Chattooga
The Chattooga River is one of the few remaining free-flowing streams in the Southeast. The setting is primitive. Dense forests and undeveloped shorelines characterize the primitive nature of the area. Floaters, hikers, and fishermen can all enjoy this protected river corridor. The river begins in mountainous North Carolina as small rivulets, nourished by springs and abundant rainfall, high on the slopes of the Appalachian Mountains - the start of a fifty-mile journey that ends at Lake Tugaloo between Georgia and South Carolina. From its origin, it flows southward for ten miles in North Carolina, and then continues for forty miles as the state boundary between South Carolina and Georgia, dropping almost one-half mile in elevation.

Ocoee
The Ocoee, as most people know it, is 5 miles of continuous class III/IV whitewater, dam controlled which runs throughout the summer and into late October. A commercial outfitter's trip can run from a little over an hour to over 3 hours, depending upon the company, guides and congestion on the river (in general, longer is better). A private boater can do the run in 45 minutes on up, and paddlers have been known to spend hours at a single wave.

On Saturdays in July and August the river gets incredibly crowded, as the commercial outfitters push down over 4,000 people a day (over 125,000 a year), but on weekdays (A different set every year, usually Monday, Thursday and Friday, and only during the mid-season) and early and late in the season, it has just enough other people around to make your trip a social occasion as well as a basically fun run.

Rare in the southeast, the Ocoee has only 3 potentially dangerous undercuts, all of which are easily avoided, and although there are the usual opportunities for injury, the forgiving nature of the Ocoee makes it a good place for less experienced paddlers to play on water that would normally be solid class IV.

Nantahala
The Nantahala River is one of America's favorite whitewater playgrounds. This popular river, near Great Smoky Mountains National Park, offers a delightful whitewater experience for beginners and families. Its clear, cool waters rush through the Nantahala National Forest's beautiful Nantahala Gorge. The Nantahala is dam-controlled, so water levels typically remain consistent all year. The highlight of the half-day 8-mile trip is the exciting plunge through Nantahala Falls, a Class III rapid.

Nolichucky
Nolichucky--The recommended segment of the Nolichucky is a popular stretch of whitewater that flows through a spectacular gorge in Cherokee National Forest. In this section the river Drops 35 to 60 feet per mile and has numerous class III and IV rapids. The Nolichucky Gorge is also renowned for its scenery, characterized by huge boulders, impressive rock outcroppings and steep slopes rising more than 2,000 feet above the river.

French Broad
North Fork of the French Broad River--The North Fork of the French Broad River drains a protected watershed along the eastern edge of Nantahala National Forest. This is a beautiful stream that tumbles over several impressive waterfalls and into a spectacular gorge. The gorge contains a very challenging and popular Class V whitewater run.