New, West Virginia, US

15. New River Dries: Hawks Nest Dam to Gauley Bridge

Usual Difficulty	III-IV(V) (for normal flows)
Length	6 Miles
Avg. Gradient	18 fpm

Gauge Information

Name	Range	Difficulty	Updated	Level

River Description

The Dries is a surfers paradise although at high waterlevels you will have to catch some of the waves on the fly. About 2/3 of the way down the river you will find a long class III+ rapid that ends in a big pool. At the bottom of the pool are several huge boulders. This is Landslide rapid. There are 5-6 slots between the boulders. The cleanest slots are the 2nd and 3rd from the right. The leftmost slots have a potential for pinning and should be avoided.

Putin: Just above or below the Cotton Hill bridge on Rt. 16.

Takeout: Along Rts. 16 & 60 above Gauley Bridge. Perhaps the best spot to take out is on river right by the bigs rocks just below the railroad bridge. There is a short path from the top of the rocks to the road with parking for a few cars. There is additional parking a bit upstream and across the road by a nice waterfall.