Lord of the Fork Race 2026

The Lord of the Fork Race

Perhaps the most competitive whitewater kayak race on the East coast—hosting over 100 racers each year for the last several years—the Lord of the Fork is a 0.7 mile class V downriver race on the Russell Fork River Gorge in Breaks Interstate Park near Haysi, Virginia and Elkhorn City, Kentucky.

The 2026 LOTF Race is scheduled for Saturday, October 24th.

The Lord of the Fork Race is held at 2pm EST every 4th Saturday in October and is run in coordination with the annual Russell Fork Rendezvous, a river festival historically held at Carson Island in Elkhorn City, KY. Camping is available for a small fee at Carson Island and Ratliff Hole from Thursday through Monday. The festival at Carson Island is supported by local volunteers and the race and festival are fundraisers for local causes, and American Whitewater.

The race course begins below Fist and above Maze, includes Triple Drop and El Horrendo, and finishes below Climax. Water for the weekend is released from Flanagan Dam on the Pound River from Friday through Sunday.

Register to Race or Camp
LOTF Facebook Page

Click here to learn more about the Rendezvous!

We are always in need of Volunteers to help with safety and timing! If you're interested in volunteering, please reach out to Geoff Calhoun at geoff@greatfallsfoundation.com