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Just for Fun here is a great list of rivers you can paddle on.
Eastern rivers
Rivers in the eastern section of the United States are usually considered "technical," which means that due to lesser water volume, rafters and kayakers must often direct their craft through boulder-strewn sections of river, through narrow channels and shoals. This requires a degree of "river reading" skill, paddling precision, and understanding of hazards such as undercut rocks and strainers.
[edit] Northeast
The following are some of the rivers in the Northeast that are popular.
- Contoocook River, New Hampshire - Class 3-4
- Dead River, Maine - Class 3-5
- Deerfield River, Vermont and Massachusetts - Class 2-5
- Farmington River, Massachusetts and Connecticut - Class 3
- Housatonic River, Connecticut - Class 1-5
- Kennebec River, Maine - mostly Class 2-4, one Class 5 rapid
- Lehigh River, Whitehaven to Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania - a 24-mile (39 km) run, through a beautiful gorge; Class 3, in high water this is a class 4 run.
- Nescopeck Creek, Pennsylvania - Class 2-3
- Potomac River, Maryland/Virginia
- Penobscot River, Maine - Class 3-5
- Rockaway River, Boonton, New Jersey - Class 4; only a 1 mile section can be paddled but the gradient is a 120 feet for the mile, with the staircase rapids along Rt. 287 reaching 40 feet drop in a quarter of a mile.
- Westfield River, Massachusetts - Class 1-4; 40 miles (64 km) of varying difficulty including Pork Barrel and Knightville.
- Youghiogheny River, Pennsylvania - Class 3-4
[edit] New York
- Black River, Watertown - Class III-V
- Delaware River - Class I-II.
- Esopus Creek - Class II-IV
- Hudson River, North Creek - Class I-IV
- Mongaup River- Class II-III; about 3-mile (4.8 km)
- Moose River, Old Forge - Class IV-V+
- Sacandaga River, Lake Luzerne- Class II-III
- Salmon River - Class I-III
- Ten Mile Creek - Class I-III; about 10 miles (16 km)
- Grasse River - Upper section, Class IV - V
- Oswegatchie River - Middle Branch Bryants Bridge and Sluice Falls sections, Class IV - V
- Raquette River - Class III - IV+
- Niagara River(Whirlpool Rapids)--Class VI, considered by many to be the ultimate whitewater rapids in North America and illegal to kayak in---in the kayaking world you become legendary if you live to tell about it. Sports a 94 foot drop in under 1.5 miles and 100,000 to 120,000 cubic feet of water per second flowing through it, along with one huge whirlpool and several smaller ones. Listed as one of the 5 deadliest rivers in the world to kayak on.
[edit] Southeast
Some signature streams in the southeastern United States include:
- Chattooga River, Georgia / South Carolina - sports long, challenging rapids, big drops, and thunderous power; this river can be a challenge for even experts; the Chattooga was one of the rivers used for the filming of the 1973 adventure movie, Deliverance. It is designated as a Wild and Scenic River and therefore offers beautiful scenery and a somewhat wilderness experience. * Cheat River, West Virginia - Class IV.
- French Broad River, Asheville, North Carolina - featuring a long run of varying difficulty, from flatwater runnable in a canoe to class IV rapids near Hot Springs, North Carolina and the border with Tennessee. The main drawbacks are that the water tends to be muddy or polluted and it is a natural flow river.
- Gauley River, Summersville, West Virginia - has huge rapids, especially at the "Fall Drawdown" (when the reservoir is drained) is a world-class ride; many of them listed as Class V; the Upper Gauley, from Summersville to Mason's Branch, is the tougher section; the Lower Gauley, from Koontz' Flume to Swiss, is still a Class-IV river with significant hazards; navigating the Upper and Lower Gauley in a single day is called "the Gauley Marathon," twenty-six miles of big rapids and paddling.
- Green River, Asheville, North Carolina - the Green Narrows is the steepest "creek run" with regular activity in the Eastern U.S; with a gradient that reaches 600 feet/mile over one short section, The Narrows is a series of blind waterfalls and tight slots; regular, predictable releases from the Tuxedo Hydro Plant upstream draw paddlers on a regular basis.
- James River, Richmond, Virginia - The only urban whitewater in America (The Ottawa River features 3 sets within the urban boundary of Ottawa). Class IV rapids.
- Nantahala River, Bryson City, North Carolina - a relatively gentle river, with the final rapid having the propensity to send paddlers in for a cold, exhilarating swim; suitable for beginners.
- New River, Thurmond, West Virginia - the next step up; its rapids are larger than those of the Ocoee, though they are separated by long flatwater pools.
- Ocoee River, Polk County, Tennessee - 1996 Olympic Canoe/Kayak Whitewater Slalom Competition was held on this world-class river; a special section was constructed for the venue, but the "middle" Ocoee is the classic ride that is almost continuous whitewater.
- Nolichucky River, Erwin, Tennessee scenic river; water levels vary greatly (dependent upon rain fall and season); guides' moniker "Bone-i-chucky" attributed to in-stream rock obstructions, particularly at low summer water levels.
- Russell Fork River - located in Breaks Interstate Park on the border of Kentucky and Virginia, this river drops 150 feet (46 m) per mile in the Russell Fork Gorge, which has been described as a continuous forty-five degree waterfall; it has dangerous rapids, even experienced paddlers have died in its many undercut rocks, and there have been many close calls; for the most experienced rafters and kayakers only.
- Watauga River, mostly cold and clear water Class I-II rapids with the exception of the Bee Cliff Rapids following scheduled high volume reservoir releases during summer months from the Tennessee Valley Authority Wilbur Dam flowing through Elizabethton, Tennessee (Northeast Tennessee); also upstream of both TVA Wilbur Dam and Watauga Dam as a separate, non-commercial run beginning in North Carolina to Johnson County, Tennessee above Watauga Lake; Class IV-V.
[edit] West Coast rivers
In the western United States, the more noted rivers, such as the Grand Canyon have much greater water volume and therefore require a different set of paddling skills. Western rafters also navigate many small, low volume rivers, some with much steeper descents than eastern rivers; however, since the mountains are newer in the west, the hazard from undercut rocks, a problem in the east, is replaced by more frequent log jams precipitated by logging activities near the rivers.
The big-water rivers usually do not require the precision paddling of smaller rivers, but have larger rapids and longer wilderness trips due to the greater length and water flow of the big rivers. The smaller rivers and creeks boated by most rafters offer many one- or two-day trips with difficulty levels from I to VI.
In the West, some paddlers start on the American in California and work their way up to the Rogue and Illinois in Oregon, the Tuolomne (California), the Salmon in Idaho, the Snake, and then the big-water rivers like the Green and Colorado through the Grand Canyon (Arizona), the Fraser in British Columbia, and many Alaskan streams.
[edit] California
[edit] Colorado and Utah
- Cache La Poudre River - Colorado's only federally designated Wild and Scenic River contains sections appropriate for every level of expertise including an easy Class II section, several Class III and Class-IV sections, as well as some Class V. There is a Class VI waterfall that is very dangerous because the last drop is unrunnable. The water pours off a slab into a 2-foot (0.61 m)-wide crack and grinds anything that goes into it.
- Colorado River
- Gore Canyon - a Class-IV reach with two significant Class-V rapids. The first Class V, Gore Rapid, is tighly surrounded by several large Class-IV rapids. Most of the water flows to the river-left side of the rapid, where a very nasty and very sticky hydraulic runs into a large rock. The second Class-V Rapid, Tunnel Rapid, is mostly comprised of a single large ledge. On the right side of the rapid is a very nasty and very sticky hole that is bordered by a large rock on the left preventing people from exiting. On the left side of the ledge, the water is redirected right back into the large hole. The water is redirected by an undercut rock.
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- I-70 Section - Class-III big water, pushy at times.
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- Cataract Canyon: Varies in class from III to V. At over 50,000 cubic feet per second (1400 m³/s), Cataract Canyon becomes class V. The first 48 miles (77 km) from Potash boat ramp are flat water. Four miles (6 km) after the confluence of the Green and Colorado rivers Cataract Canyon begins. Major John Wesley Powell navigated the rapids in 1869 and gave Cataract Canyon its name. Cataract Canyon slices its way through Canyonlands National Park. Prior to becoming a National Park in 1964, Canyonlands and particularly Cataract Canyon was a "no man's land". French trapper Denis Julien made his way up the canyon in 1836 and left his inscription near the confluence or the Green and Colorado Rivers, and at many other places upstream. [1]
- Spring runoff from the Uinta, Wasatch, and the western fronts of the Rocky Mountains combines to create some of the most exciting whitewater in North America. Flows have been gauged at over 110000 Cubic feet per Second in 1984. This is much larger than in the Grand Canyon where water is released from the Glen Canyon Dam and therefore regulated. In an average year Cataract Canyon will peak at 35,000 cubic feet per second (1000 m³/s) which creates 32 rapids (depending on water levels in Lake Powell). At over 50,000 cubic feet per second (1400 m³/s) the rapids from rapid 14 through rapid 24 form some of the most awe inspiring whitewater in North America.
- Arkansas River - a big river, with many sections ranging from Class I to V, very popular with kayakers and with commercial rafting companies. Numerous runs of all difficulty. Probably the most frequently run and one of the best rivers in Colorado. Something for everyone.
- Lochsa River
- The Main Fork of the Salmon River III-IV
- The Middle Fork of the Samon River III-IV
- Snake River
- Payette River (Main)
- Payette River, North Fork
[edit] Montana
[edit] Oregon
River flow information available from the USGS and Pat Welch River gauges River forecast data available through National Weather Service Popular whitewater rivers in Oregon:
- Bull Run - Site of slalom course
- Clackamas - Year round water, proximity to Portland, and a range of runs make this a popular river.
- Barton to Carver (Class 2)
- Carver to Clackamette (Class 2)
- Bob's to Memaloose (Class 2)
- Fish Creek to Bob's (Class 3-4) - Runnable year round (in kayaks, canoes, and rafts)
- Three Lynx to Fish Creek (Class 3-4) - Runnable winter through late Spring most years.
- Killer Fang (Class 4)
- June Creek (Class 4)
- Molalla
- Table Rock Fork
- Three Bear's
- Nehalem
- Rogue
- Salmonberry
- Sandy
- Sandy Gorge (Class 4)
- Revenue Bridge to Dodge Park
- Dodge Park to Oxbow Park
- Oxbow to Columbia (Class 2)
- Wilson
[edit] Washington
The most popular runs in Washington are listed below.
[edit] Wyoming
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