Whitewater Rafting on the Nantahala River in North Carolina

One of the best things to do in the mountains of North Carolina is to go whitewater rafting. This summer, my husband and I went on a trip to Bryson City, North Carolina and this was one of the most memorable things we did on our trip. It was quite the adventure and I highly suggest going if you are in the area. Here is our story and some extra information to help you book your adventure whitewater rafting down the Nantahala River in North Carolina.

Rivers around Bryson City to go Whitewater Rafting on

In the Bryson City area, there are three main rivers to go white water rafting on – the Nantahala River, the Ocoee River, and the Cheoah River. Each have different levels of rapids.

The Nantahala River is better for beginner to moderate rafters with class II and III rapids. You don’t have to have a guide, the rapids are not as intense, and it is a good experience. I recommend this river for beginners and anyone who has not gone whitewater rafting in a while.

The Ocoee River has more intense and higher-class rapids – class III and IV. I would not suggest going on this river without previous experience.

You are also required to have a guide and wear a helmet on the Ocoee River, but with bigger rapids comes bigger thrills. There is also an olympic section, but I would recommend leaving this to professionals.

The Cheoah River is the most intense of them all with class IV and IV+ rapid sections. Including “two of the steepest commercially rafted miles of whitewater in the U.S.” according to Endless River Adventures.

Equipped with a guide and helmets, make sure you have plenty of experience whitewater rafting before taking on the Cheoah River.

Tip: I suggest watching videos of people whitewater rafting down each of these rivers before going to make sure you are okay with the intensity level and to decide whether you want a guide.

Since it was my first-time white-water rafting and I was a bit nervous, we went on the Nantahala River and used Endless River Adventures to rent rafts and have transportation. They were really great and I highly recommend using them if you visit the Nantahala River. Below is more information about them.

Endless River Adventures:

Endless River Adventures is a company that will help you set up outdoors adventures in North Carolina. They can provide you with equipment, guides, and transportation. They offer whitewater rafting, kayaking, and fly fishing in North Carolina.

We used this company to rent a raft for going down the Nantahala River. They also have kayaks (or duckies, as they call them) that you can rent to go down this same river. You can also have a guide take you down the river if you are not going with anyone experienced.

Prices for the Nantahala River:

This information is for the Nantahala River, but they offer SO much more, including adventures on both the Ocoee and Cheoah. If you are looking for adventures that are not on the Nantahala River, they probably offer if, so check out their website for more information. I highly recommend looking into using this company if you are headed to North Carolina.

Note: They also offer outdoors adventures in Costa Rica, so if you find yourself in the country, you can use them to book too!

To get more travel resources for a trip to Costa Rica, CLICK HERE, including kayaking in Manuel Antonio.

Our Experience:

We went rafting twice during our trip to Bryson City and let me tell you, after my first experience whitewater rafting I was dead set on never going again. Thankfully, I changed my mind and ended the trip with a great experience on the water. Here is the story of what happened!

Before we got on the Nantahala River

You get to pick the time of your rafting, so we had booked our whitewater rafting to start at 10:00am. We get up early, eat a good breakfast, and pack up to drive to Endless River Adventures.

It is about a 30-minute drive from our cabin and we pull up to see a wooden building and van boasting of rafts. We check in and had to wait a while before one of the workers got us and gave us his spill on whitewater rafting safety.

Although some of our group had been whitewater rafting before, I had never gone and appreciated the safety information. He also had a diagram that showed where the biggest rapids were and advised us on how to approach them.

After our training, we loaded up in a 12-seater van and bumped and bounced about 10 minutes up the road to where you put in your raft. The workers unloaded our raft and we toted it down to the bank.

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The first leg of our journey down the Nantahala River

Jumping into the raft, I was splashed with what felt like little ice cubes and my first thought was, what have I gotten myself into.

Boarding the raft was not hard though and once we were all in, we paddled around in the small put-in area to get the hang of it. Then, off we went into the river.

Some of the main rapids are at the beginning and once we got through them, I was loving it. We floated, paddled, and bobbled down the river, taking in the scenery.

It honestly was a blast and I found myself thinking, “I could totally do a more intense river. Is this all it is?” What baaaaad thinking this was and I regretted later.

Whitewater rafting down the Nantahala River was beautiful. On each bank of the river you can glimpse streams, trees of all kinds, and the natural landscape of nature. The water is so clear you can see into it and you can hear the rushing of the river.

It is so peaceful and the whole time I could not help but sing songs from Pocahontas in my head.

There were other rafters on the river too and one time we bumped a ducky of two girls who were not paying attention and were acting a fool.

Tip: We went on a Friday and I highly recommend avoiding the weekend crowds if possible.

We brought a waterproof cooler along with us so we could stop for some food. It takes about 2 hours to get down the river and since we were rafting during lunch time, we knew we would get hungry.

The products above are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commision if you click through and make any purchase.

When the tide started to turn

About halfway down the Nantahala, we decided to stop and eat. Well, our first mistake was deciding to wedge ourselves in some branches in the middle of the river. Nevertheless, we did not realize this until it was too late.

Tip: dock on the bank in an area that will be easy to push off of and get back into the stream.

Anyway, we happily sat there eating our sandwiches, laughing when my father-in-law accidentally dropped his in the water. Then, we hear some rumbling thunder in the distance and look up to see massive, ominous grey clouds.

Recommended: What to Pack for a Trip to Bryson City, North Carolina

So, we decide we better get going. At this point we start trying to unwedge ourselves from the branches and the realization that it wasn’t a good idea sets in.

When you get stuck, they recommend swaying back and forth to try to unstick yourself. So here we are, shaking as hard as we can and nothing is happening.

Their next recommendation, if rocking does not work, is for everyone to get to one area of the raft to try to get weight off of where it is stuck. So, we all try to pile into the back of the boat.

Still, nothing.

All the while, the thundering has gotten increasingly worse and panic (for me) is starting to kick in.

Finally, we come to this realization of screw what the guides say, we got to GO. One of us gets out of the boat and starts pushing, the rest of us pick up our paddle and start shoving the rocks and branches as hard as possible and we finally got moving again.

The second leg of our journey down the Nantahala River

So, after spending way too long getting unstuck, it is raining and thundering. Now, something to note about me is that I do not like thunderstorms even when I am all cozied up inside, much less in the middle of the Nantahala River.

But yet, here we are, white water rafting through a storm. The only option we have is to get to the end though. We didn’t have cellphones, there was no way to get back to Endless River Adventures, we had to finish the river.

So off we go panic paddling and the rain straight starts a torrential downpour. I am talking tropical storm type raining. Water bouncing off the river, the wind blowing it into our eyes. I literally could not see to paddle anymore. *lightening, thunder, panic*

My sister-in-law and I start scream panicking while the guys do the best they can. At this point, we can see about 10 feet ahead of us. Who knows where the river goes and I reach a breaking points. Our options are to try to stop and wait it out or keep going.

I want to wait it out.

Turns out this is actually the opposite of what you should do in the thunderstorm. *lightening, thunder, panic*

Tip: Apparently, you don’t want to stand under trees that the lightening can strike, and it is better to be moving on the river in the raft that is not a conductor.

But, alas, we did not know this and we stopped and docked our raft on a small piece of land on the bank.

Shivering, feeling ice cold rain trickling down your life jacket and soaking the one still-dry place you have, I was praying with all my might for God to take away the storm. I was terrified and thinking of my baby, Maple, our 3-pound chihuahua.

10 minutes, 15 minutes, 20 minutes, it did not seem to want to stop. *lightening, thunder, panic*

Getting back onto the raft in a thunderstorm

Finally, after what seemed like forever, the storm let up. Now, it did not stop. But it got to a point where it wasn’t lightening and thundering right on top of us and we decided to go for it.

I have never paddled as hard and as fast as I did in that moment. I wanted home. With every paddle stroke, I was saying “help me Lord Jesus.” I don’t lie.

Thankfully, as we got further down the Nantahala River, it eventually stopped raining and storming. We thought all our troubles were over.

Well, it turns out that when it downpours for that long, the river rises, the rapids get more intense, and the river moves faster. I was honestly so focused on survival that I did not noticed until we came up on Big Bertha.

Rafting over the last rapid

I don’t remember what the actual rapids name is, but I am calling it Big Bertha.

It is the last rapid of the river, kind of like a last hoorah as you end your whitewater rafting adventure. The things you want to do to avoid any issues is to stay on the left side of the river and hit it straight on.

So, as we are approaching this rapid, I can hear it. Then I see it. Survival mode kicks in and I dive into the boat (you normally sit on the side), hold on as tight as I can and brace myself. All the while, my husband is yelling “paddle” at me, because apparently you need to paddle over it to hit it better.

Naturally, I yell “no!” back and continue holding on for dear life.

A minute later, we are heading straight for the more intense part (made worse by the rain) of the rapid… sideways.

Recommended: The Ultimate Travel Guide to Bryson City, North Carolina

I had a real-life ice bucket challenge as the front of the raft tipped over the edge and plummeted into the rapid, submerging me and my sister-in-law. Emerging like frozen, drenched little ducklings, we paddled over to the Endless River Adventures guide who pick us up with pity in his eyes.

After loading up the raft, we set back to the Endless River Adventures office, loaded into our own vehicle, and set back to our cabin. It took all I had not to stand in a steaming hot shower for the rest of the day.

So, you can see why I did not want to go again on Monday, right?!

Would I go whitewater rafting again?

After much convincing from my husband and hearing from the workers at Endless River Adventures that they had never been caught in a storm that bad on the river, I decided to go again that Monday. I am really thankful I did, because we did not have any thunderstorms.  

We went early in the morning and you could still see the fog rising off the river and the sun shining through casting a magical glow on all it touched. There was no one else on the river and it was truly a one-with-nature experience.

After reading through my story, you may not want to go whitewater rafting in the Nantahala River, but even after all of that, I highly recommend going and using Endless River Adventures.

The products above are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commision if you click through and make any purchase.

After surviving, it is quite the story to tell and an unforgettable experience. Book your experience whitewater rafting on the Nantahala River today!

Have you been whitewater rafting? Was your experience like mine? If not, would you go after reading this? Let me know in the comments!

Lots of Love, Laurel McDaniel

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