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River Difficulty

68 Whitewater Rivers
Ranked In Difficulty

The list below rank orders 68 whitewater rivers in difficulty.It is based on a 1992 survey of 29 members of the Blue Ridge Voyageurs canoe club. On average, respondents had paddled 38 of the 68 rivers, and had more than 10 years each of whitewater experience. Each respondent rank-ordered those rivers that he or she had paddled. The median inter-correlation between rankings of different boaters was +0.85, indicating moderately high agreement. Of course, river difficulty may vary dramatically under different water and weather conditions.

Please check a reliable guidebook for put-ins and take-outs of these streams. The rating system applies to the most popular runs.

If you have questions about CCA trips, contact trips@canoecruisers.org.

All paddlers should be familiar with the American Whitewater Safety Code. If you paddle the more difficult rivers you should take a River Safety and Rescue class and a Wilderness First Aid class.

A=Advanced, HI=High Intermediate, I=Intermediate, LI=Lower Intermediate, PN=Practiced Novice
Compiled by Ron Knipling

1. A-Upper Yough	35. I-Upper Rapidan (above Wolftown)
2. A-Upper Shavers Fork	36. I-Rock Creek DC below Military Rd
3. A-Upper Gauley	37. I-Covington River
4. A-Chattooga Section 4	38. I-Cub Run (fall line)
5. A-Middle Fork Tygart	39. I-Dry Fork of the Cheat
6. A-Tygart Gorge	40. I-NF SB Potomac/Hopeville Canyon
7. A-North Branch Potomac/Kitzmiller	41. I-Nantahala River, North Carolina
8. A-Lower Gauley	42. I-Pohick Creek
9. A-Tygart Arden	43. I-Cheat Narrows
10. A-New River Gorge	44. I-NB Potomac/Bloomington
11. A-Cheat Canyon	45. I-Passage Creek
12. A-Savage @ 1000 cfs	46. I-Shenandoah Staircase
13. A-Buckhannon (Alton to Sago)	47. I-Casselman (Markleton to Ft. Hill)
14. A-Maury/Goshen Pass	48. I-Gunpowder Falls Rt.1 to Rt 40
15. A-Laurel Fork, Rt.33 to junction of Dry Fork	49. I-Muddy Creek, PA
16. A-Wills Creek, below Fairhope	50. LI-Lehigh (Rockport -Jim Thorpe)
17. A-Ocoee	51. LI-Patapsco above Ellicott City
18. HI-Chattooga Section 3	52. LI-Potomac below Great Falls @ 3.5'
19. HI-Upper Big Sandy	53. LI-North Anna
20. HI-Lower Yough	54. LI-Rappahannock / Fredericksburg
21. HI-Trout Run, WV	55. LI-Robinson (Rose R. to Rt.29)
22. HI-Middle Fork Salmon,Idaho	56. LI-Rappahannock/Kelly's Ford
23. HI-Seneca Creek, WV	57. LI-Potomac Needles
24. HI-Stony Creek, PA	58. LI-Thornton River
25. HI-Lost River Dry Gorge	59. LI-Hughes (& Hazel) River
26. HI-James River, Richmond	60. LI-Cacapon (Rt.50-Rt.127)
27. HI-Upper Tye River	61. LI-Middle Yough
28. HI-Bullpasture Gorge	62. PN-Goose Creek (Dam-Rt.7)
29. I-North River Gorge, VA	63. PN-Cedar Creek
30. I-Upper Conway	64. PN-Sideling Hill Creek
31. I-Little Falls Potomac @ 3.0'	65. PN-Potomac/Violette's Lock "Loop"
32. I-SF SB Potomac/Moorefield Canyon	66. PN-Upper Rappahanock above Rt.211
33. I-SB Potomac / Smokehole Canyon	67. PN-Antietam Creek
34. I-Tohickon Creek, PA	68. PN-SF Shenandoah (Compton area).