American Whitewater

Safety Code of American Whitewater

This code has been prepared using the best available information and has been reviewed by a broad cross section of whitewater experts. The code, however, is only a collection of guidelines; attempts to minimize risks should be flexible, not constrained by a rigid set of rules. Varying conditions and group goals may combine with unpredictable circumstances to require alternate procedures. This code is not intended to serve as a standard of care for commercial outfitters or guides.

International Scale of River Difficulty (see Section VI of the Safety Code of American Whitewater for complete descriptions)

This is the American version of a rating system used to compare river difficulty throughout the world. This system is not exact; rivers do not always fit easily into one category, and regional or individual interpretations may cause misunderstandings. It is no substitute for a guidebook or accurate first-hand descriptions of a run.

Paddlers attempting difficult runs in an unfamiliar area should act cautiously until they get a feel for the way the scale is interpreted locally. River difficulty may change each year due to fluctuations in water level, downed trees, recent floods, geological disturbances, or bad weather. Stay alert for unexpected problems!

As river difficulty increases, the danger to swimming paddlers becomes more severe. As rapids become longer and more continuous, the challenge increases. There is a difference between running an occasional Class-IV rapid and dealing with an entire river of this category. Allow an extra margin of safety between skills and river ratings when the water is cold or if the river itself is remote and inaccessible.

The links below lead to the 3 parts of a list of examples of commonly run rapids that fit each of the classifications. Rapids of a difficulty similar to a rapids on this list are rated the same. Rivers are also rated using this scale. An overall river rating should take into account many factors including the difficulty of individual rapids, remoteness, hazards, etc. Each rapids is rated at a specific range of levels. Note that under some circumstances a paddler may find that similarly rated rapids seem to differ an extraordinary amount due to unusual factors that may include boat type, weather, fatigue, and limited experience on certain types of whitewater.

Safety Code of American Whitewater

International Scale of River Difficulty - Standard Rated Rapids

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Class IV-	Rapid Name(s)	River, Section(s)	State	Level
Northeast
	Blue Ledge	Hudson River Gorge	NY	5.5'
	Staircase	Swift	NH	1.5'-2'
	High Falls	Cheat Canyon	WV	3'-5'
	Double Z	New River Gorge	WV	1-2.5' (3-5000)
	Wonder Falls (including approach)	Big Sandy Cr., Lower	WV	6- 6.5
Rocky Mountain
	Zoom Flume	Arkansas, Browns Canyon	CO	2500
	Jaws	Flathead, M. Fk.	MT	.5'
	Lunch Counter	Snake, Alpine Canyon	WY	6000
	Big Kahuna	Snake, Alpine Canyon	WY	10,000
	Spotted Horse	Hoback	WY	1.5'
Southeast
	Entrance	Chattooga, Sect. IV	GA/SC	1.8'-2.3'
	Frank Bell's	French Broad, Sect. 9	NC	2000-3000
	Rattlesnake / Fang	Daddy's Creek Canyon	TN	700-3500
	Boat Buster	Wilson's Creek Gorge	NC	1-3”
West Coast
	Ned's Gulch	Merced, Red Bud to Suspension Bridge	CA	1500
	Mercury	Green River Gorge, Upper	WA	2000-2200
	The Nozzle	Green River Gorge, Upper	WA	2000
	Rubber	Salmon, Middle Fork	ID	5000
	House Rock	Colorado, Grand Canyon	AZ	15,000-22,000
	Blossom Bar	Rogue R., Grave Cr. to Foster Bar	OR	3000

Class IV	Rapid Name(s)	River, Section(s)	State	Level
Northeast
	Fayette Station	New River Gorge	WV	0' (2600)
	Sweet's Falls	Gauley, Upper	WV	2400-3200
	Mash (Upper & Lower)	Gauley, Lower	WV	2800-3200
	Pure Screaming Hell	Gauley, Lower	WV	2000-3200
	S Turn or Z-Drop	Tygart Gorge	WV	4.5'
	Middle Keeney	New River Gorge	WV	1-2.5' (3500-5100)
	Rip Gorge (Ripogenous Gorge)	Penobscot R., W. Br., Ripogenous Gorge	ME	2000-3000
	Bastard	Youghiogheny, Upper	MD	2-2.2'
	Heinzerling (Pillow Route)	Youghiogheny, Upper	MD	2-2.2'
Rocky Mountain
	Number Four	Arkansas, the Numbers	CO	1000 (<3')
	Sunshine	Arkansas, Royal Gorge	CO	2000-3200
	Pine View Falls	Cache la Poudre, Pine View Run	CO	1500
	Skull	Colorado, Westwater Canyon	UT	3500-5000
	Zoom Flume	Arkansas, Browns Canyon	CO	3000
	Number Three	Arkansas, the Numbers	CO	2000-2500 (3.5-4')
	Number Two	Arkansas, the Numbers	CO	2000-2500 (3.5-4')
Southeast
	Corkscrew	Chattooga, Sect. IV	GA/SC	1.8'-2.3'
	Seven Foot Falls	Chattooga, Sect. IV	GA/SC	1.8'-2.3'
	Jared's Knee	Tellico, Ledges	TN	500-800, 2'-3'
	Ten Foot Falls (including entrance)	Wilson's Creek Gorge	NC	6”
West Coast
	Chamberlain Falls	American, N. Fk.	CA	1000
	White Lightning	Cispus, Upper	WA	1200
	Ned's Gulch	Merced, Red Bud to Suspension Bridge	CA	2500
	Granite	Colorado, Grand Canyon	AZ	15,000-22,000
	Hermit	Colorado, Grand Canyon	AZ	15,000-22,000

Class IV+	Rapid Name(s)	River, Section(s)	State	Level
Northeast
	Pillow Rock	Gauley, Upper	WV	2400-3200
	Meat Cleaver	Youghiogheny, Upper	MD	2-2.2'
Rocky Mountain
	House Rock	Gallatin	MT	.5'-1'
	Eye of the Needle	Piedra, Lower	CO	med/high
	Number Four	Arkansas, the Numbers	CO	2000-2500 (3.5-4')
	Snaggletooth	Dolores	CO	high
	Number Five	Arkansas, the Numbers	CO	2000-2500 (3.5-4')
	Number Six	Arkansas, the Numbers	CO	2000-2500 (3.5-4')
Southeast
	Bull Sluice	Chattooga, Sect. III-IV	GA/SC	1.8'-2.3'
West Coast
	Husum Falls	White Salmon	WA	1200-1800
	Clavey Falls	Tuolumne	CA	900+
	Lava Falls (right side)	Colorado, Grand Canyon	AZ	2000
	Boulder Drop	Skykomish	WA	5000
	Surprise	Payette, S. Fk.	ID	2000

For more information, see the story behind the American Whitewater Rating Scale Project.

For additional copies please write to:

American Whitewater
PO Box 1540, Cullowhee, NC 28723
email: info@amwhitewater.org