# Crowning Achievements in Rafting/Kayaking



## carvedog (May 11, 2005)

I don't believe in checklists. Say yes to any new experience.


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## fasteddy7283 (Apr 22, 2016)

Why respond without suggestions on places to go? I can't say yes to what I don't know.


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## nastysauce (Feb 2, 2015)

Tumwater canyon and dropping the dam, run the mile on the north fork payette are just two that come to mind


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## Pinkturtle (Aug 4, 2011)

Gauley Fest. With that, you'll need to do the New River since it's right there. While you're over that way, you might as well hit the Upper Yough (MD). 

If it's been raining for a couple weeks, quit your job and go to the Gauley. High water on the G is awesome! 

In the Southeast:
Ocoee
Cheoah
Tallulah
Chattooga
Tellico
West Fork Tuck


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## CoBoater (Jan 27, 2007)

Lower south Platte, Confluence Park to Commerce City. If you can run that without tossing your cookies, you're a better man than I.


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## k2andcannoli (Feb 28, 2012)

North fork of the Blackwater is where the shit runners go when the brown is in town...in Northern WV. Decker's creek near Morgantown, WV is a sieve filled torrent of acid, if you run that, you get my respect. Pringle Run which flows into the cheat is STEEP and you have to trespass on Military property to hike up to the put in. If you boat those three in a weekend, you should get a prize of something.


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## elkhaven (Sep 11, 2013)

So most of these are gnarly runs, that's not my thing. To me my favorites are the scenic, relaxing and enjoyble and sometimes benign extended day booze cruises. 

My favorite near me are:

Smith River - for many people its the perfect mix of scenery, good fishing and low consequence.
Dearborn - bottom section Gorgeous but only one or two day.
All three forks of the Flathead, especially the SF. I hope to get back there before I die. 25+ mile pack in on horse - 75ish mile float epic fishing in a wilderness area, brilliantly clear water. The whole northfork is road accesible and is the western boundary of Glacier National Park. The Middle fork is a mixtue of pack/fly in and road accessible. Better white water than the other two.

The highest item on my bucket list is to spend more days every year on the river than the previous (following the decline of the last decade).


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## mattman (Jan 30, 2015)

The highest item on my bucket list is to spend more days every year on the river than the previous (following the decline of the last decade).[/QUOTE]

That's a damn good bucket list.

I guess my bucket list is to run as much of the Colorado river drainage as possible before I die.
Throw in some other rivers to, need perspective, and contrast.
Oh, and float to the ocean, instead of a dam.


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## sammyphsyco (Aug 15, 2012)

The Yellowstone, day trip from Gardner down through Yankee Jim's canyon. All very scenic except for the canyon, then it's class 3 to 3+. Might as well see Yellowstone park while you're there.


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## WWRE Joe (Aug 1, 2015)

Just run as much as you can, as often as you can! Say yes to anything and go with anyone that's offering. It's all about getting out there man, most people here consider the river season from March to November, hell some find ways to run shiz all year long. But anyways here's some great suggestions-

I'm not as familiar with rivers over on the east coast where you are, but any of the rivers pinkturtle mentioned are great. The Gualey, Ocoee, Chatahoochee, etc.

Out west - 
Selway, Middle Fork of Salmon, Main Fork of Salmon, Lochsa, Burnt Ranch Gorge, Grand Canyon, Westwater, Cataract Canyon, Yampa, Gates of Lodore, etc.

Worldwide - 
Zambezi (Zimbabwe), Futaleufu (Chile), Rio Baker (Chile), White Nile (Uganda?), countless amazing rivers in Central America, and if you're really ballsy and looking to finish you're bucketlist by actually kicking the bucket.................Inga rapids on the Congo River (D.R.C.)


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## mattman (Jan 30, 2015)

Some of my most memorable trips have been in the middle of winter, just be careful and make sure your up to it experience wise, if your planning to boat with Ice bergs and Ice shelves along the banks, slush going under your boat sounds real earie, makes it harder to row, canyon walls covered in snow look super cool! Getting flushed under ice is very bad.


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## 2kanzam (Aug 1, 2012)

k2andcannoli said:


> North fork of the Blackwater is where the shit runners go when the brown is in town...in Northern WV. Decker's creek near Morgantown, WV is a sieve filled torrent of acid, if you run that, you get my respect. Pringle Run which flows into the cheat is STEEP and you have to trespass on Military property to hike up to the put in. If you boat those three in a weekend, you should get a prize of something.


Good list!

Deckers has actually been getting cleaner...there's actually a handful of resident trout here and there now believe it or not....and muskys to eat them.

If you want to run Pringle Run....I can help.


Personally I keep a goal of running 50 miles of "new to me" river a year. I'm a little behind at 21miles so far.


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