, including the Powell and the Russell Fork. However, it is much longer and has more rapids than both of those runs put together. There is nothing quite as distinct and difficult as, say, El Horrendo or Triple Drop
...Dec 26, 2012
New AW gauge is up at the bridge on Rt 72. At 650 cfs, this translates to 2ft on the center pillar. This level is a medium/high level for most mortals.
Feb 14, 2008
As of today there is not Significant wood in the Guest Gorge. For the record, Even if the Gauge (powell near big stone gap) is on the downslope and only at 250cfs, the Guest is still very runnable and not low at all until the end when the river widens a bit. I was very pleasantly surprised today to find the river at 9 inches. Great run, Don't hear much about it though, wonder why that is?
I also found some Pictures of some other rapids here http://geocities.com/billh1970/pics/Guest\_River/guest\_river\_pics\_2001.html
