Geologically considered the world's second oldest river (next to the Nile), the New River begins in the Appalachian foothills of North Carolina and flows northwest through southwest Virginia and West Virginia before joining the Gauley to form the Kanawha River, east of Charleston.
     The New River, in south central West Virginia, between the quaint old mining town of Thurmond and Fayette Station, offers an incredibly beautiful 14-mile (23 km) stretch now called the New River Gorge National River. Its unique blend of challenging whitewater, flatwater, waterfalls, and abandoned mining towns can only be fully appreciated by river runners. Here at the bottom of a canyon 1400-feet, the river drops nearly 250 feet as its large water volume pours over countless ledges and boulders. The drop generates fantastic Class IV‑V rapids—Surprise, The Keeneys, Double Z, Greyhound Bus Stopper, and Undercut Rock—with big waves, drops, and holes. During high water the Keeneys become very long and intense Class V+ rapids. 
     Near the end of the river trip there is an impressive view of the 876‑foot New River Gorge Bridge, the highest and longest single‑span steel arch bridge in the world.
     Although the New River is free-flowing, dependent upon spring runoff and summer rainfall, its large volume provides ample water for rafting from early spring until late fall.