Important Gauley Season Info

Gauley Season Begins!

The 2003 Gauley Season begins the Friday after Labor Day– that’s September 5^th.  The U. S. Army Corps of Engineers cooperates to bring recreational releases during the Summersville Dam’s fall draw down.  Releases are scheduled each Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday beginning, September 5^th for five weeks.  Additional release dates are October 11, 12 and 19.  This has been an exceptionally rainy year thus far, so the release schedule, release levels and daily release times may be subject to change.  Keep posted by checking the Corp’s Huntington district web page.

Although the water flow is managed by the Corps and Summersville hydropower staff, the land and river resources are managed by the National Park Service and the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources.  Gauley season brings an enormous number of people to the Gauley River recreational Area.  Some access points to the river were designed to accommodate much fewer people than is anticipated during Gauley season.  And, the majority of access points are on private property.  Please respect property owners and the efforts of Park personnel.  If it does get crowded, just remember that you’re about to paddle a great river, you’ll catch some awesome surf and surely have a sweet line at Sweet’s!  By the time you get to camp, you’ll be saying “what crowd?”

Here’s a little information to help make your Gauley area visit as great as your best surf at Diagonal Ledges:

CAMPING:

There are two federal campgrounds.  Camping outside these facilities but within the Gauley National Recreation Area is not allowed.  The National Park Service maintains camping at Summersville Dam tailwaters.  The number of parking spaces is limited and over-crowding will not be allowed in order that tailwaters camping remains safe and manageable.  The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers runs a much larger facility, Battle Run Campground,  past Summersville Dam on Route 129 east of Route 19.  Please be aware that dogs are not allowed at Battle Run.

The Panther Mountain field near Mason’s Branch that is used for parking shuttle vehicles at the Upper take-out is private property and not available for camping. There are numerous private campgrounds near Summersville and the New River Gorge.  Park Service personnel can help direct you to a camping area or, call West Virginia‘s Tourism office for information before you travel: (800) CALL WVA.

PETS:

Finding shade for your pet while you’re on the river is not too difficult in West Virginia.  At the Gauley, the put-in access is the least conducive for waiting dogs.  Dogs should be on leash at any location within the National Recreation Area.  And, please keep dogs leashed on private access lands.  If you tie your dog out near your vehicle while you’re gone, please recognize that even the sweetest dog may get protective of “his” vehicle and that other’s will be walking nearby.  Keep people safe from your dog, keep your dog safe with shade and water and… remember, no dogs allowed at Battle Run Campground, and dogs at the AW Festival site must be on leash and will be charged an entrance fee.

RIVER ACCESS:

River left access points are privately owned and will not be accessible to private boaters during the season.  These narrow roads are utilized by commercial raft busses when raft traffic is heaviest.

Wood’s Ferry:

The river right Woods Ferry access is gated and not available for private boat access during the season.

Swiss (Lower take-out):

Access at Swiss is available off South Swiss Road for Lower paddlers to take-out. The field opposite the church is used for commercial bus parking.  The church provides limited parking for a small fee and they offer hot dogs for sale– a community fund raiser, eat up!  One mile upstream of the church on South Swiss Road is a field over the tracks on the right.  Please pay the couple bucks requested of the landowner who allows boaters to use this field throughout the year.

Buck Lick (Lower put-in):

The traditional Lower put-in at Buck Lick is privately owned and crowded.  Leave as many cars as possible at the take-out or run an A+ shuttle complete with shuttle bunny/buck  so you don’t have to leave a vehicle on the narrow Lower put-in access.  Remember, busses drive this road– there is barely room without your parked vehicle crowding the road.  Boaters have been provided a trail and stairway walk-in to the Lower access from the roadway.  The driveway into Buck Lick is private property and closed to all but a limited number of commercial vehicles.

Mason’s Branch (Lower alternate put-in):

If Lower paddlers want to add Wood’s Ferry and Backender rapids as well as another five miles to the long Lower run, the option exists to put-in at Mason’s Branch.  This traditional Upper take-out provides a steep carry to the river or, between roughly noon and 2PM allow your boat to catch a ride down (paddlers get to walk) with the WV Rivers Coalition shuttle U-Haul. Give $5 to the friendly volunteers, load your boat and meet it at the bottom of the gorge.  Remember, it’s a long day– don’t run out of water to paddle on the Lower!

Mason’s Branch (Upper take-out):

You do not need to carry your boat up Panther Mountain from the Upper Gauley take-out at Mason’s Branch.  With the generous cooperation of Class VI River Runners and Appalachian Wildwater, West Virginia Rivers Coalition offers the Gauley River Shuttle beginning September 6^th.  Shuttle is offered each Saturday and Sunday through October 12^th, and on Friday September 19^th.

Park in the grassy field off panther Mountain Road (CR 22) at Mason’s Branch.  When you take-out about a mile below Sweet’s Falls on river right, load your boat on the WVRC U-Haul, walk the trail UP to the field and give the volunteer $5 as you collect your boat.  Spend your energy on the river, save your back and know that your $5 benefits WV rivers! 

Remember:  1) The truck only hauls hard boats at the land owner’s request.  2) The truck and volunteers begin hauling around noon and do the last load around 6PM.  3)  No camping in the parking field.  And, 4) the shuttle is operated by volunteers who are driving U-Haul loads of your boats instead of paddling the river with you so, be kind to these generous souls, especially when boat and paddler traffic is hectic!

To volunteer to help with Gauley shuttle, from the Upper take-out at Mason’s Branch to the rim on Panther Mountain, call Carl Bolyard of WV River’s Coalition at (304) 637-7201.

Tailwaters (Upper put-in):

This year, the National Park Service has managed to squeeze more parking places for unloading at the tailwaters (Upper put-in) access.  There is still insufficient space for all boater vehicles in the tailwater parking area so, utilize the Pines parking area at the top of the put-in access (off Route 129) where the Park Service will coordinate traffic.

Consolidate boats and boaters at the Pines in order to drive as few vehicles as possible to the 10 minute unloading zone at the tailwaters.  The Park Service will provide a couple blowers for those of you needing to inflate your rubber craft at the tailwaters.  After unloading (remember you have ten minutes) please drive back to the Pines to leave your vehicle.  Park Service personnel at the Pines will communicate with personnel at the tailwaters.  When the unloading zone fills, they will begin a process of temporarily prioritizing access to vehicles with four or more boats.

Although no one ever likes to wait or be rushed, practice patience with your fellow boaters, and especially the Park Service ranger who’s in the uncomfortable position of making you wait at the Pines or speed up at the tailwaters.  Your act of patience will pay off when you eagerly vie for Hawaii 5-O or the wave at Insignificant!

GAULEY SEASON DATES:

2) American Whitewater’s Gauley Festival will be September 19^th -20^th. [www.amwhitewater.org]

3) Monday the 22nd is the Animal Upper Gauley race. [www.gauleyrace.com]

4) WVRC’s 2^nd annual Dining Out for Clean Water will be Saturday Night September 27 in Fayetteville and Summersville. Visit wvrivers.org for details.

4) There will be an extra day of Gauley release water in 2003 on Sunday, October 19. This is the day after Bridge Day, Fayette County‘s celebration on the New River Gorge Bridge.

Have a good Gauley Season!