river expeditions whitewater rafting

We went here because we love white water and we found an excellent groupon rate. We were signed up for the Lower New Express Trip. It's a half day trip. Our guide, Brendan, was amazing. He was so knowledgeable and really let us know what was coming and how to handle it. This water was no joke! Brendan made us feel safe but also knew how to have a good time. The campground was okay but I think next time I would stay in one of the cabins. The campground was just a big field with no real separation and some of the occupants were pretty loud until all hours of the night. Not to mention the port-a-potty started to get pretty rank by the end of the weekend and we ran out of TP. Come for the white water, not the camp ground!

With no reservation or exception, it is our opinion that River Expeditions expertly balances the thrill of whitewater adventure with an incredibly talented, knowledgable, and skilled team of river guides. This outfitter attracts and employs river guides from all over the county, whose resumes, more often than not, include knowledge and experience on some of the most difficult rivers in the WORLD. For example, our river guide Jimmy lives in Colorado, travels the world in search of glorious whitewater throughout the year, but every September comes to Oak Hill, West Virginia and guides the Upper Gauley for 6 weeks with River Expeditions. I truly believe that Jimmy could have guided us down the river, in perfect form, blindfolded. I will personally be forever grateful to guide John St. George, as after one expertly guided trip on the Lower Gauley, my teenaged daughter fell in LOVE with everything whitewater. Our talented guide Jake, kept us all laughing with his approach to life, adventure and just about everything in between. The elite nature of the River Expeditions team is also reflected in the incredibly talented and witty kayaking team that serve as video boaters. In fact, all the staff, such as Rhonda, who hands out the celebratory drinks at the end of each river trip and Lewis, who deserves the bus driver's metal of honor, are genuinely kind and helpful. In sum, River Expeditions is brilliantly organized, brilliantly operated and brilliantly staffed. They are the elite of the elite.

My family (kids 7 & 9) really enjoyed our day of whitewater rafting on the upper New River: lots of fun, great guides, good food, fun rapids. This family run company was also really helpful.

I was a little nervous on our way down, as I had never done anything like this before. The campground (RV sites) were very nice and met our needs. Our guide for our trip was Jake and I think we had the best guide of any other group. Jake took us through all of the best lines in each rapid, while other groups seemed to take the easiest route. He also gave us very clear instructions on what to do and expect. If I go back, which I plan on doing, I will definitely go with River Expeditions and request Jake. The entertainment at the Red Dog Saloon was a blast as well. I would highly recommend this trip!

We just got done rafting down the New river with River Expadtions!! It was a very fun trip it had lots of big class 4s with some fun 5s. Weeven stoped to surf a lot. Are raft guide John st george was very good he has been out on the river for years. But i know we need to get downthe Gauley River with john. Best rafting trip i have ever been on. This town also has someof the best food in thestate!!!! Just get a group and get the nice cabins they have wifi and hot tubes!!!!!!

I bought a camping/whitewater package through Travelzoo for our family of 5 (2 adults, a 15, 14 and 12 yo.) The campsite exceeded our expectations. We tent camped for two nights, they had clean bathrooms, a hot tub and pool and a large rec room with games and wifi. The rafting trip was professionally run with great guides. The trip included mostly Class 4 with several class 3 and 5's in the mix. We counted about 15 rapids in all. The guides set out a wonderful lunch that was included with the tour about half way through the 7 1/2 mile rafting trip. We felt that we got a lot of extras with the trip, including being able to jump off a 12-15 foot boulder into the river. Our kids thought it was awesome. We would definitely go back when our youngest is 16, so we can try the more challenging Gauley River. We did supplement the free breakfast with some eggs that we brought since it is very "light". But they had coffee and fruit

We stayed July 19-22 in a Rustic Cabin. We were a little taken back and not in a good way is it is very small and they are poorly constructed as there were nails sticking out everywhere. Make sure you watch your head getting in and out of bed or surely you will have a nail stabbing you in the skull. If you have kids make sure they sleep on the top so they do not get injured! Besides the cabin complaint everything else was great. We were so thankful for the Welcome Center which has most of the necessities you may need at reasonable prices. This was the first time for us to do Whitewater Rafting and we absolutely loved the experience. Our rafting guide Kim was awesome and kept everyone comfortable and she made such a positive impact on my daughter. As a matter of fact all the staff was amazing! We hope to be back next year.

I took my two granddaughters, 8 & 12 to raft for their first time. The whole experience was great! We camped in the safari tents so this grandma didn't have to worry about setting up a tent with only the help of the little ones. The tents were spacious and like new, and each site had a very nice picnic table and fire ring. The shower house was absolutely the best I've ever experienced in a campground- clean and well kept. And, the rafting trip was all it was supposed to be. We went on the milder trip of the Upper New River since one granddaughter was only 8 years old and we chose to go in the "duckies" which meant we had to paddle ourselves. But, it was so much fun and if we wanted to, we would have been able to get in the bigger raft, paddled by the staff (even if we got tired and just wanted a break during the trip). The very best part of the trip was the staff! Every single person worked as a team and was really interested in how we were doing and if we were having fun. They made sure everyone stayed safe but still enjoyed themselves. I have rafted with River Expeditions before with older family members on the Lower New River trip and it was also awesome, but this worked out wonderfully for a trip with young ones.

I took my two kids, 13 and 9 for their first whitewater rafting trip here. Our package included two nights of camping, two mornings of continental breakfast and a one-day excursion on the river. This place was so clean, bathroom facilities were great and campsites included necessities like trash can, fire pit and picnic table. The breakfast was very light so you may want to bring your own but other than that our trip was fantastic. Guides were friendly and fun, the staff at the welcome center were extremely helpful and knowledgeable, they even gave us a discount when it starting raining and our tent leaked so we needed to secure a cabin at last minute. We would definitely recommend this place and plan to return!

This was our first time rafting and all I can say is wow! We did the lower new river. The guides were were great and not only were they safety minded they were fun!

We stayed at River Expeditions from May 14 to May 18. This was a "girls trip" in which we were rafting for 2 days and hiking 1 day. We stayed in a luxury cabin that was very nice. It had 5 bedrooms (with a queen bed in each), a full kitchen, living room, 2 full bathrooms, TV, gas fireplace, hot tub, and a back and front porch. There was plenty of room and the cabin was VERY clean (and I'm a clean freak). Because this was a girls trip, I was worried about enough space to shower/get ready. Besides the 2 roomy bathrooms, each bedroom had a large dresser with a mirror, it was perfect. The rafting was FANTASTIC!!!!! Both guides each day (Tyler and John) were very knowledgeable and have been rafting on the New River many years. I felt challenged but always safe. In addition to being skilled guides, they were both very personable and knew lots of interesting facts about the river and surrounding area. Grounds--the bathrooms/shower house was very clean (we stopped there on the way in). There is a camp store that has all the basics and has a friendly helpful staff. We ate the provided BBQ one night that was great. There is a bigger store that has logo t-shirts/sweatshirts. Finally, there is the Red Dog Saloon Bar. It was great, we danced our butts off and played giant sized beer pong. I would recommend River Expeditions to anyone wanting to whitewater raft--we plan on returning next year!

My girlfriend and I arrived late the night before, around 10:30, and were still able to check in. The cabin was primitive but very comfortable. The facilities were extremely clean, and the amenities were plentiful. The staff was friendly, and our guide, Dar, was super chill, friendly, funny, and very knowledgeable. We felt very comfortable rafting with him and 100% confident that he knew what he was doing. 10 out of 10, would raft again.

River Expeditions offers many activities but never forgets that rafting is their main business. The peripherals (zipline, Frisbee golf, camping, lodging, gear store, atv rentals, etc.) are nice and well done, but you can tell these people all love the river and want to share that love with us. Rustic means rustic and if you expect lodging on the level of a Holiday Inn, then you better reserve the Luxury Cabins. The communal bathrooms/showers are large and kept clean. The Saloon is a fun place to meet at the end of the day and see your rafting trip movie. Since this was my first trip on the New River, I cannot compare the guides to other outfitters, but I don't know how they could be better trained or more likeable. My only complaint would be that the resort is quite close to a main road. I expected something a bit more remote.

There are several rafting companies in the area, this one is the best I've found, have gone back 3 years running. They have some full time guides (for year-round fun) and some seasonal guides (for Gauley season). All of the guides I've had are very skilled and have years of experience. Some are better at telling stories and keeping you amused than others, but that's just the way it goes. Joe (one of the guides, maybe an owner?) will tell you that they're your source for year-round fun, not just rafting. They'll take you mountain biking, 4-wheeling, etc. If you have a crazy idea and a credit card, they'll make it happen.I've only tent-camped there. There's plenty of room for lots of campers, but get there early to get a good (mostly level, not soggy) spot. Each camp site has a fire ring and garbage can, staff empties the garbage every morning. The camp store has basic items and firewood for sale. The shower building is large, clean, and abundant hot water. They also have a nice store for shirts, hoodies, and other souvenirs, and best of all, a bar on site, open late. Here you can hang out with your guides, watch videos of your rafting trip, sometimes live music, and other times bad karaoke. Plus, you don't have to drive, just stumble back to your tent. There are a pool and hot tub on site too.At least with the Gauley trips, breakfast/lunch/dinner are all included. Breakfast is pretty basic (toast, some fruit, granola bars, coffee, juice). Lunch is provided during the trip overlooking Sweet's Falls and includes hamburger or grilled chicken sandwich (vegetarian option if you request it), potato salad, macaroni salad, chips, bean dip, dessert. Pretty nice layout! Dinner is back at their dining room and varies but is quite filling. If you need dinner the night before your trip, head into Fayetteville. I highly recommend Pies & Pints.

We used River Expeditions for our Lower Gauley trip. They seemed to be a little less expensive than some of the other companies, but as someone else previously stated, there were no corners being cut to accomplish this. All the raft guides were friendly and knowledgeable and took their jobs seriously (but still made sure we all had fun at the same time). The lunch on our trip consisted of sandwich fixings and some standard picnic sides - not gourmet by any stretch, but tasty and enough to get the job done. We did not stay on the property, but what we saw of it seemed nice. We did go into the bar and had some great beer with some great people! Overall, I would recommend River Expeditions for anyone wanting to experience the Gauley but not wanting to shell out a ton of cash to do so!