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Whitewater Rafting

Nolichucky River

Whitewater Rivers

New River

West Virginia Adventures - Rafting in West Virginia, New River Gorge and Gauley River whitewater rafting with West Virginia Adventures Whitewater Rafting for your Family

Whitewater Class -

Description - 

The New River is a tributary of the Kanawha River, approximately 320 mi (515 km) long, in the U.S. states of North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia in the United States. Much of the river's course through West Virginia is designated as the New River Gorge National River.

A rugged, white water river, flowing northward through deep canyons, the New River is among the oldest rivers on the continent despite it’s name and it is considered to be anywhere between 10 million and 360 million years of age. Located in southern West Virginia, New River Gorge National River was established in 1978 to preserve and protect 53 miles of the New River as a free-flowing waterway.

According to local urban mythology, it is considered to be second in age only to the Nile River and thus the oldest in North America. However, the ages of rivers are very difficult to establish with precision (note the range above). The New River flows in a generally South-North course, which is against the general topology and the flow of most other nearby major rivers especially in Virginia and North Carolina. This is a major factor in geologists considering the New River to be an ancient one. The New River is one of the American Heritage Rivers of the United States.