Super friendly staff and guides! Family friendly vibe. Great private shuttle service. They were…read morenice enough to let me chill there for a while during a quick rainstorm. Thanks for squeezing me in!

We tried the kayaks for the first time and it was so much fun! The river is nice and calm with a…read morefew exciting rapids! The workers were super friendly and their merch is cute!

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 !!

My husbeastie and I are up in Sapphire Valley, spending our week in my family's time share. The…read moreweather has been absolutely fabulous, so we decided to do something outdoorsy. As a teen, I would tube down this river so I offered this as an option to the man and he agreed. Given that he's a larger man, tubing was out, but a single person kayak, called a ducky, would be fine. I opted for the same thing. It was a touch more expensive vs opting for "Extreme tubing" but it was a lot more fun. We both got kitted out in our life vest, got our paddles and into the van and were driven to the Dillsboro drop off site, we were given pointers of where to go and what to look out for. The staff was great! The water was cool but not terribly cold, the river wasn't crowded for the height of summer and we really enjoyed ourselves. It was about 2 hours in the water from the time we put in until we took out. Yes, we did get stuck on a few rocks but we managed to get off of them without dumping ourselves into the drink. We certainly got an upper body workout from using our paddles!

We went on a Sunday morning. They don't do rafts on…read moreSunday. But they do tubes and kayak. We decided the way to go was tubing. The staff was sooooo friendly. We totally recommend this place. The water was a little low. But still it was enough for us to relax and float. And have a little fun at the drops. It took about 2 hrs. To go down the river. And at the stopping point, we didn't have to wait. Some one was there waiting for us to drive us back to our car. $15.00 per person for tubing.

We did the tandem kayak and absolutely loved it. The employee who assisted us in getting in the…read morewater set us up for a great day! We took our time paddling down to the waterfall and back. I also reviewed the restaurant nearby where we ate after enjoying the small vendor fair and shopping!

Wonderful weekend at the NOC! Rafting, kayaking, food and beer. Can't beat that…read more Check-in for our adventures was easy and quick, lots of parking and tons of space to walk around. Our rafting guide, Big Joe, was very knowledgeable and friendly. We were in the trailing raft and we did a ton of stuff the others didn't. Great guide! Second day we were kayaking on the lake with our kids and dogs. So much fun paddling around with the pups!

It was a great, fun and relaxing kayaking trip. Lynn made it a smooth trip from the start to the…read morefinish. Also, took us on a tour in her car which was extra special. I highly recommend this trip if you are in the Pigeon Forge or Gatlinburg area.

Steve went out of his way to accommodate us when the weather turned nasty. He rearranged his…read moreschedule so that we could kayak on a different day. The tour was quite informative and interesting. He is a genuine good ol' boy. Anyone who thinks that southern hospitality is a myth has NOT spent much time in the south.

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.

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.

Everything. We thoroughly enjoyed our guided tour with Jari this is our third visit to Nantahala'…read moreRafting and we will do it again in the future.

Our party of eight, ages 13-50, was crazy enough to go tubing on a cloudy day in 60 degree weather…read more On other tubing adventures I've gone on you really didn't get wet. This was not one of those tubing trips! There were lots of rapids and we were soaked -- so much fun! Definitely more exciting than any other river I've tubed. Also, the Oconaluftee is so clean and clear. You should know that it is cash only. Driver drops you off and gives you instructions on where to get out of the river to be picked up. Life jackets were optional and we didn't wear them but probably should have. Daughter's boyfriend lost his tube at some point and she got pretty beat up by the rocks trying to retrieve it and get it back to him. Overall so much fun but my teeth were chattering by the end. Would definitely redo in warmer weather!

Great experience tubing with SMT! The owner's brother entertained us to and from the drop…read moreoff/pickup. The ride can get a little rocky and you will get wet! Be sure to wear water shoes so you can walk on the rocks when necessary!

Had an amazing time on the river with my boyfriend's family and our amazing tour guide PAUL!!! Paul…read moreand other staff members were all super friendly and adapted to anything we asked, stopped for lunch on the side of the river about halfway through our trip in which they provided and set up make your own sandwiches. Great rapids, will be back!

Great people and a great experience! We will be back! Super friendly and knowledgeable. My 10 and…read more11 year old had a blast.