Haywood County, North Carolina offers an abundance of white water rafting opportunities. When you stay in Haywood County, you are centrally located to some of the best white water rafting in the Great Smoky Mountains!
Popular White Water Rafting Rivers:
Nantahala River
The most well-known white water rafting river in North Carolina is the Nantahala river. This dam-controlled river offers flat sections of water for floating, as well as 20 different class II and class III rapids. It’s located in Bryson City, North Carolina, which is about an hour drive from most locations in Haywood County, making it perfect for a day trip!
Pigeon River
The Pigeon River is one of Haywood County’s defining features. Running from the upper elevation of Haywood’s mountain town of Canton through Eastern Tennessee, the Pigeon’s current varies from one area to the next. On its Tennessee side, it is divided into two sections for whitewater rafting: the Upper Pigeon River and the Lower Pigeon River. The Upper Pigeon river offers challenging whitewater rafting with class III and class IV rapids. The Lower Pigeon river is more suited for family whitewater rafting adventures and has areas of flat water with more gentle rapids.
Psst, if you’re looking for a laidback tubing cruise after your adrenaline rush on the water, check out Cold Mountain Tubing in Canton’s quaint downtown!
French Broad River
The French Broad is also just an hour drive from Haywood County. The river starts in Tennessee and runs through Hot Springs and Marshal North Carolina. Outfitters offer both half day trips and full day tips on the river, which includes class II and III rapids.
In addition to the Nantahala, Pigeon and French Broad, visitors to Haywood County can also enjoy spending a day floating down the rapids of the Tuckaseegee, Ocoee, Chatooga, Nolichucky and Cheoah rivers.
Head on over to our Whitewater Rafting in North Carolina webpage and check out some of the local outfitters who can help you plan your next white water adventure!
