The city of Washington D.C. itself does not offer much in the way of whitewater rafting, but drive an hour or two west and south of the city, and you will find a variety of whitewater rafting possibilities. Just under an hour north in Maryland are World Whitewater Championship and Olympic-caliber courses, while to the west lies a challenging set of rapids that grows in complexity along the Middle and Lower Youghiogheny River in Pennsylvania. Just a two-hour drive south to Richmond is the James River, the only whitewater rafting river to flow through an urban metropolitan area.
Maryland, which has served as home to the World Whitewater Championships and the Olympic Whitewater Trials, features some of the toughest whitewater rapids in the country, which include the class III and IV rapids at the Savage River Dam Release, the man-made course at Dickerson, and Deep Creek Lake and the Upper Youghiogheny's Sang Run and class IV and V action at Bastard Falls. Luxury resorts in the area include the Wisp Resort in Garrett County, a family-friendly lodge of suites and efficiencies with an idyllic location near Deep Creek Lake and the nearby Marsh Mountain, and the Savage River Lodge, 18 luxury log cabins tucked away in the old growth forests of Cumberland with easy access to the Savage River Dam Release. Rocky Gap Lodge and Golf Resort situated seven miles outside of Cumberland and one and a half hours away from Ohiopyle State Park features a Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course.
Ohiopyle State Park, home to the rapids of the Middle and Lower Youghiogheny, is a one-hour drive west of Washington D.C. The Middle Yough consists of class I and II rapids, which make it a good staging area for beginners. The class III and IV rapids of the Lower Yough tend to attract more experienced rafters. Luxury resorts in this area include the Mobil four-star rated Nemacolin Woodlands Resort on 2,000 acres in the Laurel Highlands near Pittsburgh and the "National Register of Historic Places" named Historic Summit Inn in Farmington, a two-hour drive from Ohiopyle State Park.
The James River is a two-hour drive from Washington D.C. and features class II, III and IV rapids. The river flows through Richmond for seven miles and then drops more than 100 feet over the fall line. The Jefferson Hotel in the historic district was built in 1895 and features beaux arts architecture. It is within easy walking distance to the state capitol, Shockoe Slip, convention center and the museum district. The newer AAA Four Diamond Berkeley Hotel on Cary Street in Shockoe Slip offers a more European flair with amenities that include a complimentary morning paper, health club privileges, high-speed Internet, nightly turn-down service and same day laundry and dry cleaning .
