5 World Class Tennessee River Rafting Experiences To Try This Summer
By Meghan Kraft|Published July 21, 2019
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Meghan Kraft
Author
Meghan Kraft loves to travel the world, but she makes her home right here in Nashville, Tennessee. She holds a degree in English, and has worked in the digital marketing realm with companies such as Apartments.com, USA Today and HarperCollins Publishing.
Ah, Summertime in Tennessee. There’s really nothing else like it in the world. And no, we don’t mean the occasionally sweltering heat or the sticky humidity. We’re talking about getting outside and getting to experience the most beautiful state in the country! But it does get hot, so experiencing the state from the water is always a good idea. That’s why we put together this list of top-notch river rafting experiences throughout Tennessee that you can try for yourself this summer. If any of them sound like fun, be sure to click on any of the links in the descriptions below to find out more about packages, availability, and pricing for these amazing adventures!
The Hiwassee River sits just an hour from Chattanooga into the mountains of Southeast Tennessee and features over 5 miles of class I-III rapids. That makes it the perfect spot for beginners to get their feet wet, and places like the Hiwassee Outfitters will rent out kayaks and rafts for you to take a self-guided trip down the river.
Winding through the heart of Great Smoky Mountain National Park, the Little Pigeon River is a great way to experience some incredible scenery with a side of adrenaline. Here, you'll definitely want a guide to take you down the class III and IV rapids, and the folks at Smoky Mountain Outdoors are the best around.
The folks at the Nantahala Outdoor Center are known for having some of the best rafting trips in the Southeast, and their day trip on the Nolichucky is no exception. A full day trip through class IV rapids, down the steepest gorge east of the Mississippi, is what you can expect on this trip. It's not for the faint of heart!
What's better than spending a day going down an intense river? Spending two days going down it, of course! The folks at USA Raft would be happy to take you down the river to their campsite where you'll be fed a hearty meal and provided all the camping gear to have a great night's sleep. You just bring your sleeping bag!
The Ocoee River is not for the faint of heart. Widely considered some of the best whitewater in the Eastern US, this river was the site of the whitewater kayaking course for the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. You read that right, folks, these are Olympic-level rapids. The Middle section of the river has long runs of class III and IV rapids, but the Upper river has the Olympic course. We say, why not go with Wildwater Rafting and do both in the same day?
