Foster Falls on the New River in Virginia is another area to come and play in falls, drops and surrounding rapids.
Say the avid paddlers in our Winston-Salem shop: “There are plenty of opportunities to learn how to surf and catch eddies as you go through. A favorite spot is on the far left — the New is mighty wide here, btw — where the water gets funneled into a tongue and makes for some fun surf. Challenge yourself to catch the eddie right at the rocks going into this. I have spent many an hour here playing in the shade of the near bank and goofing off in the wave” —
— Goofing off in a wave? How great is that? —
“At this point you are only a third of the way through so don’t wear yourself out. There are plenty of spots to explore the rest of the way through the rapid. In fact, some of the more challenging maneuvers are below this.”

More info

Maps & Access

Getting there from downtown Winston-Salem

Photo: AmericanTrails.org
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Rating: Class II
Length: Play area
Put-in: New River Trail State Park
Distance: 1 hour 15 minutes from downtown
Latitude: 36.8845
Longitude: 80.8525
Take-out: Same
Latitude: 36.8845
Longitude: 80.8525
Time to complete: however long you’ve got (play area)
Gauge: USGS New River at Ivanhoe
Minimum flow: 1000 cfs
City: Foster Falls
State: VA