Adventure · Chattanooga · Day Trips · Family Travel · Holiday Travel · Hotels · Kayaking · Nantahala National Forrest · Nantahala River · north carolina · outdoorlife · travel · White Water Rafting

Nantahala White Water Rafting

Labor Day weekend in the US marks the unofficial end of summer and people love to celebrate over the long weekend.  I wanted to go somewhere different and some place not too expensive which meant I didn’t want to fly. While browsing Pinterest,  I saw a pin of the Nantahala National Forrest that caught my eye. I had been rafting there as a young child and always wanted to return, so thought this would be the perfect trip. As Erica already a prior commitment, I used this trip for some father/daughter bonding time.

We chose to drive to Chattanooga, TN the night before going to North Carolina.  It’s a city we both really like spending time in.  Neither one of us had ever stayed at the Chattanooga Choo Choo Hotel, so we decided this would be a great time to try it out.  If you are worried about the price, know the courtyard  is totally worth the price to stay.  Even if you are not staying at the hotel, drop by for a visit because the courtyard is fantastic for people of any age.

We stayed one night and got up early the next day to get on the road to reach Dillsboro, NC where we stayed for the next few nights. It was a beautiful 4 hour drive that passed quickly. On the way, we passed the Ocoee River located in Tennessee in the Cherokee National Forest which we have already decided to visit next year.

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You’ll most likely run into one of these rafting buses on the trip

Hotel

I chose the Best Western Plus River Escape Inn & Suites for scenery and location, but it really exceeded my expectations. The property was quiet and had a quaint feeling and look with only 65 guest rooms. The highlight was the balcony overlooking the Tuckaseegee River, located of the breakfast room. When we were at the hotel, we spent our time on the balcony. The hotel is convenient to several great breweries and restaurants we had a chance to try. It is a 30 minute drive to the Nantahala Outdoor Center, where we took our rafting trip.

Nantahala River

The Nantahala River is located on the Appalachian Trial in the Nantahala National Forest located in western North Carolina. The Forest is the largest of four National Forrests located in the state, covering more than 530,000 acres of terrain that varies in elevation from 5,800 to 1,200 feet.  It is home to a large number of beautiful waterfalls and serves as a popular place for hiking, camping and white water activities.

The Nantahala River offers family friendly white water activities, with 8 miles of class II rapids and a few class III’s in the last mile.  It is perfect for practically anyone including  children 7 + , or those who weigh 60 + pounds.  White water rafting, canoeing and kayaking are the most popular forms of white water activity on the river.  If paddle boarding and/ or duck mobile rides are your thing, you will definitely have plenty of company on the river too!

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Nantahala Outdoor Center

 There are a plethora of outfitters in the area that can accommodate every white water excursion or need. For this guided rafting trip, I chose to book with the largest one, Nantahala Outdoor Center located in Bryson City, NC.  It is a must visit for every outdoor enthusiast.  The 500 acre campus offers both fully and self guided whitewater activities, ziplining, mountain biking and several others.  There are also retail shops and restaurants to visit on property and nearby.

Depending on when you visit, we suggest buying tickets in advance online to avoid long lines. We arrived 20 minutes early which gave us plenty of time to check in at the Adventure Center, take some pictures and meet up with our rafting group.  The rafting tour we chose says it is 3 hours, but one hour of that is on the ground- listening to instructions, watching a safety video, life vest checks, meeting rating group and guide and riding to the rafting site.

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We spent 2 hours on the river which was just perfect.  There were a total of 6 of us in the raft including the guide.  If you do not want to get very wet, do not sit up front!  There were a lot of people there with Go Pro’s, which this trip is perfect for.  The river was really busy because it was a holiday weekend, but it never felt overly crowded.  We saw a few birds, but not much other wildlife. The trip will take you past several campgrounds and houses, but otherwise the scenery consists the beautiful Nantahala NationL Forrest. If you would like to see a short video of our rafting trip, here’s the link: https://youtu.be/H7DQbcXALEQ.

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Tips:

  1.  Take a change of clothes.  There are changing facilities and you will most likely feel like changing afterwards, regardless if you get wet or stay dry.
  2. Leave as much as you can in the car, but they will hold keys and phones for you.
  3. Take the time to take in the scenery and enjoy yourself!

Adventure · Australia · B.C. · Banos · Canoeing · Ecuador · Gardiner · India · Kayaking · Montana · National Parks · Queensland · Sailing · Water Adventures · White Water Rafting · Yellowstone National Park

Tranquil to Thrilling: Water Adventures Around the World!

It is said that water has healing powers, which perhaps is one of the main reasons so many enjoy it.  During the summer months, people flock to water for some fun in the sun and a break from the heat. Water adventures are great because they can be done individually, or with a group, and can include most all age ranges.  Whether your definition of having fun is taking a relaxing canoe ride on a lazy river, river rafting in Class V rapids or learning how to kayak, there is an activity for everyone.  This post focuses on three popular water activities available in much of the world:  white water rafting, canoeing and kayaking.  We have asked some of our fellow travel bloggers to share one of their favorite experiences with one of the three activities.  Check out our stories and tell us about water adventures you have had, would recommend and would like to try!

White Water Rafting

1.  The Aussie FlashpackerBanos, Ecuador

Banos is known as the ‘Adventure Capital of Ecuador’ with its’ mountains, active volcanoes, world famous hot springs and rivers that are perfectly designed for rafting to suit all levels. Our last day in Baños we tried our hand at white water rafting and booked a day trip through our hostel. After being kitted up and finishing the safety briefing, an English, Irish and 2 Chilean guys attempted to tackle the rapids of Baños. The river provided us some challenges and at times our boat was completely battered by the rapids and all of us just about holding in and just about managing to stay in the boat but there were other times when the river slowed and we were able to relax and enjoy the amazing scenery, It was the perfect place for my first rafting experience and I am extremely keen to give it another go and would highly recommend Banos & rafting in Banos to anyone!

Simone Lye Rafting

2. Jet Set Brunette – Tulley River, Queensland, Australia

The Tulley River is a grade 4 river situated in Queensland, Australia.  Seasoned adventure-seekers love exploring these challenging rapids and beginners have the option of purchasing a white water rafting package.  There are also places around the water to go cliff jumping and actually swim through some of the rapids!

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4. Savored JourneysElaho and Squamish Rivers, Whistler, B.C.

Whistler, British Columbia, is known for more than just its world-class skiing. It’s also an incredible place to go whitewater rafting. Although I’m just a beginner at rafting, we were able to go out on a day-long excursion with Wedge Rafting in Whistler, where we spent the day tackling Class III and IV rapids on the Elaho and Squamish Rivers. It’s not too crazy of a river – there are harder, more demanding rapids, for sure – but with rapids that have been named Devil’s Elbow and Steamroller, it was plenty challenging enough for us!

I went on this rafting trip with my family, so we filled up one whole raft and it was great fun dodging and leaning with the rapids, getting soaked from the churning water along the way. One of the best parts of the rivers near Whistler is the immense natural beauty you witness along the way. There are snowcapped peaks, dense forest and lots of wildlife to spot along the way, when floating through the calmer parts of the river. We were lucky enough to spot a black bear along the banks. The best time to go rafting in Whistler is in the summer, from June to early August. That’s when the rapids are at their highest from the winter snow run-off.

white-water-rafting

5. TravelureThe Ganges

“River Ganga (Ganges) forms after its confluence with various rivers, e.g. Alaknanda, Pindar, Mandakini, etc. and hits the plains at Rishikesh after flowing through the narrow valley of Himalayas from Devprayag. Its path is not smooth since it is moving from mountains to plains. It is between Devprayag and Rishikesh that we did rafting on this river, but closer to Rishikesh. The entire normal rafting stretch here is about 24-25kms (15 miles)and takes about 4.5-5 hours, but you can choose your starting points. We had selected Shivpuri as ours. That was a total rafting distance of 16kms (10 miles) and the time duration for rafting this stretch was about 3-3.5 hours.
“The rapids are mostly between grade I and III. These have been colourfully named – three blind mice, roller coaster, golf course, black money, etc. These names also have something to do with the nature of the rapid, like ‘golf course’, a grade III rapid has nine ‘holes’ or obstacles. The entire stretch was a constant adrenaline rush and we had to constantly be on guard for the unseen. But, this adventure is termed mostly safe, provided you follow instructions of the rafting instructor and paddle/stop paddling when he asks you to.
“I have been rafting on this stretch 3 times. Each time has been as exciting as the first time. I would highly recommend this trip to all water-sport enthusiasts as Ganga rapids, though relatively safe, come with their own brand of difficulty!

Ajay rafting 2 Ajay rafting1. TrippinTwinsGardiner, Montana – Yellowstone River

We went white water rafting with Wild West Rafting in Gardiner, Montana.  Gardiner is located at the North Gate of Yellowstone Park, which makes it a fantastic option if you are staying in the area. They offer a variety of water adventure options, but we choose to do the half day white water rating trip. It was a 2 hour trip down 8 miles of the Yellowstone River with mostly Class III rapids.  Rapid classes vary due to shifting water levels. They also allow children 4 and over to go, which is convenient for families.  We had a large group, so we were split between two boats. All of the guides our group had were very friendly and knowledgeable about their job and the surrounding area.  We all had a great time, it was one of the highlights of our week in Yellowstone!

Erica's group YS

  Canoeing
                                        Sometimes you get to gocanoeing with family and friends……

1. The Travelin’ ChicksIpswich River in Massachuttes

Being travelers, we are always on the look out for the next trip we are going to take and dreaming of lands far off that sometimes we forget about just how great the area we are from truly is. So this year we have decided to explore this great region we call the North Shore of Massachusetts.

Our first adventure? A canoeing trip down the Ipswich River in Ipswich, Ma. With lunch packed we headed down the gorgeous Route 133 to downtown Ipswich. From there we were off to Foote Brothers Canoes & Kayaks. With our life jackets in hand we hopped in the van for the 10-minute drive up river.

Once launched from shore you began to realize just how pristine the area you are canoeing in. Being part of the Mass Audubon Society, The Ipswich River is a wildlife sanctuary. The river snaked past busy beavers in their dams, red winged black birds shooting through the sky and lots of changing landscapes. With numerous feathered friends singing their song to us through the trip we were sad to see it come to a close.  Four hours of canoeing went by in a flash and leaving us wanting more.

With such a great time behind us we can’t wait for the next adventure discovering all that home has to offer.

Kinsey canoeing Chelsea & Kinsey canoeing

And sometimes you guide a group of kids….

2.  Antitravelguides – Calgary, Canada

A few years ago I worked as a counselor at a camp just outside of Calgary in beautiful Kananaskis Country. One of the activities we would regularly lead the kids in was canoeing. Though with kids being kids (and counsellors being adults) more often than not this turned into a water fight. This was generally aided by the buckets that we provided and the games we played – one was called “Sink the Swiss Navy”. You can imagine what the aim of that game was. A lot of canoes sunk and even more humans had a lot of fun.

Luke-canoeing

Kayaking

1.  Stay Home For What?!?!  – Lake Garda, Italy

I’ve been living in Italy for almost 3 months. In those three months, I have visited to a lot of countries, but just recently began to explore Italy. I had been focused on visiting countries that border Italy,  not taking the time to see “Italy”  When my friends mentioned Lake Garda, I was not interested because I kept thinking what could be so great about a lake!  As it turns out, I was suprisingly mistaken!

I agreed to go to Lake Garda with some friends that invited me on a recent weekend…#stayhomeforwhat! It was only about an hour drive from where I live and 5 euro in tolls.  Once we arrived, I immediately understood why people love this place. It is absolutely amazing!!! This is not your ordinary lake; it is by far the biggest I’ve seen.

There are an abundance of activities to choose from in the area, such as water sports, biking and canyoning. For the time we had availble, we chose to go kayaking. We rented the kayaks from At Sailing Dulac, which only costs 9 euro for a single and 14 euro for a double.  This was my first time kayaking, so I asked a friend to double up with me. That decision was probably the worst idea of the day!  It only took us 15 minutes to decide it was harder with two people instead of one because we were not going anywhere! The single riders that were with us……I swear, reached the other side of the lake and came back before we left the lagoon!!

However, there were advantages to going so slow. We had more time to relax and enjoy the scenery. We were able to take in the beautiful mountains that surround the city, the city landscape and the beautiful blue, not grey, but blue water. The wind was blowing perfectly as we watched people around us windsurfing, sail on catamarans, go dinghy sailing, free sailing and kayaking.  It was simply perfect!

I recommend visiting Lake Garda on your next trip to Italy because of the wide options available in the surrounding area. The area provides the perfect setting for individuals wanting a relaxing day for laying out as well as the more adventurous types. While there, make sure to visit the nearby villages and take advantage of the great shopping and restaurants and wineries available.  #Love the Life You Live!

Keisha-kayaking4 Keisha -kayaking

2. 2TravelDads  – Pacific North West, USA

The Seattle area is best seen from the water: sailing, on a ferry, or on a kayak. Just short drives from the city are countless islands and bays to explore. Across the Puget Sound are the Olympic and Kitsap Peninsulas, which are dotted with lakes and waterways, ready to be paddled.

Olympic Peninsula – One of our favorite places to kayak is the Quileute River in La Push. The mouth has a marina to put in and the river itself is shockingly calm. Due to the shallow nature, there are no other boats of any sort, so the river is all yours; your bow is the only thing making ripples. And since the mouth is brackish, watch for flounder, salmon and the occasional otter. Lakes Crescent and Cushman are two other places to paddle: stumps, elk and mountains around every bend. Beautiful.

Kitsap Peninsula – Another favorite paddling haunt is the Agate Passage and Liberty Bay, separating Bainbridge Island from the Kitsap. The gradual shorelines of both sides make for easy pullouts and fantastic wildlife viewing. Without trying, I’ve seen otters swimming, heron and eagles swooping down and I’ve been stalked by a harbor seal. Living right off the Agate Passage, I know the flow of larger boat traffic, so am careful to paddle at the right time. Example: Fridays there is a small cruise ship that takes visitors to the Scandinavian village of Poulsbo, so I know to stay off the water so the wake doesn’t send me swimming. I also know that kayaking on the sea means fighting a tide, so planning trips to flow with the tide is important.

If you’re visiting the Pacific Northwest without your own kayak, they can be rented almost anywhere, and truthfully, you’re not going to have a bad view wherever you paddle.

IMG_3168 IMG_2982Now that we have shared our stories, we would enjoy hearing yours!