Appalachian Trail · Nantahala Gorge · Bryson City, NC
Nantahala Summer Rafting
A week of whitewater rafting & camping on the AT
The Home
A few of the comforts
Reserve your spot
A guided departure, book by the seat
The Adventure
Seven Days on Whitewater and the Trail
Your youth spends the week running the cold, dam-fed Nantahala River, one of the most beginner-friendly Class II-III runs in the Southeast, punctuated by the famous rapids at Nantahala Falls. Between paddling days, the group hikes the nearby Appalachian Trail and camps in the Nantahala National Forest under the stars. By Saturday, most campers can read a rapid, set a ferry angle, and paddle a line they picked themselves.
A Day Here
From Morning Coffee to Evening Campfire
Mornings start slow with breakfast at camp and a guide-led safety and stroke clinic on flatwater before the group shuttles upriver. Afternoons are spent on the water working through Nantahala's rock gardens and drops, with a riverside lunch on a gravel bar. Evenings wind down with dinner over the fire, river stories, and time to swap the day's near-misses and first successful ferries.
All Included
Every Paddle, Helmet, and Meal Covered
Certified whitewater guides lead every trip on the river, and all technical gear is provided: rafts or duckies, helmets, PFDs, wetsuits, and paddles fitted to each camper. Round-trip transport from our meeting point, all riverside and campsite meals, and tent camping in the Nantahala National Forest are included. Parents send a swimsuit, a water bottle, and a change of clothes; we handle the rest.
Safe & For Whom
Built for First-Time Paddlers, youth and young adults
Guides are certified in swiftwater rescue and wilderness first aid, and we keep small groups with a low camper-to-guide ratio so no one is ever off the radar. No paddling experience is required; the Nantahala's steady, controlled flow is where thousands of people learn to raft each summer. Campers should be comfortable in water and able to hike a few miles, and every day begins with a safety briefing before anyone touches the current.