Area is amazing. Views are spectacular.read more

Beautiful and Serene Park…read more This park is located in the Cherokee National Forest. My Harley-Loving husband takes us here all the time, he has a ride he calls the Watuaga Lake Loop. It is a great ride in the hotter months because of the higher elevations. For him, it is a great ride through both the Pisgah and Cherokee National Forests just getting to this lake. I love the ride because I love the water views with the mountains in the background at this lake. I have posted a couple of photos. There are actually a few parks around this lake however this particular one seems especially nice. I have seen small boats on this lake but never noticed any water sports such has water skiing. I imagine the water is probably too cold for that even in the summer. So that being said, it is a very quiet lake. We love boating also and are considering a pontoon for this lake. The park has the basics -- restrooms and picnic tables. We generally just stop for a picnic lunch. Cannot beat the views for lunch. I recommend this park for a picnic, or a solitary quiet time, or a romantic day trip to just name a few suggestions.

These guides are amazing. I've been fortunate to go with Justin and Rhett several times. They are…read moreextremely knowledgeable about the rivers and adapt to the changing conditions. I've become a better fly fisherman because of them. Very patient and easy going. I would highly recommend them.

Mountain stream fishing with Corey S. was not only successful with many fish caught but also very…read moreaffordable for a 1/2 day trip! Corey knew the water so well because he grew up fishing them as young angler which explained why we were able to stay on fish all day. Take aways from the trip included new fishing skills, better understanding of native Brook Trout and wild Rainbow Trout, and much better information about reading the water/habitat. Bonuses for the trip included Corey giving me a selection of flies he had tied just for Brook Trout fishing and a collection of photographs he had taken from this really cool fishing adventure. Highly recommend!

A must do for summer fun, they are right on the lake and its easy to get there. Stand up paddle…read moreboarding at it's best. This year they are going to do guided Sea Doo JetSki Adventures. Can't wait.

From the owner: Jet Ski, Canoe, River Tubing, Kayak, Stand up Paddleboard, Camping and Hiking rentals and tours.read more

An enjoyable trip from the Wilbur Dam down the river. Our guide, Daniel, was very personable &…read moreknowledgeable. We really enjoyed his conversation & information about the river. Trip was about 2+ hrs. We stopped for snacks & water & a bathroom break. Also an opportunity to jump into an area of still water. Rope swing & slide available as well. It was a rainy afternoon, we were provided ponchos. Water guns also included! Which was fun for the teenager in our group !

We had a wonderful experience rafting on the Watauga River. Our guide, Jerry, was really great. He…read morewas very knowledgeable, fun and informative. The owner was Teresa was super friendly. She took many photos of us along with our guide that she sent us for free. They even loaned us a hat to wear on the river! I highly recommend Watauga Kayak Tours & Outfitters!

This place was great! You can tell all the employees enjoy what they do and they make the adventure…read moreso much more fun! Jesse was our guide and he was very funny and got two of us outta the water quick n easy! 10/10 recommend

On a spared of the moment, we booked a last minute white water rafting trip with these crew and we…read moredid not regret the decision. The entire experience was outstanding, from booking over the phone, greeting upon arrival, great and convenient facilities, the trip to the launching ramp and safety briefing. Our guide SEAN, a local resident and very experienced river guy, was great and very knowledgeable. We are very pleased with the entire experience.

The reward of the spider lilies after (easy) paddling is so amazing. It is even prettier in person…read morethan in pictures, and going through the lily maze in the water puts you right up close. It's the best way to experience this short-lived phenomenon. Our group was small, the crew members were informative, helpful, and very friendly. The trip was very well-organized and worth every penny. I would definitely recommend this trip with NCOA.

As an experienced paddler, I expected professionalism from a kayaking provider for the Rocky Shoals…read morespider lilies. I booked in March, received an automated confirmation then had to email the company three days prior to the end of May trip for an updated confirmation bc our trip day coincided with a festival. It was then our group received confirmations three days prior to our trip. - Our group of 10 included novice kayakers & no instruction was given to them. Several struggled on the River. - Incorrect information about the lilies was given on the trip. At least have educated guides! - Our lead guide left us so we had no idea which way to maneuver through the lilies. My friend & I assisted two paddlers who said they were uneasy. After leaving a poor review on the business's FB to alert novices this is probably not the best outfit to take you kayaking, I received snarky responses from the owner (including a phone call), called a bully for posting my accurate account of the trip & then bullied by the owner's friends for my negative review. With that, I say AVOID THIS BUSINESS!! They are unprofessional. An organization is only as good as it's leader & it's no wonder this is a trash operation.

I went with a group of 4 and had TJ as our guide. He did an phenomenal job making sure we had a fun…read moreand memorable ride! Also, the staff did a great job in preparing us for any possible incident that could occur while rafting. We went through 1,2,3 and 4 rapids and the constant view of the mountains was breathtaking. I strongly recommend TJ if you want a water rafting experience you won't forget!

From the time we arrived to when we left, the staff was super helpful, knowledgeable and had a…read moregreat sense of humor. We did a 3 hour rafting trip and our guide, Walker, was absolutely amazing! We had a great time from start to finish and look forward to our next experience with them. Good prices and great service!

This place used to be really nice. As of this year I think we've had what will be our last stay…read more Overcrowding: The campground has added way too many tent sites without adequate parking. The result is 0 parking spots and no space for anyone to comfortably enjoy themselves. The fire pits all blow smoke at each other and the tents fill up with other tent sites fire pit smoke. Noise issues: Want to go to sleep at a reasonable time? Too bad. Two nights in a row a bunch of drunkards were blasting music and having a great time from 9pm until 3am. Don't plan on getting much sleep if it's a busy weekend. Barking dogs, screaming kids, loud music, and noisy people well into the night. Safety concerns: the main small beach near the domes where everyone plays is littered with boulders and sharp rocks in the water. Maybe nothing can be done about that. However open inspecting the rotting wood steps leading to the water I found an actual sharp-to-a-point metal spike sticking straight up out of the wood. Luckily I was able to hammer down with a large rock, however that was an impaled foot or worse waiting to happen. There's lots of exposed rebar and it's generally unsafe. Considering how many kids and drunk adults loiter in that area, it's only a matter of time until someone needs stitches. No wonder they have you sign a liability waiver to be here. Lack of facility maintenance: The door locks on most of the bathrooms don't work. The hot water in the showers is barely functional if at all. The wood ramp to the shipping container showers becomes very slippery when wet and poses a safety hazard. There's a wasp sanctuary under the deck as well. Several adults and children were stung this weekend simply walking up the ramp to the bathrooms. With all the money this place is making is there no time to fix and maintain these things? Last but not least, THE CAMP DOGS: a gentleman came to our group and asked that we put all our dogs on leashes (despite them already being on leashes at the time...) and then allows the "camp dog" which is a large black and white husky to roam freely. This dog is an A**HOLE. It constantly bothers people's camp sites and tries to pick fights with other dogs. Our dogs were personally harassed by this dog when he came to our campsite and started eating our dogs food. Then tried to start a fight with our dogs. Then tried to BITE MY WIFE. I had to chase him off every couple hours both days. This dog should not be allowed off leash however the campground owners don't have enough self awareness to do so. All in all, it's been fun over the last few years, but this place has grown too big for the owners and staff to properly manage. Won't likely be coming here again, and we'll be sure to let everyone know what it's become.

Super awesome experience on the Nolichucky with Andy! He was very informative of the surrounding…read morearea and history, kept us engaged with silly jokes, and kept us on the edge of our seats! Definitely a trip worth making. Can't wait to come back!