The ADVENTURE Top 10: Best Waterfall Kayaking Runs in U.S. (with Video)

Text by Andrea Minarcek. Read previous ADVENTURE Top 10 lists.

Last week, kayaker Pedro Olivia crushed the previous world-record run (108 feet high) and careened across the lip of Brazil’s 127-foot Salto Belo falls. Now, we’d never attempt anything that epic, but watching the stunning footage (below) of Olivia’s run did inspire us to want to break out our paddles and find a falls of our own.

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So we turned to filmmaker and pro kayaker Trip Jennings, one of our 2008 Adventurers of the Year, for a little guidance. The guy knows his stuff: He’s claimed first descents on rivers in North America, South America, and Asia. And in 2006, he nabbed a world-record paddle of his own by kayaking over a 101-foot waterfall in Oregon.

We enlisted Jennings to draft a Top 10 of the best waterfall runs in the U.S., right before he left for a paddling expedition in Bolivia. Stay tuned for what he finds there…. In the meantime, grab a paddle and get started on Jennings’s life-list paddle list.

“I chose these runs not because they are the baddest, tallest, or hardest,” he explains, “but because they are the classics that have been run hundreds and thousands of times. For aspiring Class V junkies, this is the list to print out, post above your bed, dream about at night, and check them off one by one—then post photos on Facebook when you run them. I rated them based on two very subjective factors: First how classic they are, and second, how much I like them.”

10. Spout Run, Potomac River – Washington, D.C.

How to Go: This Class V is accessible from the Spout Run exit off of the GW Parkway, heading north towards I-495, out of D.C. Learn more here. Expect continuous, fast-moving Class IIs before the bottom drops out for nearly 60 feet in the last 150 yards.

See for Yourself:

9. Oh Be Joyful Creek – Salida, CO
How to Go: Tackle a mile-long stretch of Class V from Ankle Creek to Beaver Ponds to this 30-footer. Pitch camp 21 miles away, at the Spring Creek Campground. Learn more here.

See for Yourself: Check out this Mion Footwear collage of Dylan Bruce and Chris Gragtman exploring the best of Colorado’s rapids—including Oh Be Joyful:

8. Adrenaline Falls, Lime Creek – Durango, CO
How to Go: A series of smaller warm up drops in Lime Creek’s First Gorge readies you for 25-foot Adrenaline Falls. Learn more here.

See for Yourself: Watch this video.

7. Ohiopyle Falls, Youghiogheny River – Ohiopyle, PN
How to Go: This 19-foot falls—the highlight of the Youghiogheny River Gorge running through Ohiopyle State Park, in Pennsylvania’s Fayette County—is open to paddlers just one weekend a year, during the annual Over-the-Falls Festival. This year’s will be held August 2. Learn more here.

See for Yourself: Get a taste of last year’s falls fest here:

6. Gluteal Mash, North Fork of the Blackwater – Davis, WV
How to Go: A technical rock garden leads into the approach to 30-foot Gluteal Mash, on the North Fork of the Blackwater River. Learn more here.

See for Yourself:

5. Mesa Falls, Henry’s Fork Snake River – Ashton, ID
How to Go: Just west of Yellowstone National Park, the Upper (114 feet) and Lower (40 feet) Mesa Falls can be accessed by taking Highway 20 west out of West Yellowstone to Highway 294. Learn more here. See for Yourself:

4. South Fork, Silver Creek – Auburn, CA
How to Go: The South Fork stretch of Silver Creek—between Placerville and Lake Tahoe—drops nearly 600 feet per mile over a crazy 1.5-mile stretch. Learn more here.

See for Yourself: Watch this video.

3. Celestial Falls, White River – Tygh Valley, OR
How to Go: The White River drops 48 feet over a basalt shelf in White River Falls State Park, just east of Tygh Valley, along Highway 216. Learn more here.

See for Yourself:

2. Gorilla, Green River – Flat Rock, NC
How to Go: Four distinct drops comprise the mighty Gorilla, including Nies’ Pieces, Butt Cruncher (God knows…), the Speed Trap, and the main drop Zoom Flume. Take I-26 South out of Asheville to Exit 59 (Saluda), then turn onto Green Cove Road. Learn more here.

See for Yourself:

1. Spirit Falls, Little White Salmon River – Husom, WA
How to Go: A half-mile stretch of Class III drops leads up to gorgeous Spirit Falls, the 33-foot plunge that tops our list. Learn more here.

See for Yourself: One peek at this video, and you’ll know why it’s Jennings’s favorite:

Comments

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Awesome list though. Love the no kayaking sign on Celestial Falls :P Cool list. Youtube has some pretty cool stuff if you dig into it!

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Did that person on kayak realize the risk of doing that thing? as shown in that picture. Good Lord!

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I was scared seeing rapids like that but it is by far the most exhilarating I have ever done!

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These are some of the most amazing locations in the world. Green River is something else. Thanks for sharing this with us

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This looks so scary....This is kinda stunning...Wow! you are so spectacular...Pedro

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Wow! this clip is so stunning. I love kayaking with my friends too. The falls area is so great. I really love adventures. I'm so envy guys(sad):(. I love this site. I'm subscribing on this site for your your next clip.

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This post is simply great, I love kayaking with my family. It might sound a bit stupid, but the part i love the most, is going to one of the adventure stores and buy myself and my family, some gadgets and equipment for the trip.

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this reminds me of my few trips as well. Mind you I was scared seeing rapids like that but it is by far the most exhilarating I have ever done!

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Ohiopyle Falls - I just can't imagine how is possible to kayaking there!!

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Lower Mesa Falls is just beautiful but would scare the bejebus out of me. I'm not going over that thing! Awesome list though. Love the no kayaking sign on Celestial Falls :P Cool list. Youtube has some pretty cool stuff if you dig into it!

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Green River Narrows - it is insane going there!