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Playspot: US, WV, Lower Gauley, Diagonal Ledges.

What's it like

Diagonal Ledges waves are located directly below Lower Mash rapid on the Lower Gauley and is about half way through the Lower Gauley run. There is a series of waves before the main wave (which is actually the last wave) that are quite surfable. They are big glassy waves with nice eddies on the surfers right side, but these waves are usually overlooked in favour of the main wave. There is excellent eddy access to the right of the surfer on the main wave making for "drop-in" style surfs. This eddy will hold up to about 20 boaters. There are, on average, 10-15+ boaters waiting in line at any given time.

The surfers' left half of the wave is glassy and fast as it pours over a slab rock just underneath, but points are limited and flushing is quite common as the foam pile is not very big. Your bow will quickly pass below the foam and into the green current, thus causing you to flush. 3 to 4 points are occasionally linked in there though. No matter how tempting the wave in front of the main wave looks for launching, DO NOT WAVEWHEEL HERE. The slab rock under the surface of the entry is very shallow and you WILL piton!

One of the most common problems on West Virginia rivers is avoiding the raft traffic. This is not a problem on this wave. The wave is plenty wide and has good upstream visibility for the surfer to simply slide to one side or the other, allowing the raft to pass without having to leave the wave. If it weren't for courtesy to other boaters, you could stay on this wave all day long in a single ride.

How to get there

Lower Gauley : from Fayetteville, West Virginia:

Take Route 19 out of Fayetteville headed toward the New River Bridge (toward Sommersville, WV). Continue across the New River Bridge and another good few miles until you come to Route 39. Turn left onto 39.

To drop off a car at the take out (which is on the way to the put-in), turn right across from the church in the town of Swiss (there will be a 90 degree bend in the road here). As soon as you turn, there will be a field on your right for parking. To save an extra mile of flatwater paddling at the end of the Lower Gauley run, continue past this parking field and go to the end of the road. The road will make a hard right and go over the railroad tracks and down a hill into a field. Park here, but be sure to pay the land-owner his money. Camping is also allowed in this field, for a nominal fee.

As you leave the take-out, turn right, back onto Route 39. Drive about 8 or so miles and at Lockwood, turn right onto Peters Creek Rd. (lately, this has been identifiable by orange construction barrels sitting on the bridge immediately after you turn onto Peters Creek Rd.) This road, which eventually becomes a classic West Virginia gravel road, will twist and wind up the mountain. You can't miss the put-in trail as there are generally a lot of people, vehicles and raft company busses there. Be sure to park out of the way of the buses.Hike your boat about ¼ to ½ mile down the trail to the put-in.

More info

The town of Fayetteville WV is something of a wonder. This is so because it sits almost exactly half way between the New River Gorge put-in and the Gauley River put-in. In Fayetteville, you will find numerous kayak kayak shops, including Starrk Moon. The Cathedral Café is a great place for breakfast. Camping is also available in Fayetteville. Mountain Laurel Campground is highly recommended. The owner is way cool and the sites are good size. If you would like to hit more than one river in a weekend, head over to the New River Gorge for some good class III - IV big water action

Info sources

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