Whitewater rafting has been an official sport since the 1960s and is now an Olympic event in addition to an outdoor recreational pastime. Navigating a river in a raft is a unique experience, different from skimming the water in a canoe or kayak. From Olympic athletes to professional guides to private boaters, rafters can enjoy what the rivers in eastern Tennessee have to offer.
Rafting
Essentially, the sport of whitewater rafting involves propelling an inflatable raft through different classes of rapids around obstacles such as rocks. Rafting can range in difficulty from bobbing through Class I rapids to roaring through Class V or even VI rapids. Classes range from I to VI, though Class VI rapids are often deemed commercial suicide and are not attempted by outfitters. Boats can carry as many as 14 passengers, sometimes more, plus a guide. Safety procedures for falling out of a boat, called swimming, include keeping toes pointing forward and floating flat-backed through the river, never standing up.
Ocoee River
The Ocoee River runs through southeastern Tennessee and is composed of mostly Class III and IV rapids. Throughout a five-mile stretch, the river drops 260 feet, making the Ocoee a fast-paced ride. The river is divided into upper and middle sections, and the middle is the most popular for commercial trips. The middle section is open for 112 days of the year, while the upper section is only open for 20 of those days. When the upper section is open, however, rafters have the option of running both sections in one day.
Pigeon River
Flowing from the western Smoky Mountains of North Carolina into the eastern part of Tennessee, the Pigeon River is divided into the upper and lower Pigeon sections. The upper Pigeon is four and a half miles of Class III and IV rapids, while the lower Pigeon covers seven and a half miles of slightly gentler rapids that only reach a Class III. While rafters who only run the upper Pigeon take out at a bridge in Hartford, those who run both sections go until a bridge in Denton.
Nolichucky River
Like the Pigeon River, the Nolichucky begins in North Carolina and cuts through eastern Tennessee. While the Nolichucky flows for 110 miles, the most popular rafting stretch flows runs 30 miles between Poplar, North Carolina and Erwin, Tennessee. Within this 30 miles of river, three different trip possibilities can extend from five to 10 miles, depending on the outfitter or personal preference. Rapids on the Nolichucky range from Class II to Class IV, and water gets gentler as it flows down the river.
Commercial or Private
While anyone with a raft and a map can put in on one of the rivers in eastern Tennessee, a number of professional outfitters offer trips that allow rafters to more easily take in the scenic surroundings as a guide shoulders the responsibility of steering through the river and giving commands. While some outfitters, like the Nantahala Outdoor Center, are not located in Tennessee, they may offer guided trips on the Ocoee, the Pigeon and the Nolichucky.
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