West Virginia: Lansing, Class VI River Time on the Gauley and the New with Kids. 
West Virginia is a surprising place filled with awesome natural adventures, affordable sleeping places and quirky one-of-a-kind restaurants. Mostly mountains, trees, friendly people and best of all crazy rivers with world-class white water, it makes an ideal family vacation spot. And any family vacation in West Virginia should include a few rapids if only to give your kids bragging rights. Class VI river runners offer terrific options for river time with kids.
Do the cool, rugged (not for sissies) New River with your favorite kid and share the thrills in a paddle raft or try the Gauley in inflatable whitewater kayaks. River rafting with kids has its benefits, no Ipods, IM or text messages get in the way of fun. And the electronic barriers aside, the quality time, river energy and natural thrills cannot be beat.
About Class VI. They have been on the New River and the Gauley River since 1978. For them it is river love and it shows. Their canyon-rim location includes 160-acre bordering the 70,000 acre New River Gorge National River. The adventure center, complex includes casual pub, rim-side restaurant, entertainment, retail shopping, well-appointed West Virginia rental cabins, spa-like changing areas, spectacular views and walking trails.
No two days are the same. West Virginia offers some of the best white water in the world and the New and the Gauley maintain the reputation season after season. Whitewater rafting is all about going with the flow, getting wet and having fun. Class VI whitewater river guides know how to make the fun part a reality. They are not just excellent boatmen, they love the river and it shows. They tell stories, make jokes, prepare food, monitor safety and have fun in the process. They consider it a pleasure to be able to guide families or friends down the New or the Gauley. They take safety seriously yet make it easy to relax and enjoy the energy of either river.
Overview: Class VI is known for running the river but they also offer a variety of additional adventure activities plus an assortment of sleeping options. One call to their office and they can assemble a complete family adventure package. Onsite they have sleeping cabins which provide the experience of camping with the protection of a roof. Additional cabins are located across the road and within walking distance of the canyon-rim base camp facility. For a more rugged family base there are also primitive cabins made of rough cut lumber and tent cabins on wooden platforms in the woods. For more creature comforts they have vacation home rental options tucked securely among the trees. Actually deciding on the sleeping base is more complicated than deciding on the river trip.
River activities: At the top of the list for Class VI is river rafting. It is what they do; it is what they love. We have selected a few river highlights and you may get the full description at their website. Upper New River is a mild stretch of white water - this is a great place for families, scouts, and youth groups to 'get their feet wet' in the world of white water rafting. The Upper New River has rapids of Class I through III (on a scale of I to VI) which means the white water rapids are on the mild side - no 14' waterfalls - just gentle and playful waves, with plenty of calm water in between permitting you a chance to enjoy what's around you. On the Upper New River section, the preferred river craft is our self-bailing, two person duckies (also known as inflatable kayaks).
The Lower New River offers a sturdy adventure with plenty of water action from class I through V white water (on a scale of I to VI). Before you see The New River Bridge you will see house-size boulders and huge out cropping signifying the river’s age which is ancient by our standards. On this section of river the preferred river craft is our fleet of self-bailing rafts. The trip can be taken as the Classic Adventure (14' raft, up to 7 paddlers plus a guide) or the more economical Professional Class trip (16' raft, up to 9 paddlers plus a guide).
The Gauley is a classic American river with steep sandstone cliffs and cool green pools of water. You'll run up to class V whitewater on both sections, but there's plenty of "relax" time for swimming and floating. This high adventure trip, staged between astounding canyon walls, treats you to rapids appropriately named for the experience they offer.
Bonus points: New River Gorge area offers endless opportunities for adventure, whether you are in a raft, on a horse, on a mountain bike, or hanging off the canyon rim from a rope. Once you are in the area, you will discover for yourself how cool (meaning naturally neat) the place is. Need to know: West Virginia home to America's Best Whitewater, it can also lay claim to some of America's Best Rock Climbing. A national climbing magazine recently picked the New River Gorge as one of America's Top Five Crags. Known for its bullet-hard sandstone and miles of cliffs, the New River gorge has more than 2,500 routes varying in difficulty from simple to nearly impossible. Mountain Biking Magazine recently rated West Virginia as one of the top five mountain biking destinations in the country. The New River Gorge area offers an extensive trail network that varies from technical single track for the experienced rider to mellow fire road cruising for the beginner. Trails and tours are geared toward beginning riders, providing an experience the whole family can enjoy together.
New in 2009: The New River Gorge Canopy Tour opens in May, offering TreeTops Canopy Tours with ten ziplines and four sky-bridges crossing Mill Creek, a pristine steam hidden by cliffs and rhododendron. Each canopy adventure lasts 3.5 hours and tours depart every half hour and are a fantastic way to bond as a high-octane adventure loving family. (1-800-252-7784)
Value added: 
From the Class VI base camp complex the staff can package a family adventure vacation including meals, sleeping arrangements, whitewater rafting trip and other activities to provide an easy, one price package. Here’s the deal. Save $5.00 per person when you book your trip online. Contact details. Class VI Lansing WV 25862. Toll-free 1-866-658-5333, 1(304) 574-4909 or
www.class-vi.com
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