Drove here from Asheville to go white river rafting with 3 others. We wanted to do Nolichucky Gorge because of the level 3/4 rapids and overall were really glad that we did. Two of my friends were going white river rafting for the first time, and overall they said it was the highlight of the trip. It was around 3 hours long and went through around 20 level 3 rapids and around 3-4 level 4 rapids. We went Oct. 22nd and it was a little chilly in the morning but hit 75 during the day. Definitely would recommend, was a great time. Shoutout to Kenny who I talked to on the phone probably 10 times in 24 hours. Also the drive to Erwin from Asheville is quite beautiful, both in the morning and the way back. Would just recommend they update their gear/shoes, or maybe have the option to pay $5 or something to rent outfits and they be newer. read more

Super awesome experience on the Nolichucky with Andy! He was very informative of the surrounding area 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! read more

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This place used to be really nice. As of this year I think we've had what will be our last stay. 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. read more

Water was high so we was not able to tube or do a lot. Our campsite was also flooded so they moved us across from the bar. The prices to do things there are over priced. We also had to pay for a concert that we did not attend. The view was beautiful and campsite was clean. Would like to go back when we are able to tube the river. read more

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This was our first time rafting and we were excited and worried all at the same time. We were there Memorial Day weekend wondering if the water would be too cold, but it was not, just right and refreshing. The sun was out and happy the guide had asked us to bring sunblock. We did the lower half and were the only ones to do so since we were beginners. I highly recommend it for families with children. Our guide TJ was amazing and great with kids. He guided us through Class 1 and 2 rapids and one Class 3 at the end. We were all happy and safe. (He will explain what classes means) We will definitely be back for more and to the the more extreme class 4 and 5 tours higher up the mountain. GoPro's on helmet are a must since you will not be allowed to let go of your paddle the whole trip. There is a nice rest point were we beached and took some pictures. All in all and amazing experience for first timers!! read more

USA Raft Nolichucky River - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Erwin, Tennessee

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My family just experienced their beginning/ family stand up paddle boarding (SUP) trip down the Nolichucky and it was EVERYTHING!!! The SUP instructors are all avid paddle boarders and were incredibly knowledgable, helpful, and professional. Although the rapids were challenging, the staff picked a perfect section of river that was manageable for my family's skill level. The SUP Team- Dale Swanson, Elin Fisher, Lela Winton, and Andy Hinton is a world-class group of SUP talent and experience. I also took a private SUP lesson with Dale Swanson, and he taught me so much I didn't know about the art of stand up paddling. We loved it so much- we've already got the same trip book a month from now! read more

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I was booked on a 10am Worley's Cave trip on Saturday, Nov 5th 2022. I was told to be there 15 minutes early. I was as was the couple that was also booked for the trip. No Guide. 10am No Guide. The couple call and were told the guide was running late. Then we were told the guide called in sick. (You don't call in sick when you're 30 minutes late). We were then told the guide contracted COVID. The trip was canceled. I drove 3 hours from Chattanooga to be canceled. Then we found out John who was the "sick guide" actually had approved time off to attend the Green River race and the office staff simply forgot to backfill the 10am cave trip. Exceptionally unprofessional. read more

Season is open! Just had a great rafting experience with this company and mountain river guides. Aaron (A-Ron) was fun, informative and made us all feel safe! The river has class II and III rapids, and some calm spots for sight seeing in between. Beautiful scenery, fun rapids, and yes you will get a little (or a lot) wet! It's fine though as they provided wet suits, booties, jackets and all and had a hot sauna, coffee and cocoa waiting for us at the end. Very reasonably priced too at $35/per person. We will be back! read more

Went on the rafting trip of the upper today. Our guide Shavon was amazing!! She was so much fun and made for a very enjoyable experience. And in case she sees this thanks again you are the goat:) Highly recommend, same w the campground... incredible vibes read more

We had a great time rafting the Nolichucky River with USA Rafting. The guide was knowledgeable and skilled. There are some good Class III - IV rapids and the gorge is magnificent on this free flowing river. read more

2nd time down the Nolichucky. We were lucky enough to have Haley as our River guide. The USA RAFT company does a great job of educating you before the trip. Haley made sure we safely survived the class 4 and 3 Rapids. She also entertained us with jokes, stories of the area and can even show you a great spot to swim. :-) love this place we will surely be back for a third raft trip. read more

I've taken two full day whitewater rafting trips with USA Raft and I highly recommend them for a great day on the river. The guides are personable, knowledgeable about the river and fun. The customer service is outstanding. They had to change our trip from rafting to individual kayaks because of low water level and they called to make sure we were okay with that. Also, they called the morning of the trip to make sure we weren't "lost" finding them. And, turns out we were! LOL They offer several options for outdoor adventure and truly provide a great experience. read more

We had an awesome trip thru the Nolichucky Gorge this morning, for the second year in a row. Our guide, Will, took great care of us, putting our safety first but still giving us a fun float! The river and surrounding mountains are gorgeous. We'll be back next summer! read more

We did the overnight trip and it was AMAZING! Chris and Keith were our guides and they we awesome! We had never been rafting before and they made us feel safe and like we were pros! The rafting was a blast! The grounds had activities for us to do while we waited for our trip. The changing facilities had showers and were nice to use after our trip. The camping portion of the overnight trip was above and beyond all expectations. Chris and Keith cooked a wonderful dinner and breakfast for us and treated us like princesses in the wilderness... I didn't even know that was possible. If you have the time, I highly recommend the overnight trip. read more

Awesome time here, the staff was friendly and the whole experience was great. Collin was our guide and he was very personable and fun. 10/10 would go again. read more

Very fun!!! Corny instructors who cracked a lot of jokes throughout the rapids! made the atmosphere very fun! We did the half day experience and we would recommend ( only hour and a half on water though) might do full day next time ( more difficult rapids in full day) if you are looking for trickier rapids go to Tennessee location (about 50 mins from Asheville) whatever you're comfortable with would recommend!!! read more

Guides were really nice and accommodating. They had showers, picnic tables, and some yard games available for the guests.

Great family trip for the adults and kids! We took the overnight raft trip with guides Elizabeth, Jason, and Will. Even though the water was a bit low we had an amazing time. The guides took extra care to make it special for all, especially the birthday girl that weekend. Having someone else set up camp and cook makes all the difference. We all enjoyed swimming, stand up paddle, and relaxing with good friends around the campfire. When we returned to our cars the next day the kids were already asking when we could do the raft/camp trip again. read more

August 1, 2015: I have rafted 10 or12 times over the last 20 years. This was the worst. They told us the river was at "summer water level" and it was running good. When we got there they pushed hard over and over to put as many as people as possible into duckies. A couple dozen of us fell for it and soon regretted it. USA Raft was able to use fewer guides as a result. It was uncontrolled chaos as duckies would get hung up on rocks and have 3 or 4 others crash into them, fall out of the duckies and cause more jam ups over and over and over again. 2 duckies got holes in them during the trip. The guides made no effort to direct traffic, but instead insisted that everyone keep moving. "Summer Water level" is a euphemism for "too low to have any fun". Never ever let them stick you in a duckie. I am certain that the others with me today will agree. There were raft guides in the rafts. The one my kids were in added no color to the trip with stories or information. The only time he talked was when providing directions to the rafters. Another smelled so badly that I knew when that raft was coming up behind me. The river is beautiful and probably a lot of fun in the spring, but not today. read more

Good atmosphere and great people a special thanks to Matt Stevens and Matt Moses genuine people that really care I'll be back soon count on that! read more

Great trip. Levels were low so duckies were suggested. Guides were hilarious and knowledgable:) I think the key thing to remember is that this is a river and sometimes you may fall over board so if you aren't going to listen to directions or if you want something where there is no risk, you may want to try another adventure. We had a total of about 3 rafts and 13 duckies. My only suggestion for a better trip is to have less people or more guides so that we don't have to stop and wait for the others so much. Ps Dball and Lauren were a riot!! read more

I stayed at the Crockett Cabin for 4 nights. I was injured and unable to raft, but I had an amazing time. The staff was patient and knowledgable, and they helped me plan hikes in the local area. The cabin was rustic and cozy; a great place to read and relax after a long day, and sleep in on a quiet morning! The river was a mere 50 feet from the Cabin and stunning, leaving me with the warmest impressions of Tennessee and the entire staff and team at USA Raft. read more

Great service. Great place. Great river. The trip is kind off long and some parts are boring. But it's worth it.

Looks like this company has a pattern of pushing people into "ducks" (single person rafts), ostensibly because the water level was low but I'm also inclined to believe was just an excuse for them to use fewer guides. That should be a red flag enough for anyone; if the water was low enough that they forced over half the party into ducks, then the water was too low for your average/casual rafter to navigate it safely. Add that on top of getting to use fewer guides because you pushed people into ducks: even less safety. I have been rafting 10 or so times and never had any problems until this trip. I volunteered for a duck because I was one of the few in my party with any prior rafting experience, but obviously that didn't matter because many that also took ducks had clearly never held a paddle before in their lives. In total we had 5 or 6 rafts and 20 ducks, which was way too many watercraft to a) pretend anyone could monitor people closely enough to be safe and b) make the trip in any sort of reasonable time because during every rapid we had to stop and wait for all 26 watercraft to navigate safely through them each time. I keep mentioning safety because I came very close to drowning. I am actually quite the adrenaline junkie and am not afraid of the occasional dump into the water, because that's the risk with rafting. But when half the trip is spent climbing back into the raft, it's not a fun experience. And because there were so many watercraft on the water, it was impossible to space the boats out, especially when in the middle of a rapid which lead to very unsafe traffic jams of the boats. I got sucked under one of the larger rafts during one of these traffic jams and spent about 60 seconds stuck underneath it, doing as they instructed to push my way out from under it. I very closely came near drowning. When I managed to fight my way to the surface, I was shocked that absolutely none of the guides had even noticed that I had been stuck, except for one, who paddled over to basically tell me off that I shouldn't have let go of my paddle, much less allowed myself to be ripped out of my duck and stuck under the large raft. As if it was my fault that they put over two dozen watercraft into a river with dangerously low water levels and not nearly enough guides to manage the people who had paid them to do so. The complete lack of regard for safety is disturbing. I know it sucks to have your trip canceled because of low water levels, but that is far preferable to unnecessarily endangering fun-seekers to make some quick bucks. read more