White Water Rafting -- Maryville South?? (Knoxville, Cleveland: trip , quiet, commercial)

[bmemory]

Hey...I am heading to Maryville for my cousin's wedding. We live in Southeast Ga. We want to do some white water rafting on the way back, not out of the way.

We did wwr on Chatooga several years ago. The water was down and it was like a kiddie ride. Now, we are not experts by any means, but we literally had to get out and push our raft. It is ridiculous, even by the standards of my two boys, ages 9 and 13 at the time.

Can you suggest somewhere?

Thanks,

Barbara from Florida/Georgia

[knoxgarden]

Nantahala is considered one of the best and is rather commercial.
NOC :: World class rafting, paddling school, group programs, and outdoor adventure center since 1972.
If you want something quieter, try the Obed, about an 1-1/2 hour drive northwest from Maryville.
Obed Wild & Scenic River - Areaparks.com
You can overnight at Wartburg.
If you want something a little less wild, try Big South Fork in that same general area.
http://www.nps.gov/biso/

[Doogie]

It depends on which way you are going / coming back. If you're coming back down I-40 from Knoxville you can do the Little Pigeon. There's a bunch of places right off the interstate near Cosby. The lower river ride is pretty tame and mostly just a ride in a raft but the upper river is a lot of fun for novices with a good mix of 3's and 4's. Be sure to check ahead though because the water isn't available every day. There are scheduled releases from the dam and if you aren't there on a day of a release you'll be riding rocks instead of water.

If you're coming back through Atlanta (say down I-75) then the Ocoee river just east of Chatanooga / Cleveland would be a good one to check out but I've never done that one so I can't speak personally. It's a little rougher trip since minimum age is 13.