Cute little park to while away a part of your day. On the river. Awesome bamboo area.read more

We took the perfect afternoon splash in the icy cold river water at Oconaluftee Islands Park. With…read moreeasy access from downtown Cherokee, the park offers shady picnic spots, swimming, tubing, trout fishing, or the pleasant option of simply basking and splashing around with friends and family. It was so easy to get to the river. I even found a scrap of a blue crawdad. Easy parking in the lot or along the park.

This is the third waterfall on the loop at Deep Creek. It's just off to the right of where you go…read morein with your tubes during the summer. Very easy to get to, once you're already up at the top. You can see all three waterfalls and do the loop in about an hour.

Indian Creek Falls is very easy to reach from any of the multiple parking areas, making it perfect…read morefor everyone in the family. It's the 3rd tallest of 3 waterfalls you can easily reach from the same trailhead. It is also just a couple hundred feet upstream from the put-in for the tubes. If you continue past Tom Branch Falls about a quarter of a mile, you will see a bridge crossing Indian Creek. Here the Deep Creek trail intersects with Indian Creek Trail, which leads uphill to Indian Creek Falls. You will encounter a set of stairs just a few hundred feet along the trail that will take you down to view the falls. On the return hike you can break off on another connecting trail that leads to a third waterfall named Juney Whank Falls. You can then continue along the trail and it will loop you back to the parking area. We decided against Juney Whank Falls due to time since we were on a mission to visit a few other places, but we did take time to rent tubes from Smoky Mountain Campground. FAIR WARNING FOR ANY FAMILY RENTING TUBES - Deep Creek can be very fast moving, especially after heavy rains and our crew found it very difficult (the word traumatic was used) to get out of the river. Our 27 year old daughter and her husband as well as our 17 year old son did everything they could to safely get our 8, 7 & 6 year old grandsons to shore safely... even lost two of the tubes in the process. [ THINGS TO KNOW ] WATERFALL HEIGHT Indian Creek - 25' (attractiveness: 6 out of 10) Tom's Branch - 60' (attractiveness: 7 out of 10) ROUNDTRIP HIKE - 1.6 miles to both falls, add a quarter mile for all three falls PARKING - plentiful, but limited near the trailhead RESTROOMS - YES PICNIC AREA - YES TRAIL TO FALLS - flat, wide and all gravel BIKES ALLOWED - YES WARNING: Black bears are sometimes active in this area. Pets are not allowed on this trail. CAMPGROUND 92 individual campsites Each has grills, tables and campfire rings. Hookups & showers are not provided, but flush toilets and drinking water are available. [ FINAL THOUGHTS ] Indian Creek Falls was a great stop along our route from Metro Atlanta to Pigeon Forge, TN. We were so impressed with the Deep Creek campground area that we may return for an overnight stay. There are a number of hiking trails and nearby Bryson City has plenty of restaurants to make a food loving hiker happy! 2022 / 92

Carolina Bound Adventures basically made our trip to North Carolina. They provide any adventure you…read morecan think of. I only wished I could do them all in our vacation! Mark and Dave were our guides for a Jeep Tour and a Canoeing tour. They were both very accommodating and very knowledgeable about the cultural and environmental history of the area. This really was one of my favorite birthday trips I've taken in a while and North Carolina will always have a special place in my heart because of this. I usually try to travel to different places I've never been to before but I really want to go back to NC! Definitely do not hesitate to book with Carolina Bound Adventures! You will have the best time!

My husband and I went kayaking on Fontana Lake. Great experience from start to finish! Owners…read morewere very friendly, had everything organized, and gave great directions on where to meet up. Kayaks, paddles and vests were all in great shape. Kayaking on the lake was quiet and peaceful. Highly recommend this company if you are looking to kayak or paddleboard!

I've been going tubing with Cherokee Rapids on the Oconaluftee River for years and it never…read moredisappoints. The process is easy: they bus you a couple of miles upstream and you float back down to their spot on the river. The trip usually takes 1 to 2 hours depending on the water flow. The river is beautiful and the float is a great balance of peaceful drifting and fun. Most of it is calm and relaxing, but there are a few stretches of mini-rapids that make things more exciting. There's also a swimming hole and a rope swing along the way that make the trip even better. What I like most about Cherokee Rapids is the flexibility. Unlike the other company in the area, you don't have to be back at a set time to catch a bus. You can take your time, enjoy the float, and finish at their riverside landing as long as it's before 5 pm. The staff is friendly, the setup is convenient, and the overall experience is excellent. I definitely recommend Cherokee Rapids if you want a mix of relaxation, adventure, and great service.

The staff was super helpful and wonderful at responding to any test questions you may have. The…read moreriver is super clean but not as full as we would have liked. We took my great niece age 9 for her first adventure. We all enjoyed and would definitely go again !!

We have been to this trout farm over the years with kids, grand kids, friends, etc. I read a…read morereview that claimed someone had to pay $95 for five fish! I think that is not true. Yes, it does add up, but I've never paid over $30-$40 for a bunch of fish, cleaned and iced! That's not bad to supply a large fish fry with fresh mountain trout. I read another review by hikers who claimed the owner "terrified them" with his mean ole rudeness and his barking dog. Get a life! These folks are awesome.

The host was friendly and pleasant and fun to fish.My wife and daughter enjoyed this experience so…read moremuch that this will be a spot to stop by every time we in this area. It remote and beautiful country

Yesterday was our second summer rafting the river with this company. The river is perfect for…read morerafting with kids. We had so much fun last summer that we requested the same guide again this summer. Douglas was great! He even played some of his music for us to enjoy afterwards. Thank you for another amazing day!

Highly recommended for groups with all ages. Took my 4 year old and my parents on a guided trip. It…read morewas a great time and my daughter loved it. She had fun on the rapids and was pretty entertained throughout. Our guide, Dave, was great and so was the rest of the staff. We will definitely be coming back!

This will be the third review I have written over the last few years for this business and I don't…read morewrite that many reviews. First, rafting the Nantahala is a blast! It is always fun. As a family, we have done guided, self guided, and tandem kayaks. If you do the kayaks, I encourage you to get the wetsuits - even in July. Fast Rivers is a family owned business that really cares about your experience. Their guides are well trained and watch out for everyone on the river. They are super friendly and most importantly, experienced. On our last trip down the Nantahala, my husband went with my son in a two person kayak. He is not as experienced on rivers as me, but has done a few. He was thrown and was having a very hard time getting back into the boat and reoriented. One of the guides stopped his trip and took care of my husband and 12 year old. He talked him through the whole process and handled the whole situation perfectly. Again, can't say enough good things about Fast Rivers. Only suggestion- manually put their address in GPS. The old location showed up when I automatically clicked on an old link making us slightly late. The business is very close to where the rafts are put in on the Nantahala and on the other end of the river run from NOC.

My first time attending the famous school Rafting Trip. This place is amazing. The customer service…read morewith the owner Will, Aspen and the rest of the staff was heart warming. They assisted the students with their life savers. They took their time explaining what to do and not to do while rafting and carrying the raft to the river. The students were excited to get here and go to the river. Now I am not the one to go on the river but the kids said it was EPIC!!! When you are in the area, check them out you will not be disappointed.