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Cherokee Adventures |
800-445-7238 |
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Precision Rafting Company |
800-477-3723 |
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Sheltowee Trace Outfitters |
800-541-7238 |
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Wahoo's Adventures |
800-444-7238 |
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Russell Fork Expeditions |
800-843-3675 |
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| Section |
The
Breaks |
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Location |
Dickenson County,
southwestern Virginia; Pike County, eastern Kentucky, near Breaks
Interstate Park |
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Driving Time |
Knoxville—3.5 hours;
Winston-Salem—3.5 hours |
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Difficulty |
Class IV-V rafting
experience required |
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Trip Length |
10 miles (16 km) |
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Trip Options |
Paddle raft; one day |
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Season |
October weekends |
Whitewater enthusiasts
seeking a rare challenge above and beyond the upper Gauley or upper
Yough rafting trips should take note of the Russell Fork of the
Levisa along the southwest Virginia—eastern Kentucky border. The
Russell Fork, considered unrunnable just a decade ago, is rated by
knowledgeable whitewater experts as the most technically difficult
commercially rafted river in the eastern United States.
Put-in
for the Russell Fork trip at Bartlick Bridge just downriver from its
confluence of the Pound River. Rafters must immediately begin their
final tune-up for the unbelievable whitewater action of Breaks
Interstate Park. Within the Park the River drops about 500 feet in
just 2.5 miles (4 km). Eight huge rapids consisting of high drops,
powerful hydraulics, and chutes (barely wide enough for rafts)
require the utmost in raft maneuvering and course execution. Class
IV-V rapids—Twist and Shout, Tower Falls, Triple Drop, El Horrendo
and S-Turn—will provoke lifetime memories. El Horrendo, more like
a waterfall, is the highest commercially run drop in the eastern
United States.
Water
releases, on four October weekends, from the Pound Reservoir above
Flanagan Dam, enable the United States Army Corps of Engineers to
draw down the water level in preparation for winter and spring
runoff. Because of the extreme difficulty and technical nature of
the Russell Fork, professional outfitters screen prospective rafters
very carefully. Most outfitters require upper Gauley or upper
Youghiogheny (Class IV) paddle-rafting experience.
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