3. Upper Youghiogheny, Maryland and Pennsylvania
The Upper Yough, cutting through one of the few wilderness canyons in the East, is one of the wildest stretches of river in the U.S.: It starts with a mild section and a few warmup rapids, then boaters hit five miles of continuous rapids up to Class V, 20 in all. The river can only be run during releases from the Deep Creek Dam—of which there are about 60 on the published schedule, April through October.
