Will West Virginia’s ongoing drought affect Gauley Season?

LANSING, WV (WVNS) — Good news for rafters, Summersville Lake was still at a great level to release the waters to begin Gauley Season on August, 27, 2024.

Gauley Season begins Friday, September 6, 2024, but an entire summer with minimal rain begs the question – will this Gauley Season be just as exhilarating as years before?

Skip Heater, owner of New & Gauley River Adventures, said absolutely! He said not to let the news of West Virginia’s drought dissuade you from booking a trip.

“We should have a good Gauley Season, but our problem is the perception of people seeing that West Virginia is in a drought. Locally, we know that the lake has got good water, but out-of-state people don’t realize that, ‘hey, the lake’s got water in it, that’s where the Gauley water comes from.’ We should have a good river season,” explained Heater.

The first rafting trips usually happen in the morning hours starting around 7 for both the upper and lower Gauley runs.

Gauley Season runs on weekends beginning September 6, 2024.

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