Gauley River National Recreation Area
The 25 miles of free-flowing Gauley River and the six miles of the Meadow River pass through scenic gorges and valleys containing a wide variety of natural and cultural features. The Gauley River contains several class V+ rapids, making it one of the most adventurous white water boating rivers in the east.
Fire nearby
- PrescribedArrowhead Trails Rx
12 mi from the park's reference point · 195 acres
Within 50 miles, as of 2026-10-14. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge. Check the park's alerts and the managing office before you drive.
Fees & passes
Free. No entrance fee here.
Hours
| Gauley River National Recreation Area | Daily · All Day |
When to go
September draws the most visits here and January the fewest, averaged over 2021 to 2025.
Campgrounds
| Gauley Tailwaters | 18 sites | |
| Gauley Tailwaters is a primitive campground and has no drinking water or hookups, and limited restroom facilities. · 18 first-come | ||
Every campground here has its own page on Campsite Atlas, with site counts, hookups, rig limits and booking windows. How park camping works
Visitor centers
- Canyon Rim Visitor Center ↗Passport stamp
Canyon Rim Visitor Center is the closest visitor center to Gauley River National Recreation Area. The primary purpose of Canyon Rim Visitor Center is to act as a visitor contact station for area information and for interpretation of the natural, cultural, recreational, and historic values of the…
No webcams, no things to do or events in Park Service data. What is here comes from the official page. The rest lives there.
Checked nightly. Modules appear as soon as the Park Service publishes the data.
Explore
Films
National Park Service productions, public domain.
Map
Interactive map by the National Park Service
On the National Register nearby
- Mason–Drennen HouseBuilding · Drennen · 4.3 mi
- Halfway HouseBuilding · Ansted · 7 mi
- Page-Vawter HouseBuilding · Ansted · 7.1 mi
- ContentmentBuilding · Ansted · 7.3 mi
Public land nearby
Distances are approximate. Wilderness Atlas publishes a center point and an acreage for each area rather than a boundary, so each area is treated here as a circle of the same size and the figure is the gap to that circle.
Guidebooks for the South
We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject.
Reference
Wildlife
Seen this monthAmerican Black Bear 2× · Belted Kingfisher 1× · Peregrine Falcon 1×Research-grade observations within 25 km, last 30 days, via iNaturalist
Full checklist: 147 birds, 43 mammalsHide
Raptors & owlsAmerican kestrel · Cooper's hawk · bald eagle · barred owl · black vulture · broad-winged hawk · eastern screech-owl · great horned owl · northern harrier · osprey · peregrine falcon · red-shouldered hawk · red-tailed hawk · sharp-shinned hawk · turkey vulture
Waterfowl & wadersAmerican black duck · American coot · Canada goose · black-crowned night-heron · bufflehead · common loon · great blue heron · great egret · greater scaup · green heron · hooded merganser · lesser scaup · pied-billed grebe · red-necked grebe · ring-necked duck · wood duck
Shorebirds & seabirdskilldeer · ring-billed gull · spotted sandpiper · upland sandpiper
Gamebirds & dovesmourning dove · rock pigeon · ruffed grouse · wild turkey
WoodpeckersDowny Woodpecker · Hairy Woodpecker · northern flicker · pileated woodpecker · red-bellied woodpecker · red-headed woodpecker · yellow-bellied sapsucker
Hummingbirds & swiftschimney swift · ruby-throated hummingbird
Also on the checklistAcadian flycatcher · American crow · American goldfinch · American redstart · American robin · Baltimore oriole · Black-throated Blue Warbler · Black-throated Green Warbler · Blackburnian Warbler · Blackpoll Warbler · Blue-winged Warbler · Canada warbler · Carolina chickadee · Carolina wren · Cerulean Warbler · Chestnut-sided Warbler · European starling · Hooded Warbler · Kentucky Warbler · Lincoln's sparrow · Louisiana Waterthrush · Magnolia Warbler · Mangrove Warbler · Myrtle Warbler · Northern Parula · Orange-crowned Warbler · Pine Warbler · Swainson's thrush · Swainson's warbler · Tennessee warbler · Yellow-throated Warbler · barn swallow · bay-breasted warbler · belted kingfisher · black-and-white warbler · black-billed cuckoo · black-capped chickadee · blue jay · blue-gray gnatctcher · blue-headed vireo · brown creeper · brown thrasher · brown-headed cowbird · cedar waxwing · chipping sparrow · cliff swallow · common grackle · common raven · common yellowthroat · dark-eyed junco · eastern bluebird · eastern meadowlark · eastern phoebe · eastern towhee · eastern wood-pewee · field sparrow · gadwall · golden-crowned kinglet · golden-winged warbler · grasshopper sparrow · gray catbird · great crested flycatcher · hermit thrush · house finch · house sparrow · house wren · indigo bunting · least flycatcher · mallard · northern cardinal · northern mockingbird · northern rough-winged swallow · northern waterthrush · orchard oriole · ovenbird · palm warbler · red-breasted nuthatch · red-eyed vireo · red-winged blackbird · redhead · rose-breasted grosbeak · ruby-crowned kinglet · scarlet tanager · song sparrow · swamp sparrow · tree swallow · tufted titmouse · veery · vesper sparrow · warbling vireo · whip-poor-will · white-breasted nuthatch · white-crowned sparrow · white-eyed vireo · white-throated sparrow · wood thrush · worm-eating warbler · yellow-billed cuckoo · yellow-throated vireo
Small mammalsAllegheny woodrat · American beaver · American pygmy shrew · Cinereus shrew · North American deermouse · Norway rat · eastern chipmunk · eastern cottontail · eastern fox squirrel · eastern gray squirrel · hairy-tailed mole · house mouse · least shrew · long-tailed shrew · northern short-tailed shrew · red squirrel · smoky shrew · southern flying squirrel · southern red-backed vole · white-footed deermouse · woodland jumping mouse
PredatorsAmerican black bear · American mink · bobcat · coyote · gray fox · long-tailed weasel · raccoon · red fox · striped skunk
Hoofed mammalswhite-tailed deer
BatsIndiana myotis · North American Hoary Bat · big brown myotis · eastern red bat · eastern small-footed myotis · little brown myotis · northern myotis · silver-haired bat · tricolored bat
Also on the checklistVirginia opossum · domestic/feral cat · woodchuck
Activities
Activity guides for this park Camping in the national parks · Canoeing and kayaking in the national parks · Fishing in the national parks
Weather & climate
Weather in the Appalachian Mountains can be unpredictable and can change quickly. Always be prepared for the possibility of sudden storms. Weather in the mountains is often cooler and wetter than the surrounding area. On average, the warmest month is July. The maximum average precipitation also occurs in July.
Questions people ask
Does Gauley River charge an entrance fee?
No. Gauley River is free to enter.
Source: National Park Service
Is Gauley River open year-round?
Yes. The grounds are open 24 hours a day, year-round.
Source: National Park Service
Can I camp in Gauley River?
Yes. The Park Service lists 1 campground in Gauley River: Gauley Tailwaters.
Source: Campgrounds
Do any Gauley River campgrounds have hookups or showers?
No. None of the 1 listed campgrounds report showers, electric hookups, or a dump station.
Source: Campgrounds
How busy is Gauley River?
213,596 recreation visits in 2025, number 170 of 387 units that report visitation.
Source: Most visited parks
When was Gauley River established?
1988. It covers about 18 square miles.
Source: Wikipedia
What is the weather like at Gauley River?
Weather in the Appalachian Mountains can be unpredictable and can change quickly. Always be prepared for the possibility of sudden storms.
Source: Weather & climate
Follow this park
- Alerts feed (RSS)
- Every active Park Service alert for this unit, one item each, rebuilt with the nightly data refresh.
- Add dates to your calendar (.ics file)
- Fee-free entrance days that apply here and each published hours exception, as all-day events.
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