Me, as we were driving the windy roads out to Copperhill to go white water rafting for the first time: "Nobody ever dies while white water rafting, right? I mean, when they are doing so with professional companies taking you out on the water?" Turns out I was wrong.
This year alone there had been at least 3 deaths on the rapids and all were with professional rafting companies, though I cannot confirm which companies. This is why you have to sign disclaimer forms before going on your adventure, hahaha, eh. Hmmm.
The Ocoee is known worldwide for its rafting. It has waters that are classified as Class III (difficult) and Class IV (very difficult) both of which you will find on the upper and middle portions of the Ocoee. The middle Ocoee has been around for decades and is available to raft most of the rafting season. The upper Ocoee was actually created by the TVA in the 1990's for the US Olympics during the 96' Atlanta Olympic games and is only open 30 days out of the year. The difference between the middle and upper is that they are both 5 miles long but the middle has more rapids to enjoy whereas the Upper has less rapids but more class IV (bigger) rapids than the middle. Ocoee Adventure Center offers trips on either/or or both. If you choose one it is considered a half day; if you choose both it is considered a full day.
The cost is actually pretty cheap. I would recommend booking an early morning trip as you save $5 (total price: $35 each person with the discount for half day) plus the river is not nearly as crowded as it will be during the heat of the day. There are numerous rafting companies that serve the area so the river can get busy, in addition to the kayaks and locals.
Our guide was a woman named Amy who has been doing this for over 15 years. Amy was pretty awesome. Your guide is very important as they will be the one directing you to paddle or dive down in your seat when you really hit the big waves. Hence you need to bring cash to tip your guide, especially if they help keep you from capsizing. Amy was awesome and even complemented our group, saying we were above-average rafters though most in our group had never done rafting before.
The individual rapids have names such as Grumpy, Double Trouble and my personal favorite Hell's Hole. Some of the rapids are available for "surfing" which is when your guide instructs you to steer the raft up into the sloshing water, facing the rapids, while they hold it in place and ride the wave for seconds or even a minute or two (if they are that good). There are other calmer sections of the river where this company allows you to get out and take a dip if you wish.
At some point during the trip down river the Ocoee Adventure Center will have a photographer standing on a bridge to take pictures of you drowning, I mean rafting. This is a great keepsake as they take tons of pictures you can choose from to purchase after your trip is over. It is not recommended to bring any cameras on the trip (even water proof) because you won't have much time to deal with such, though I saw some people with cameras around their neck.
The instructions given were clear and the equipment in good condition. If you fall out of the raft they have methods to help you back inside.
(FYI: this place is located on the outskirts of the Cherokee National Forest. I have AT&T (specifically the iPhone) and had zero signal, the kind that says No Service for miles leading out to the location. My friend who has Verizon had full bars. Though having no signal was kinda nice).
The reason why I would pick this company over others is that their tours are slightly longer than a lot of the other companies offering rapid adventures and I feel that they give you more time on the water. The more time you spend on the river the more fun you will have. I sure had a great time. read more