GAULEY BRIDGE, W.Va. -- As if to belie their nature, the two rivers merge smoothly and calmly. The New River glides up from the southeast, the Gauley down from the northeast.

It's almost a miscarriage of justice. Something more symbolic should mark the meeting of the East's two premier whitewater rivers; a seething set of rapids, perhaps, or a mighty waterfall.

Not to worry. The surrounding scenery more than makes up for any lack of fluvial drama, and the waterfall -- it's there, a mere mile and a half downstream.

To the casual observer motoring through on U.S. 60, the Gauley Bridge area of West Virginia's Fayette County is a scenic series of small towns strung along a sweeping river bend. To the nature-loving visitor, it's a visual and recreational playground.

The fun begins a short 45-minute drive from downtown Charleston, at the base of that mighty waterfall. Kanawha Falls occurs when the Kanawha River -- the byproduct of the New-Gauley merger -- steps off a 15-foot sandstone ledge and plummets into a huge, swirling pool just downstream.

What the falls lack in height, they more than make up for in width. Including a cofferdam added in the early 20th century to direct water toward a now-abandoned hydropower station, the falls measure nearly half a mile from one end to the other.

Generations of West Virginians have photographed the falls' foaming width, fished their churning pool and picnicked on the grassy beaches just downstream.

State fisheries officials consider the falls pool the state's best mixed-bag fishery. Sunfish, crappie, largemouth and smallmouth bass, white bass, hybrid striped bass, walleye, catfish and muskellunge are just some of the featured species. At least three state-record fish have been caught there.

The Division of Natural Resources maintains a nicely groomed access area for anglers, picnickers and casual visitors. The boat-launching ramp and the surrounding parking lots are paved, and a smooth walkway directs foot traffic toward a fishing-access pier along the river's north bank.

Swimming is prohibited because of the river's strong currents, but boaters are allowed to approach as close to the falls as conditions permit.

GAULEY BRIDGE, W.Va. -- As if to belie their nature, the two rivers merge smoothly and calmly. The New River glides up from the southeast, the Gauley down from the northeast.

It's almost a miscarriage of justice. Something more symbolic should mark the meeting of the East's two premier whitewater rivers; a seething set of rapids, perhaps, or a mighty waterfall.

Not to worry. The surrounding scenery more than makes up for any lack of fluvial drama, and the waterfall -- it's there, a mere mile and a half downstream.

To the casual observer motoring through on U.S. 60, the Gauley Bridge area of West Virginia's Fayette County is a scenic series of small towns strung along a sweeping river bend. To the nature-loving visitor, it's a visual and recreational playground.

The fun begins a short 45-minute drive from downtown Charleston, at the base of that mighty waterfall. Kanawha Falls occurs when the Kanawha River -- the byproduct of the New-Gauley merger -- steps off a 15-foot sandstone ledge and plummets into a huge, swirling pool just downstream.

What the falls lack in height, they more than make up for in width. Including a cofferdam added in the early 20th century to direct water toward a now-abandoned hydropower station, the falls measure nearly half a mile from one end to the other.

Generations of West Virginians have photographed the falls' foaming width, fished their churning pool and picnicked on the grassy beaches just downstream.

State fisheries officials consider the falls pool the state's best mixed-bag fishery. Sunfish, crappie, largemouth and smallmouth bass, white bass, hybrid striped bass, walleye, catfish and muskellunge are just some of the featured species. At least three state-record fish have been caught there.

The Division of Natural Resources maintains a nicely groomed access area for anglers, picnickers and casual visitors. The boat-launching ramp and the surrounding parking lots are paved, and a smooth walkway directs foot traffic toward a fishing-access pier along the river's north bank.

Swimming is prohibited because of the river's strong currents, but boaters are allowed to approach as close to the falls as conditions permit.

Just upstream from the falls, the historic Glen Ferris Inn beckons to diners and overnight guests. Established in 1839, the inn offers a sweeping overview of the falls' brink. Accommodations include 12 standard rooms, each individually decorated in a West Virginia motif, three deluxe rooms and three suites. The inn's restaurant is renowned for its yeast rolls and dessert selection.

From the falls to the New-Gauley junction, the Kanawha River flows wide and relatively shallow over a rocky bottom. A series of buoys defines a no-boating "danger zone" just upstream from the falls. When the river is running low, knowledgeable fishermen can wade far out from the banks to cast for smallmouth bass. The towns of Glen Ferris and Gauley Bridge maintain riverside parks with benches where visitors can sit and watch the river roll by.

Campers can stay at the New River Campground, about a half-mile upstream from the confluence. Maintained by the West Virginia Chapter of the Paralyzed Veterans of America, the riverside facility offers full hook-up sites for trailers and RVs, rustic sites for tent camping, an air-conditioned bathhouse and two playgrounds.

Just upstream from the campground, the New River crawls out of its rocky, 900-foot-deep gorge on the way to its meeting with the Gauley. Gigantic slabs of sandstone bedrock dominate the banks on both sides.

For visitors equipped with boats, the outcrops on the river's south bank afford a pair of surprises. Stone carvers -- perhaps some of the Italian masons who helped create stonework for the railroads -- chiseled a fairly elaborate carving of a sea captain into one of the slabs. It takes a bit of searching to find, but it's there.

So are samples of the yellow-flowered St. John's wort, a plant ordinarily found much farther south. Botanists speculate that the New River carried some seeds to the Gauley Bridge area, where they flourished in the outcrops' hot summer climate.

Across the river from the outcrops lies one of the area's most spectacular scenic attractions, Cathedral Falls. The 60-foot cataract launches from a shale outcrop and plunges diagonally down a sheer face. A small park, with picnic tables and access paths, provides easy access to the falls just north of U.S. 60.

From Cathedral Falls, the highway climbs the slopes of Gauley Mountain, leading visitors toward Hawks Nest State Park, the New River Gorge Bridge and the recreational treasures of the New River Gorge National River. But nowhere are the attractions packed quite as closely as that 3-mile stretch of highway where mighty rivers meet.

Reach John McCoy at johnmc...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-1231.