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2026 Whitewater Dam Release Schedule
175 releases on 13 rivers \u2014 the complete 2026 schedule for USACE, TVA, FERC, and state-managed dam releases across America.
Each release is hand-curated against the operating agency’s 2026 schedule. Verify the source link before driving.
Last updated Sunday, June 14, 2026
Plan Your 2026 Release-Season Trip
The 2026 whitewater dam release season is the most comprehensive scheduled-release program in America. The Gauley River in West Virginia runs six dam releases per weekend from September 11 through October 17, 2026 — 22 release days total. The Russell Fork in Virginia runs eight release weekends from October 3 through October 25, 2026 for Class IV–V “The Breaks” runs. The Ocoee River in Tennessee runs the full river every weekend from spring through fall under TVA management. The Lehigh River in Pennsylvania runs twelve recreational releases from the Francis E. Walter Dam, generally Saturdays in spring and fall.
Each release day below links to the operating agency’s official 2026 schedule — USACE (Army Corps of Engineers), TVA, Brookfield Renewable, Duke Energy, or Georgia Power. RiverScout reconciles the agency schedules with current USGS gauge data so you can see whether the river is running on schedule before you drive.
For the live 2026 calendar with day-by-day listings, see the main dam release calendar. For on-demand rivers like the Kennebec Gorge, Cherry Creek, and Upper Youghiogheny, visit each river’s dedicated page for live gauge readings.
2026 Season Index
18 eventsOcoee #2 Recreational Releases 2026
TVA1,500 cfs typical
79 release days · Sat, Mar 28 to Sun, Nov 1
Mar 28Mar 29Apr 4Apr 5Apr 11Apr 12Apr 18Apr 19Apr 25Apr 26May 2May 3May 9May 10May 16May 17May 23May 24May 25May 30May 31Jun 3Jun 6Jun 7Jun 10Jun 13Jun 14Jun 17Jun 20Jun 21Jun 24Jun 27Jun 28Jul 1Jul 4Jul 5Jul 8Jul 11Jul 12Jul 15Jul 18Jul 19Jul 22Jul 25Jul 26Jul 29Aug 1Aug 2Aug 5Aug 8Aug 9Aug 12Aug 15Aug 16Aug 19Aug 22Aug 23Aug 26Aug 29Aug 30Sep 5Sep 6Sep 7Sep 12Sep 13Sep 19Sep 20Sep 26Sep 27Oct 3Oct 4Oct 10Oct 11Oct 17Oct 18Oct 24Oct 25Oct 31Nov 1
Shoulder season release — 11am to 4pm. Cooler water and smaller crowds; the shoulder windows bracket the peak summer schedule on either side.
Tygart Valley Falls Release
USACE2,200 cfs typical
2 release days · Sat, Apr 18 to Sun, Apr 19
Apr 18Apr 19
Spring release weekend at Valley Falls. Tygart releases happen 4-5 weekends per year and are scheduled around reservoir operations.
Lehigh Recreational Release
USACE1,000 cfs typical
6 release days · Sat, May 23 to Sat, Oct 10
May 23Jun 20Jul 18Aug 15Sep 12Oct 10
Memorial Day weekend release. The full 2026 Lehigh release schedule is published by USACE Francis E. Walter Dam each spring.
Cherry Creek (Holm Powerhouse) Recreational Releases 2026
SFPUC2,000 cfs typical
8 release days · Sat, May 23 to Sun, Aug 16
May 23May 24Aug 1Aug 2Aug 8Aug 9Aug 15Aug 16
Cherry Creek Class V whitewater recreational release from Holm Powerhouse (Dion R. Holm hydroelectric plant, 157 MW, on Cherry Creek). Operated by the City & County of San Francisco (SFPUC) since 1960. Historical pattern: weekend recreational releases late May through August. UNVERIFIED for 2026 — confirm via SFPUC in spring.
Deerfield Memorial Day Release
FERC900 cfs typical
1 release day · Sun, May 24
May 24
Memorial Day weekend release. Standard recreational flow on the Fife Brook section.
Kennebec Release
FERC4,500 cfs typical
6 release days · Mon, May 25 to Sat, Sep 19
May 25Jun 13Jun 27Jul 18Aug 15Sep 19
Sample Saturday release from the Brookfield continuous daily summer schedule on the Kennebec Gorge (Memorial Day through Columbus Day). Brookfield releases the Kennebec Gorge daily during the rafting season; this calendar surfaces one Saturday per month as a planning reference. UNVERIFIED for 2026 — confirm via Brookfield in spring.
Dead River Memorial Day Release
FERC2,400 cfs typical
1 release day · Sat, May 30
May 30
Memorial Day weekend release. Dead River releases happen 5-6 weekends per summer; check the source for the full schedule.
Upper Yough Weekend Releases 2026
FERC600 cfs typical
24 release days · Fri, Jun 5 to Sun, Sep 20
Jun 5Jun 6Jun 7Jun 19Jun 20Jun 21Jul 3Jul 4Jul 5Jul 17Jul 18Jul 19Aug 7Aug 8Aug 9Aug 21Aug 22Aug 23Sep 4Sep 5Sep 6Sep 18Sep 19Sep 20
Fri Upper Yough release from Brookfield Deep Creek Hydro (FERC No. 4706). Historical pattern: Fri-Sun weekly releases June through late September. UNVERIFIED for 2026 — confirm via American Whitewater in spring.
Main Tuolumne (Holm Powerhouse) Recreational Releases 2026
SFPUC2,000 cfs typical
8 release days · Sat, Jun 6 to Sun, Aug 9
Jun 6Jun 7Jul 11Jul 12Jul 25Jul 26Aug 8Aug 9
Main Tuolumne Class IV recreational release driven primarily by Holm Powerhouse (SFPUC, City & County of San Francisco). Don Pedro Dam (TID/MID) is downstream of the whitewater run and does not create the recreational flow itself. Historical pattern: weekend releases June through August. UNVERIFIED for 2026 — confirm via SFPUC in spring.
Deerfield Independence Day Release
FERC900 cfs typical
1 release day · Sat, Jul 4
Jul 4
Kennebec Independence Day
FERC4,500 cfs typical
1 release day · Sat, Jul 4
Jul 4
Daily release schedule on the Kennebec Gorge runs Memorial Day through Columbus Day. Independence Day is the marquee weekend for The Forks rafting community.
Pigeon Independence Day Release
FERC1,100 cfs typical
1 release day · Sat, Jul 4
Jul 4
Walters Dam releases daily for the Pigeon River rafting season. Holiday weekend is the busiest day.
Deerfield Labor Day Release
FERC900 cfs typical
1 release day · Sat, Sep 5
Sep 5
Gauley Fall Season 2026
USACE2,800 cfs typical
22 release days · Fri, Sep 11 to Sat, Oct 17
Sep 11Sep 12Sep 13Sep 14Sep 18Sep 19Sep 20Sep 21Sep 25Sep 26Sep 27Sep 28Oct 2Oct 3Oct 4Oct 5Oct 9Oct 10Oct 11Oct 12Oct 16Oct 17
Upper Gauley release from Summersville Lake. Lower Gauley follows at the same flow the day after each Upper release. The 22-day Gauley Fall Season is the marquee whitewater event in the eastern United States.
Russell Fork October Releases
USACE900 cfs typical
8 release days · Sat, Oct 3 to Sun, Oct 25
Oct 3Oct 4Oct 10Oct 11Oct 17Oct 18Oct 24Oct 25
First October release weekend (Saturday). Russell Fork Gorge — Class IV–V "The Breaks" run.
Tallulah Gorge November Releases
FERC700 cfs typical
4 release days · Sat, Nov 7 to Sun, Nov 15
Nov 7Nov 8Nov 14Nov 15
First November release weekend (Saturday). Tallulah Gorge runs only 4 release days per year — the gorge is otherwise dewatered. Requires a permit through Tallulah Gorge State Park.
About this schedule
The 2026 season index above shows every scheduled dam release for the calendar year. Releases are hand-curated from the operating agency’s published 2026 schedules. Some agencies post the full year by January; others release schedules monthly. Always verify the official schedule via the source link before traveling — release dates and flows can change with reservoir conditions.
Coverage gap: daily summer releases on rivers like the Kennebec Gorge, Cherry Creek, and Upper Yough are not enumerated day-by-day yet. Those will be added via a state agency / USACE scraper similar to our Michigan DNR stocking pipeline.
Coverage gap: daily summer releases on rivers like the Kennebec Gorge, Cherry Creek, and Upper Yough are not enumerated day-by-day yet. Those will be added via a state agency / USACE scraper similar to our Michigan DNR stocking pipeline.