Whitewater guide
Dam release rafting schedules
When the dams open on the Gauley, Kennebec, Dead, Upper Yough, Deerfield and Lehigh, from the official Army Corps and Brookfield schedules: how 2026 ran and whether 2027 dates are out yet.
Short answer: as of November 4, 2026, the 2026 release seasons are over on every river below and no 2027 schedules have been published yet. The Army Corps of Engineers sets the Gauley and Lehigh releases; Brookfield Renewable sets the Kennebec, Dead, Upper Yough and Deerfield releases and posts them on SafeWaters. Below is exactly how the 2026 schedules ran (a good guide to the pattern for 2027) and where each new calendar will appear. We only list dates the dam operator has published.
| River | Dam / operator | 2026 season | 2027 status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gauley | Summersville Dam · Army Corps (Huntington) | Sep 11–Oct 18, 6 weekends at 2,800 cfs | Not published |
| Kennebec | Harris Station · Brookfield | Daily 4,800+ cfs, May 1–Oct 12 | Not published |
| Dead | Long Falls Dam (Flagstaff Lake) · Brookfield | 18 release days, May 9–Oct 3 | Not published |
| Upper Yough | Deep Creek · Brookfield | Apr 18–Oct 12, set weekdays and Saturdays | Not published |
| Deerfield (Fife Brook) | Fife Brook Dam · Brookfield | 107 days, Apr 15–Oct 18; Dryway 32 days | Not published |
| Lehigh | F.E. Walter Dam · Army Corps (Philadelphia) | 24 whitewater releases, ended Oct 8–12 | Not published |
Gauley River (West Virginia): Gauley Season
Gauley Season begins the first weekend after Labor Day and runs six weekends (National Park Service). In 2026 the Army Corps scheduled 2,800 cfs releases on these weekends: Sep 11–Sep 14; Sep 18–Sep 21; Sep 25–Sep 28; Oct 2–Oct 5; Oct 9–Oct 12; Oct 17–Oct 18 (Fridays through Mondays in September, Saturdays and Sundays in October). The 2027 dates are not published yet (USACE Huntington whitewater schedule).
Live flows: Upper Gauley below Summersville Dam and Lower Gauley at Belva.
Kennebec River (Maine): Harris Station
Brookfield’s 2026 schedule: from May 1 through Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples’ Day (October 12), a daily release of at least 4,800 cfs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.; from June 15 through September 15, every Saturday at least 2,400 cfs from 1 to 3 p.m., plus four Sundays (2026 Kennebec and Dead schedule, SafeWaters PDF).
Brookfield’s current short-term Harris schedule (it changes often, so check it the day you go):
- 11/3/2026 3:00 PM to 11/3/2026 5:00 PM: 340 cfs
- 11/3/2026 5:00 PM to 11/3/2026 8:00 PM: 5,000 cfs
- 11/3/2026 8:00 PM to 11/4/2026 5:00 PM: 340 cfs
- 11/4/2026 5:00 PM to 11/4/2026 8:00 PM: 5,000 cfs
- 11/4/2026 8:00 PM to 11/5/2026 5:00 PM: 340 cfs
Source: SafeWaters, Harris / Indian Pond.
Live flow at The Forks: Kennebec River at the Forks.
Dead River (Maine): Long Falls Dam
The Dead runs on scheduled releases from Flagstaff Lake. The 2026 release days were:
| Date (2026) | Release |
|---|---|
| Sat May 9 | 6,000+ cfs |
| Sat May 16 | 6,000+ cfs |
| Sat May 23 | 1,400 cfs |
| Sun May 24 | 6,000 cfs |
| Sat May 30 | 6,000 cfs |
| Sat Jun 6 | 4,000 cfs |
| Sun Jun 7 | 2,400 cfs |
| Sat Jun 20 | 1,800 cfs |
| Sun Jun 21 | 1,300 cfs |
| Sat Jul 4 | 1,800 cfs |
| Sun Jul 5 | 1,300 cfs |
| Sat Jul 18 | 2,400 cfs |
| Sun Jul 19 | 1,800 cfs |
| Sat Aug 8 | 2,400 cfs |
| Sun Aug 9 | 1,800 cfs |
| Sun Sep 6 | 5,500 cfs |
| Sat Sep 19 | 3,500 cfs |
| Sat Oct 3 | full open to 6,000 cfs |
Source: 2026 Kennebec and Dead schedule, SafeWaters PDF. 2027 dates are usually posted in late winter. Live flow: Dead River near Dead River.
Upper Youghiogheny (Maryland): Deep Creek
The Upper Yough is a Class IV–V run that only has water when Brookfield releases from Deep Creek Lake. The 2026 pattern, as listed by Ohiopyle outfitter Laurel Highlands River Tours from Brookfield’s schedule: April: the last two Saturdays (4/18, 4/25). May: the first two Mondays, the first four Fridays, the first Saturday and Memorial Day Saturday. June: all Mondays, all Fridays and the last two Saturdays. July and August: all Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays. September: all Mondays, all Fridays and the first two Saturdays. October: Mondays 10/5 and 10/12, Fridays 10/2 and 10/9, and Saturday 10/3 (Laurel Highlands River Tours; official schedule and same-day status: SafeWaters, Deep Creek). Live flow at Friendsville: Youghiogheny River at Friendsville.
Deerfield River (Massachusetts): Fife Brook and the Dryway
Fife Brook (Zoar Gap section): releases start between 11:30 a.m. and noon (flow ramps up 15–30 minutes earlier) and last at least three hours at 800 cfs; the June 27 release started at 10 a.m., and June 6–7 (Massachusetts Free Fishing Weekend) were minimum-flow days. Brookfield’s official 2026 calendar marks release days by shading rather than listing them, so we decoded the shaded days from that PDF (2026 Fife Brook schedule, SafeWaters PDF, rev. March 16, 2026). That gives 107 release days from Apr 15 to Oct 18, 2026:
| Month (2026) | Fife Brook release days |
|---|---|
| April | 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30 |
| May | 1, 2, 3, 9, 10, 16, 17, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31 |
| June | 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28 |
| July | 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 31 |
| August | 1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 9, 13, 14, 15, 16, 20, 21, 22, 23, 27, 28, 29, 30 |
| September | 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 30 |
| October | 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 |
Zoar Outdoor lists 106 scheduled Fife Brook releases for 2026; our decoding of the March 16 revision finds 107. Use the official PDF or Zoar’s page if you are planning around a specific day.
The Dryway (Monroe Bridge, below Deerfield No. 5 dam): the expert Class III–IV section gets 32 scheduled releases in 2026. Fridays are 4 hours from 11 a.m., Saturdays 5 hours from 10 a.m., Sundays 4 hours from 10 a.m., at 900–1,100 cfs (2026 Deerfield No. 5 release table; Zoar Outdoor):
| Date (2026) | Release |
|---|---|
| Sat May 23 | 900 cfs |
| Sun May 24 | 1,000 cfs |
| Sun Jun 14 | 900 cfs |
| Sat Jun 20 | 1,100 cfs |
| Sun Jun 21 | 1,000 cfs |
| Fri Jun 26 | 1,100 cfs |
| Sat Jun 27 | 900 cfs |
| Sun Jun 28 | 1,000 cfs |
| Sat Jul 4 | 1,100 cfs |
| Sun Jul 5 | 900 cfs |
| Sat Jul 11 | 1,000 cfs |
| Sun Jul 12 | 1,100 cfs |
| Sat Jul 18 | 900 cfs |
| Sun Jul 19 | 1,000 cfs |
| Sat Jul 25 | 1,100 cfs |
| Fri Jul 31 | 900 cfs |
| Sat Aug 1 | 1,000 cfs |
| Sun Aug 2 | 1,100 cfs |
| Fri Aug 7 | 1,000 cfs |
| Sat Aug 8 | 1,100 cfs |
| Sun Aug 9 | 1,000 cfs |
| Fri Aug 14 | 900 cfs |
| Sun Aug 16 | 1,000 cfs |
| Sat Aug 22 | 1,100 cfs |
| Sat Aug 29 | 900 cfs |
| Sat Sep 5 | 1,000 cfs |
| Sun Sep 6 | 1,100 cfs |
| Sat Sep 12 | 900 cfs |
| Sun Sep 13 | 1,000 cfs |
| Sun Sep 27 | 1,100 cfs |
| Sat Oct 3 | 900 cfs |
| Sun Oct 4 | 1,000 cfs |
Live flow at Charlemont: Deerfield River at Charlemont.
Lehigh River (Pennsylvania): F.E. Walter Dam
The Army Corps’ Philadelphia District held 24 whitewater releases from F.E. Walter Dam in 2026, ending with the October 8–12 drawdown (USACE Philadelphia). The Corps announces each year’s release plan in spring. Live flow: Lehigh River at Lehighton.
Ocoee, Pigeon, Nantahala and Hiwassee
TVA and Duke Energy calendars, the remaining 2026 dates and the 2027 status are in our Ocoee, Nantahala, Pigeon and Hiwassee release schedules guide.
South Fork American, Tuolumne, Kern and Stanislaus (California)
These California runs depend on utility and reservoir releases and are measured on state CDEC gauges. Check the live flow before you go: Upper Kern (Kernville), Lower Kern (below Isabella Dam), South Fork American (Chili Bar), Tuolumne (Meral’s Pool), Stanislaus (Orange Blossom Bridge).
Tips for release days
- Releases ramp up: on the Deerfield, Brookfield says flow starts rising 15–30 minutes before the release time. Never camp, stand or picnic on rocks in the riverbed below a dam.
- Schedules can change without notice for drought, floods or power demand. Check SafeWaters or the Corps page the morning you go.
- Even on a release day, check the live gauge on the river page to see the water has arrived. New to flows? Read what river flow is best for rafting.
FAQ
When is the 2027 Gauley Season?
The Army Corps has not published 2027 dates yet. Gauley Season traditionally begins the first weekend after Labor Day and runs six weekends; in 2026 releases ran September 11 to October 18.
What time are Kennebec releases?
In 2026 Brookfield’s Harris Station schedule had a daily release of at least 4,800 cfs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. from May 1 to October 12, plus Saturday releases of at least 2,400 cfs from 1 to 3 p.m. from mid-June to mid-September.
When are the Dead River releases?
2026 big-water releases were May 9, 16, 24 and 30, June 6, September 6, September 19 and October 3, with smaller weekend releases in June, July and August. 2027 dates are not published yet; they usually appear in late winter.
Are dam release schedules guaranteed?
No. Brookfield, the Army Corps, TVA and Duke Energy all say schedules can change because of weather, drought or generation needs. Check the official page the day you go.
How do I find the Upper Yough release schedule?
Brookfield posts Deep Creek releases on SafeWaters. In 2026 releases ran from April 18 to October 12, mostly on Mondays, Fridays and summer Saturdays.
More guides
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- Winter lake fishing during drawdownsHow a falling lake moves fish, where to look, and which lakes are down the most today.