Nantahala Outdoor Center

The Nantahala Outdoor Center boasts an abundant variety of outdoor activities, mostly relating to rafting, in the Tri-State Area.

Located just 1 hour and 10 minutes from Blue Ridge, GA, or 59 miles away, the Nantahala River, located in Nantahala National Forest, is one of America's favorite whitewater playgrounds. Its ideal location at the edge of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, just a short distance from Cherokee and Bryson City, NC, makes the Nantahala River convenient to mountain vacationers, especially vacationers staying in Blue Ridge, GA.

Eight miles of clear water and rugged mountain beauty interrupted by twenty stretches of Class II rapids, beginning with "Patton's Run" and ending with the Class III beast, "Lesser Wesser." While the "Nanny" is a river to be respected, it is not fearsome. Constant waves and swift currents make the Nantahala River a delight for all ages and groups interested in an exhilarating introduction to whitewater rafting. 

Nantahala whitewater rafting trips begin and end at the Main Campus on the Nantahala River. This outpost is located in far Western North Carolina on US Highway 19, approximately 12 miles west of Bryson City, on the south side of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Make sure to investigate NOC's other outdoor adventure! They have activities on the Ocoee River, just 30 minutes from Blue Ridge, in Benton, TN, and in Clayton, GA.