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 1280 days | 19 cfsstale data |
| Reach Info Last Updated | May 22, 2025 |
River Description
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
...River Features
Put In
Take Out
Trip Reports
Log in to add a reportThe First III+ rapid on the Guest at normal flows. This is at about 1 ft. from the top left.
This is from the bottom of Whorehouse at about 1ft. (330 cfs). Those holes get MEATY as the water rises.
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.
When the Guest is running at a medium flow [about 1 ft on the middle pillar of the bridge], the run is continuous Class IV+, and contains a mandatory portage about 1/3 into the run. AND you better know where it is!! If you love creekin in the Appalachians, then find someone who knows the river & the lines, and you will not be disappointed. Wood is a constant issue so be very watchful. There was a massive snow storm in December 2009 that resulted in a lot of wood in the stream bed.
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
This is the last drop before carrying around the seive '29'.
Carry around seive after landing this drop.
Typical busy water on Guest. This eddy is just above where picture titled boof(aw photo id 14860) was taken
Gerald Delong and I ran this on Monday (4/4/05). Gerald said the right gauge was 14 inches. The center gauge is difficult to read. It felt like 2.5' to me. The limbo log is still across the river left channel of the island upstream of 29. Gerald raised it with rocks so we could get under it. This probably will not be permanent. There was a new log on the right side of the 6 foot drop above 29 in the river left island channel. It is easily avoided as you normally run the left side of this drop. There are still logs in the river right channel. It looks like they have shifted downstream almost to the confluence of the two channels above 29.
Mark Copeland, John Heffernan and I ran it Tuesday (6/2/04). The level was 3 feet on the center pillar. The log on the left side of the island above 29 was still there. Do not run the right side of the island. There have been strainers on that side also. We could not see if they were still there yesterday. Also, there is a large hole as the river turns left on the back side of the island. It would be difficult to punch and hit the last eddy before being swept into 29. This was a fun but very pushy level. There are large holes and pour overs to avoid. Be sure to know the run and what to expect before trying it at a higher level like this.
Update on comment made below. The last two times I ran the Guest (since Januaury), we could get under the log mentioned on the left side of the island. Do not go to the right of the island as mentioned previously. There is a new strainer to the right. It does not look like you can get around it. The portage around the strainer on river left is very easy on the left side of the river.
Some friends and I ran this on Thursday (6/20/03). There was a strainer across the left channel at the top of the island above 29 or Toilet Bowl. This is what I have always called the rapid where the water goes under the two rocks on the left. You have to run to the right of the island. We hit an eddy on river right just before the river curves back left above Toilet Bowl. We made the portage on river right from there. There is a slot on river right that some people may run to avoid the second part of the portage on the right. Beware, there is barbed wire across the river from the right side to a rock in the middle. Very difficult to see. We were not sure how it got there. There are also some limbs in the left side of the slot sticking out from under the rock. The level was 2.5' on the middle pylon. On the right pylon it was 1.5'.