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National Park Whitewater Rafting in New River Gorge WV

Recommended by 99% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
West Virginia, USA
  • 6 hours (approx.)
  • Group discounts
  • Mobile ticket
  • Offered in: English

Why travelers loved this

5.0
·
· Angela_E ·
Jul 2025
White water rafting with 2 newbies and 2 people who had not been in 20 years. Best experience ever!! Instructions were precise, guide Eli was very knowledgeable and the trip down the Lower New River was absolutely breathtaking. One of the best days ever! We will be back. Soon. Highly recommended company!
· Kecia_M ·
Jul 2025
Great guide Samuel. Safe and fun. Great education and stories. Awesome rapids and swim and great quick lunch for more time on water

Overview

Experience a thrilling West Virginia adventure without compromising on safety during this six-hour whitewater rafting trip in New River Gorge National Park, which includes hands-on attention from a rafting guide. Enjoy amazing scenery while challenging Class III and IV rapids, with a catered lunch stop at the halfway point. Travelers with limited time can opt for the express option offered in the afternoon.
  • Enjoy a riverside buffet lunch with build-your-own sandwiches
  • Get personalized attention in a small group setting
  • Life vests, paddles, helmets are included; wetsuits and water shoes available for rent
  • Souvenir photos and videos can be purchased for an extra cost

What's Included

  • Professional guide in your raft
  • Local taxes
  • Lunch
    9 AM Trips Only - Buffet lunch typically including build-your-own sandwiches, fresh fruits and veggies, chips, beans, potato salad, coleslaw, hummus, desserts, beverages.
  • Personal flotation device (life vest), helmet, paddle.
  • Gratuities
  • DVD/video/photos (available to purchase)
  • Wetsuits, paddle jackets, water shoes also available to rent.

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

  • 286 Sunday Rd, Hico, WV 25854, USA

    Hwy 19 North from Beckley/I-77/I-64 about 10 minutes. At the second stoplight, turn left up the hill, and left onto the first paved driveway!

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Experience the thrill of whitewater rafting in West Virginia at New River Gorge National Park. The New River is one of the oldest in the world — a rugged, whitewater river flowing northward through deep canyons — carving the deepest and longest river gorge in the Appalachian Mountains. The park itself covers more than 70,000 acres of land along the river. Rich in cultural and natural history, it offers a wide variety of scenic and recreational opportunities.

On this 6-hour adventure, challenge Class III and IV rapids while taking in the spectacular scenery: forests, cliffs, wetlands and rimrock habitats, featuring endangered mammals and rare birds and amphibians. In the water, look for native fish, mussels, crayfish and plenty of other aquatic wildlife, like rare amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals.

At the halfway point, there will be a riverside lunch, catered by local Rezan's at Wood Mountain.

Amazing scenery, local wildlife, high adventure and great food — this whitewater rafting excursion has it all.
1

New River Gorge National Park & Preserve

Additional Info

  • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
  • Not recommended for pregnant travelers
  • Not wheelchair accessible
  • Recommended for ages 11 and up
  • Please advise any specific dietary requirements at time of booking
  • Call to discuss disability or service animal accommodation.
  • Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
  • Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
  • Advise guide of any relevant medical conditions prior to trip start. Consult your physician about medical concerns prior to rafting.
  • This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)
Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)
Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)
Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)
Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Featured review

Dawa_S
We had an absolute blast, especially my mom and dad, who were experiencing something like this for the very first time! Our guide, Samuel—or was it Sammy?—was fantastic. He was incredibly nice and easy-going, making the whole adventure even more enjoyable. It was a memorable day, filled with laughter and new experiences!

Reviews

5.0
based on 514 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We had an absolute blast,...

Dawa_S, Sep 2025
We had an absolute blast, especially my mom and dad, who were experiencing something like this for the very first time! Our guide, Samuel—or was it Sammy?—was fantastic. He was incredibly nice and easy-going, making the whole adventure even more enjoyable. It was a memorable day, filled with laughter and new experiences!

Response from Host, Sep 2025

Thank you for your fantastic review! We're thrilled to hear that you had a great time!

We had good experience....

Mukhilan_D, Sep 2025
We had good experience. It was a nice place and the crew took care of us well! It was thrill and entertaining

Response from Host, Sep 2025

Thank you so much for taking the time to leave us a review! We take pride on keeping smiles on everyones faces! We hope to see you again soon!

The best white water rafting we have done!

Renee_H, Aug 2025
We had an outstanding white water rafting trip! There were many great rapids througout the day and our guide Samuel, was incredible. We have done a lot of rafting around the country and we all agree this was the best trip We have ever done. We prefer small adventure companies versus the "big box stores" because of the attention to details.and this was no exception. Samuel's knowledge, expertise, safety measures and story telling were great and he really made the trip extra special. Be sure and ask to book with him!! We hope to be back in the fall toml raft the Gualey and see you all soon! Thanks again for an excellent adventure!

Response from Host, Aug 2025

Thank you for the 5 star review! we appreciate your support and hope to see you again!

Crock was the best guide...

Lauren_S, Jul 2025
Crock was the best guide ever! I was always thinking white water rafting was scary but he made it so much fun & made us feel safe all the way to the end! We will definitely be doing this again!

Response from Host, Aug 2025

Thank you for leaving Crock such a wonderful review and the 5 stars! We can't wait to welcome you back!

Lower New River white water trip

Angela_E, Jul 2025
White water rafting with 2 newbies and 2 people who had not been in 20 years. Best experience ever!! Instructions were precise, guide Eli was very knowledgeable and the trip down the Lower New River was absolutely breathtaking. One of the best days ever! We will be back. Soon. Highly recommended company!

Response from Host, Jul 2025

Thank you for the awesome review! We're so glad we could provide you with a great experience.

Great guide Samuel. Safe...

Kecia_M, Jul 2025
Great guide Samuel. Safe and fun. Great education and stories. Awesome rapids and swim and great quick lunch for more time on water

Response from Host, Jul 2025

Your satisfaction is our top priority! Thank you for the awesome review and we hope to see you again for another fun experience.

First time rafting and...

Harsa_M, Jul 2025
First time rafting and had a blast! Glenn was our guide and was amazing! Well guided, lot of fun, and flexible!

Response from Host, Jul 2025

We're thrilled you had a 5 star experience! Thank you for your glowing review and your trust in us.

Our guide Kristen was...

Tariq_A, Jul 2025
Our guide Kristen was excellent. We had a great time and would highly recommend WV Adventures to everyone.

Response from Host, Jul 2025

Your feedback Brightened Christan's day! We're glad to hear you had such an amazing time. Thank you for choosing our small company for your big adventure.

Well worth it

Tim_R, Aug 2024
We had a great time. The guide was very good. She Kept us informed of what to expect as we traveled down the river.

Nrg first trip

Rebekah_C, Aug 2024
Nick was a wonderful raft guide! Our crew of nurses loved every minute of our day adventure and got to work on our team building outside of our job. Weather was incredible, jump rock was a blast. Highly recommend.

We had a great time...

Annette_M, Aug 2024
We had a great time rafting with our family! Our friends were in a different boat and we were able to spend plenty of time with them during the trip. The guides (Emma, Benji, Crock and Patrick) were awesome!

Great Experience.!! Kids absolutely Loved it.!!

Joseph_m, Aug 2024
We couldn’t have been happier. Richard was our guide, & kept it light & informative. He had a skill to make jokes, but when it came to paddling his tone would change slightly, & make what he said feel necessary. My kids had such a great time. Of course they were a little nervous after the safety talk, which I appreciate because dangers do exist, & you need to know what to do. They were a little anxious, but it quickly faded after the first rapid. ** They are small enough to be personable, as opposed to the cattle boats. **Highly recommend** Great Trip, Thanks Richard, Benji,& Terry.!!

Incredible experience, well worth the money!

Olivia_S, Jul 2024
This was an absolutely incredible experience. All of the guides are extremely knowledgeable about the river and the surrounding areas. We rafted with Richard and he was hilarious. Before every set of rapids he told us the class of rapid, the dangers in the rapid, and where to swim toward if we fell out. I would highly highly highly recommend this to anyone interested in this type of adventure!

White water rafting made easy

Andrea_S, Jun 2024
Our guide, Krock, was very professional and made the white water rafting a pleasure. All the other guides who were with us were lots of fun and we were thankful for the drinks after the rafting was completed. All in all a great day.

Great Time!

Mary_J, May 2024
We had a great time, our guide Croc, was very funny and made us feel comfortable in the water. It was raining and saw lightning but the overall trip was fun.

Its a fun experience. Would definitely want come back for more.

Muhammad_W, Apr 2024
Its a fun experience. The crew is nice and professional. Our Boat guide Crock was great. He ride the boat well. Would definitely want come back for more intense/fun ride.

Response from Host, Apr 2024

Thank you for the kind words.

We had the river to...

Dana_K, Apr 2024
We had the river to ourselves on an early season ride. The New River Gorge is God’s country and I can’t think of a better way to spend Easter Sunday. Thank you Croc and Steve for expertly guiding us and making it a trip to remember. We’ll be back!

Great Rapids, wish I had pictures!

Abigail_G, Sep 2023
Had a blast white water rafting with you all! Everything was very clear and safe! A good run all the way through, even the cliff jumping. We did see someone taking photos and videos of us and I read online we can purchase those, but at the end when we arrived back on camp, there was no talk of where we could see or purchase those! Besides that, overall amazing time, this company really knows what they're doing!

Our guide nick was...

Eli_W, Aug 2023
Our guide nick was fantastic. I would definitely recommend West Virginia adventures for your trip! We had a blast!

Best time ever!

Jennifer_C, Aug 2023
Kelly and Nick were awesome river guides! They made sure we had a great time and were very knowledgeable.

Great experience for a great price

Nicholas_B, Aug 2023
This was an amazing trip me and 2 friends of mine from work decided to do this trip and it was a blast. This was our first time rafting and it is unforgettable! The views are beautiful and the guide was knowledgeable on the River. If you are looking for something fun to do the lower New River Gorge rafting trip exceed our expectations!

Guys weekend

Danny_S, Jul 2023
We had fun and exciting weekend. The whitewater trip was a highlight. Our guide was Richard Perkins. He was funny, informative and made our trip even more memorable.

An Adventure Worth Taking

Beth_A, Jul 2022
The rafting trip was so much fun! Our guide (Kirby) was fantastic. We had 10 people in the raft, so we had some power. He knew our names after only and few minutes and that made the trip seem more personable. We all loved learning about the history of the surrounding area and the National Park. He was able to answer all our questions. All the staff members were friendly.

Response from Host, Jul 2022

Thank you so much Beth! I had such a great time with you all and hope you all come back to raft with me again soon!

Awesome ride

Keith_M, Jul 2022
Our guide Tristan was amazing. He made it fun for my teenagers. Gave us clear and direct instructions that made our trip fun. It rained very hard and it made the trip more exciting. We had a great time.

Afternoon Express Adventure

MICHAEL_H, Jun 2022
West Virginia Adventures was a great choice for our white water rafting trip. They are very professional and make it safe but also make sure you have the best experience possible. Our guide, Crock, is obviously one of the best in the area. Crock's Day Care Adventure was the best. He was very entertaining and made sure there was never a dull moment while giving us the best ride possible.

Great personalized trip

Matt, Jul 2021
Great crew and well run. Smaller groups than everyone else we saw on the River. We definitely had a more personalized experience than the other boats that were all just packed full. And there were adult beverages at the end! Lunch is ham and cheese sandwiches so if you want something more just bring it with you. Definitely would go here first if rafting this area again. Everything was very easy and laid back.

Big Mistake!!!

Gary_L, Jul 2021
Arriving after an hour and a half drive to find I had NO reservations! Not even on the list! I would never use Viator! Not even sure how they got involved in my trip. I made reservations on a website and somehow they sent me a confirmation for National Whitewater Rafting which no one ever heard of. So, we made the trip for nothing. Ruined a birthday excursion for me and my 3 friends. 540.00 wasted!!

Response from Host, Jul 2021

Hi Gary! We tried to reach you by phone repeatedly on Saturday morning when you didn't show up at 9 AM. Our calls went straight to voicemail, so after 30 minutes of holding up the shuttle bus, we had to let it go. Maybe you went to the wrong rafting company? We're happy to rebook your trip, please get in touch with us directly!

This was a fantastic experience...

Gina C, Jun 2016
This was a fantastic experience! The guides were all extremely knowledgeable and experienced. They had the perfect blend of relaxed demeanor which kept us calm and enjoying the beautiful scenery and professional intensity to know that we were led safely through the class 3, 4 and 5 rapids. I would happily go back many times since each trip down the river is new and exciting!

From $99.00

per person

up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)

Book ahead!
On average, this is booked 28 days in advance.

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