Cheat River

The Cheat River drains a vast, steep watershed in the mountains of northern West Virginia, and when spring rains and snowmelt fill its channel it produces some of the biggest, most exciting whitewater in the eastern United States. The Cheat Canyon is a rugged, roadless gorge that has become a proving ground for Appalachian paddlers.

The classic Cheat Canyon run covers roughly 11 miles of Class III–V whitewater with more than three dozen named rapids, including Big Nasty, Coliseum and the aptly titled High Falls. At high water the river turns into a powerful, continuous torrent of large waves and holes; at moderate flows it becomes a superb, read-and-run Class III–IV adventure.

Everything hinges on rainfall, because the Cheat is undammed and its level rises and falls dramatically with weather. Boaters watch the gauge closely, since the same rapids can be playful one week and formidable the next. The watershed's history of acid mine drainage has been steadily reversed by decades of restoration, and the water and fishery have rebounded. The canyon has no road along its floor, so a swamped boat can mean a long, cold day; the annual spring festival at Albright doubles as a gauge-watching gathering for boaters awaiting the right level.

The reliable season is spring, roughly April into June, when snowmelt and rain keep the canyon running; summer flows are often too low without rain. The annual Cheat River Festival celebrates the river and funds its cleanup. Outfitters near Albright run guided trips through the canyon, and the milder Cheat Narrows upstream offers a friendlier Class II–III option. Wild, weather-dependent and full of character, the Cheat is a highlight of West Virginia's rich whitewater map.