New
08. Bluff City, VA (near Pearisburg,VA) to Glen Lyn, VA(Narrows)
| Difficulty | I-II+(III) |
| Length | 9.7 mi |
| Avg Gradient | n/a |
| Gauge | New River at Glen Lyn, Va |
| Flow Rate as of 29 minutes | 3.18 ftlow runnable |
| Reach Info Last Updated | March 1, 2026 |
River Description
Wayne Rudolph testified on 2000-10-09:
I run a section of this from Pearisburg to Narrows every Labor Day weekend with a group of folks from the Tidewater Appalachian Trail Club. This is the river that first got me hooked on whitewater and eventually into kayaking. It is for the most part very tame, with a few bigger rapids, nothing larger than a III. However, this year, the river rose about 2.5 feet from Saturday to Sunday. It was, as you would expect, a totally different river. One of our favorite rapids was washed out and we were able to take a new route through another. Some of the usual small ripple were now pretty decent standing waves. What a trip. For the finale, we took out at the bridge by Wards store and went down past the Hoechst Celanese plant. There is a broken dam that I have been dying to run for years. Well we put two boats in, a whitewater OC and me in my class III rec boat. We took the dam in the center cut hard right after the first drop and then a quick left. It was like running a small staircase with two distinct steps. The OC dumped first time over, so of course we had to do it again. Second time through was beautiful. Straight through, sweet as can be. Definitely got me in the mood for some bigger water. I think at the level the river was running that day it would have been a high III. Anyway you slice it, this section of river is great for anyone just getting into the sport. We camped a place called Gentry's Landing, in Narrows, VA, for 8.00 a night. Real nice people who have done a lot of work improving their place over the last year.
Ed Evangelidi testifies:
Note that there are normal release fluctuations within a day. This
...River Features
Put-in - Bluff City
The Bluff City boat ramp is a developed access with a concrete ramp, pit toilet, and plenty of parking. It's located directly under the Hwy. 460 bridge over the New, just west of Pearisburg. From Pearisburg, turn right on Cord Drive just before the bridge begins (there's also a river access sign here and a short turn lane). Then turn left on Thomas Drive, then turn right across the railroad tracks. Coming from Narrows, at the end of the bridge look for the left turn lane. Turn into a parking lot which has access to Cord Drive. From the ramp it's also possible to paddle upstream to a large island and a playspot on river right. The Appalachian Trail crosses the New on this bridge.
"The Narrows"
'The Narrows'
Take-Out - Glen Lyn
The Glen Lyn town park entrance is next to the eastern end of the 460 bridge over the New. After turning into the park, bear right to go past the pavilion, toward the river and the row of RVs/campers. Then bear left and drive to the upstream end of the RVs. There's a concrete ramp right at the row of tall old concrete pilings in the river, with parking nearby.