The fall rafting season on West Virginia’s Gauley River gets started this week.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will begin lowering Summersville Lake to its winter level through releases at the Summersville Dam starting Friday. The weekly releases will continue through Oct. 16.

The releases form about 100 rapids on the Gauley, which drops more than 650 feet along its 24-mile route in southern West Virginia.

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Morgantown, Beckley, Charleston news

Fall rafting season in West Virginia begins this week on the Gauley River.

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The six-week Gauley rafting season attracts about 40,000 visitors to the New River Gorge National Park each fall.