3-Hour Nantahala River Fully Guided Rafting Experience
Overview
We have the best location on the Nantahala River being located right at the takeout. This means you'll only ride the bus once and you'll finish at your car. After the river, enjoy one of our two restaurants by the river.
Inclusions
- All necessary rafting equipment, including life jackets and helmets (optional)
What to expect
Itinerary
The Nantahala River is perfect for first timers and experienced rafters alike. It is perfect for families, couples, and all adventurers.
After checking in, you will get geared up, go through a pre-trip safety talk and video and then jump on the bus for short ride to the put-in. Then in it's down the river you go to enjoy the Nantahala's fun and splashy rapids along with the spectacular mountain scenery of the Nantahala River Gorge. The grand finale of the trip is the Class III Nantahala Falls!
Stop At:
• Nantahala River, North Carolina
The Nantahala River is perfect for first timers and experienced rafters alike. It is perfect for families, couples, and all adventurers.
After checking in, you will get geared up, go through a pre-trip safety talk and video and then jump on the bus for short ride to the put-in. Then in it's down the river you go to enjoy the Nantahala's fun and splashy rapids along with the spectacular mountain scenery of the Nantahala River Gorge. The grand finale of the trip is the Class III Nantahala Falls!
Stop At:
• Nantahala River, North Carolina
Additional information
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Most travelers can participate
- This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 48 travelers
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Ticket delivery
You can present either a paper or an electronic voucher for this activity.
Cancellation
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start time of the experience.
928kcf
July 2023
Jacob (our guide) was the best EVER! He kept us safe, coached us well, helped us get to 7 spins on the "spin cycle" and even taught us some Nantahala history while we were meandering down the river. Overall, incredibly fun experience!
Jacob (our guide) was the best EVER! He kept us safe, coached us well, helped us get to 7 spins on the "spin cycle" and even taught us some Nantahala history while we were meandering down the river. Overall, incredibly fun experience!OtisCole
July 2023
Our rafting trip was so wonderful. My wife and I had done this same trip about 30+ years ago and both loved it back then. 3 decades later we were able to drive up from Birmingham,AL and bring our 3 kids and let them do a white water rafting trip for the first time in their lives. At the end of th...
Our rafting trip was so wonderful. My wife and I had done this same trip about 30+ years ago and both loved it back then. 3 decades later we were able to drive up from Birmingham,AL and bring our 3 kids and let them do a white water rafting trip for the first time in their lives. At the end of the rafting trip we all rated it a 5-star adventure! Our guide (Greg, I think aka AWOL) was so great and made the entire trip exciting and enjoyable. A great adventure that I would recommend for anyone that is interested in doing a rafting trip, you should a call this company. Nantahala Outdoor Center is great!!juliewA38UH
August 2023
So much fun!! Our guide Gracie was amazing and shared lots of interesting facts along the trip. I checked something off my bucket list!
So much fun!! Our guide Gracie was amazing and shared lots of interesting facts along the trip. I checked something off my bucket list!21karolinav
August 2023
The experience was really good. First time here was very impress. Would definitely recommend the experience
The experience was really good. First time here was very impress. Would definitely recommend the experiencecdub333
August 2023
In 2003, I came to the Nantahala Outdoor Center for whitewater rafting and vowed to someday take their Paddling School’s “Intro to Whitewater Kayaking” course. Two decades later, I finally did it and it was great! While I’ve logged about 2,000 kayaking miles on rivers, lakes and oceans, paddling...
In 2003, I came to the Nantahala Outdoor Center for whitewater rafting and vowed to someday take their Paddling School’s “Intro to Whitewater Kayaking” course. Two decades later, I finally did it and it was great! While I’ve logged about 2,000 kayaking miles on rivers, lakes and oceans, paddling in whitewater has always intimidated - yet lured - me. Going with the flow, being one with the river, etc. But dang, those boats are small…more of an article of clothing you wear than a vessel you steer. The Nantahala Outdoor Center is celebrating its 50th Anniversary and their River “Campus” has grown much since I came in 2003. Cabins, zip-lines, a wide range of paddling courses and itineraries. The Whitewater Kayaking Intro course is a 7-hour immersion (in all senses of the word!) and well worth it. The instructors - Kyle and Michael - were top-notch. Knowledgeable about the gear and the River, they were clearly strong paddlers and effective teachers, too. As certified guides, they were all about safety first, and periodically checked to see how everyone was doing physically. They had to relate to a small but diverse group of students, including a 20-something local couple, an environmental scientist who won the class in a raffle, and my senior citizen pal and me. The young couple hadn’t paddled much, the scientist grew up kayaking on a river, and my pal and I are experienced flatwater kayakers, but this is all new. At the Paddling School, Kyle and Michael gave an overview of the day then asked each of us about our paddling experience and what we hoped to do. We got fitted at the shack out back for a spray skirt, helmet, PFD (sort of stinky), paddle and footwear. I added a splash shirt. We were introduced to our tiny, weird-shaped kayaks; not much leg-room and the knees are sort of locked-in, but not as claustrophobic as it looks. We loaded the boats and gear in the trailer and headed up a scenic mountain road. En route, our instructors explained hand-signs (it gets loud out there) and river features like eddies. At the lake (clear and warm), each of us led a series us stretching exercises while describing a fun place they’ve traveled to. Then into the boats. Attaching the spray skirt in the back has always been a challenge for me (bum shoulder), but it’s a snug fit. The helmet feels a little too snug, actually. Our guides go over safety procedures and basic strokes, but I display bad habits from flatwater paddling. We learn “edging” and how to perform a “wet exit” (getting out of your boat when you’re upside down): Tuck (your torso to avoid rocks), Pull (the spray skirt strap), Push (your knees up and out). The first time is scariest, but it gets easier. After three successful “wet exits”, I feel better about what lay ahead. But my rescue maneuvers weren’t too hot. We do several drills to practice our steering and balance. I like the Figure Eight drill. After lunch, back in the trailer and off to the river to test our new skills and see if we remember any of it. At the Nantahala River about two miles upstream from the NOC, the water is moving fast and is colder than the lake. The dam has opened, unleashing gallons of water and a torrent of tourists on rafts, rubber ducks, inflatable unicorns, stand-up paddleboards and odd kayaks. We paddle together to an eddy which shelters us before the first of about seven sets of rapids, which all look and sound like Niagara Falls. But we have more classroom time atop a small waterfall. We learn how to “hover” while facing upstream. We edge our kayaks as far to one side as we dare. I enjoy “ferrying” upstream from one side of the river to the other. The next rapids are tougher. Michael and Kyle point to the best path. We all make it, but the velocity is increasing as we near each subsequent set of rapids. Waves are crashing across the bow of the kayak, slapping me in the face. At the next-to-last set of rapids, I’m pulled into a rock I barely see and instantly capsize, losing my paddle. I remember “Tuck-Pull-Push” and pop out of the boat underwater, but my ankle is pinned. I wiggle free the leg, crawl onto a rock and there’s our faithful guide (with my paddle.) Once we drain my boat, re-launch and join the group, the final 300 yards to the “Concrete Beach” launch site are wild. I was yelling; so was everyone. Excellent. Back at the shack, our instructors did a wrap-up discussion, getting everyone’s thoughts. Maybe the teaching experience can be enhanced by sending each of student some info beforehand about the gear, basic strokes, rescue. Anyhow, it was memorable and I won’t wait another 20 years to do this.Freedom46648641926
July 2023
We had a fabulous time rafting down the Nantahala! Jeremy was a fabulous guide and shared some great history of the area along our ride. We had 2 11 year old girls with us and they cant stop talking about how much fun they had!
We had a fabulous time rafting down the Nantahala! Jeremy was a fabulous guide and shared some great history of the area along our ride. We had 2 11 year old girls with us and they cant stop talking about how much fun they had!