Kayaking The New River From Austinville to Foster Falls

I’m an avid kayaker who loves being on water. That being said, 99% of my kayaking experience is on slow-moving rivers or small lakes. On my recent visit to Wytheville, VA, I had the chance to paddle the New River, one of the world’s oldest river that winds south to north.

The New River Trail state park, a 57-mile linear park that follows an abandoned railroad right-of-way and
parallels the scenic and historic New River for 39 of those miles. The section I would be paddling, from Austunville to Foster Falls was only 4 of those miles.

Note that I mentioned only ever paddling flat or slow water, this portion of the New River would take me through a series of Class 2 rapids. I’ve never had to paddle through any type of rapids and was going in without any knowledge of how to navigate through rapids. Choices were made.

At Foster Falls, you’ll meet up with the state park outfitter where you’ll be outfitted with a life jacket. This is also your only opportunity to use the restroom before you get on the river.

Launching At Austinville Boat Launch

From Foster Falls, you’ll be transported by van to the Austinville Boat Launch.It’s fairly easy to get on the river in Austinville; the kayaks are sit-on-top kayaks, so as long as you wear water shoes, you can simply wade out a bit, and then sit down in the kayak and go.

Fun fact: Austinville, VA is where the father of Texas, Stephen Fuller Austin, was born

During our kayak adventure, the water levels were very low, and there was absolutely zero current on the river. Zero current meant a bit of extra paddling, but the skies were pretty, the river was quiet, and there was only an occasional fishing boat passing by.

Navigating Class 2 Rapids For The First Time

I paddled quietly along, enjoying the serenity of the river. It was approximately 1 1/2 – 2 miles before I came to the rapids. This is a series of rapids that spans for a bit before going back to still water.

Now, I’m not sure if you know this about me, but most new ‘adventurous’ things make me a bit nervous so going through the first series of the rapids was a little unsettling, but I made it through with minimal effort. Due to low water, I bumped up against the rocks a number of times, but overall I didn’t have any issues.

There’s a bit of a break before the next set of rapids, and that is where I ran into a slight issue. I was with two other kayakers and they went right through the next set of rapids without any issues. Then there’s me. I thought I took what was the best route through, but instead I ended up stuck on a flat rock. I mentioned those low water levels, right? I think that came into play here.

Water was rushing all around me, and while it’s not incredibly deep water, I don’t necessarily want to get out of my kayak on slippery rocks. It takes, what felt like, a solid 5 minutes of attempting different things to dislodge myself from that rock. Troubleshooting at my finest and happy to say I finally figured it out, but it ended with me going down the next set of rapids backwards and being bounced off the rocks while attempts were made to yeet me out of my kayak. Needless to say, I picked the wrong set of rapids to go down on that stretch. Choice were made, lol.

Once I made it to calmer water, all was well and the rest of the trip went without any issues.

Historic Shot Tower

After the rapids, you’ll pass under the highway and then under a secondary road. At that point, you’ll want to start looking to your right to catch sight of the historic shot tower.

Where To Exit The River

Ahead, you’ll see a bend in the river. You’ll want to make your way all the way over to the right, follow the curve of the river (going straight-ish will take you right through and over Foster Falls) and get out at the Foster Falls boat launch.

How Long Does It Take To Kayak The 4-Miles?

What is typically a 2 to 2 1/2 hour kayak trip took us 90-minutes, but we were actively paddling the entire trip. It was a great trip down the river, and I’d recommend to anyone that enjoys kayaking and wants to attempt kayaking through very tame rapids.

Where to Stay + What To Do Nearby

The Inn at Foster Falls would be my first pick if they have availability. The Inn is absolutely gorgeous and its right there at the falls. However, you don’t want to leave the area without staying at least a night in nearby Wytheville. There, you’ll find a number of lodging options, restaurants and additional activities.