The North Carolina High Country has long been regarded as an outdoors playground, where myriad activities await adventurers wanting to get out into nature and enjoy all the excitement available within a brief drive or hike.
Although hiking, climbing and fishing are among the most popular outings, true adventure awaits in the water. Multiple rivers and streams provide thrill seekers and serenity savorers alike a variety of experiences, from the opportunity to kayak or raft through top-class rapids to the chance to enjoy a cool swim on a warm day or simply a lazy float while tubing downstream enjoying the cool water rushing over bare feet.
For decades, excursions have been made possible by a number of dependable and experienced area adventure companies, outfitters and waterway specialists. Each of the businesses provide quality experiences by way of raft, canoe or tube, as well as offer additional amenities sure to entice customers to make return trips down the river.
High Mountain Expeditions, located at 3149 Tynecastle Hwy. in Banner Elk, offers a range of whitewater rafting, canoes, tubing and paddlecraft which each provide unique experiences for customers to enjoy.
According to manager Matt Leonard, High Mountain offers several options for everyone from novice water travelers to seasoned professionals.
“For rafting we run the Wilson’s Creek early spring into early summer, and we raft the Nolichucky March through September. The Nolichucky River has Class III and IV whitewater, and it’s really an awesome trip in to a deep wilderness gorge. We use only one place to put on and take off the river, so it really scenic as well,” Leonard said. “We also have our half-day intermediate family rafting trip on the Watauga River, which runs from Memorial Day through Labor Day. It’s more about going out and having a good time. There’s a jump rock where people can jump and have a good time, and we have water guns to have water fights, so it’s all about going out there and having a blast.”
Joann Ashley, manager with Zaloo’s Canoes on Highway 16 South in Jefferson, explains that their business prides itself it the flexibility and affordability it offers to adventurers.
“We offer tubing that includes tubes with full bottoms, and we offer adult tubes, child tubes and cooler tubes for those who want to bring their own cooler with them, and can tie it to their tube as they float,” Ashley said. “We offer two-hour and four-hour tubing trips, as long as the water is high enough to do that. Our tubers go upriver, so we shuttle upriver and they come out at our headquarters. We have canoes and kayaks, including single, sit-on-top kayaks and tandem kayaks as well. We offer our main trips, a five-mile trip that takes two hours that goes to Wagner Access on the New River State Park, and we offer a 10-mile trip that takes approximately four hours that gets out at Gentry Road Bridge. Our kayakers and canoers get in the water here at our headquarters and go downriver, where we shuttle them back.”
According to many of the outdoor adventure businesses contacted, it was unanimous that the summertime is the busiest for their operations. However, that isn’t to say that there is still plenty of adventure to be had even after summer begins its area transition into the fall season. Warm September temperatures and water still brings a high volume of individuals and groups seeking the thrill of paddling or riding the river currents.
Richard Kolodziej, assistant manager Todd location of Wahoo’s Adventures with locations in Todd and Blowing Rock and is the oldest outdoor water adventure operation in the High Country, shared that an important aspect of the overall experience with their customers is about providing a family atmosphere and making customers feel welcome and appreciated.
“From my experience, what sets us apart I think is a matter of how friendly we are, and how we work to make sure that the business is family operated and more of a homey vibe when we have people around,” Kolodziej said. “We’re courteous, and when people have issues, we try to accommodate them to whatever is the best of our ability. We tend to be operating more toward having people stay on the property and making the visit more of an overall experience, offering things like having live music on the weekends, setting up huge picnic areas, allowing for camping, and things like that to try to make people feel like they can spend an entire weekend here and have a lot of fun by doing a variety of things.”
Jake Barrow, manager with Edge of the World on 394 Shawneehaw Ave. S in Banner Elk, echoed the importance of outdoor excursion businesses putting the customer first and offering a unique, quality and unforgettable experience for those who visit their location.
“We have and average of 4.8 stars on TripAdvisor, Yelp and Google, and we offer a comedy show that is suited for kids and families on the bus ride to the river,” Barrow said. “Our guides go through an extensive hiring process and we ensure that they are good people with great qualities, and we provide a home-cooked meal to customers (including) fried chicken, honey biscuits, trail mix, a special desert and fresh-squeezed lemonade,” Barrow stated. “We own the land at the biggest rapid on the river, so we are the only company that gets to pull over there, eat lunch there and re-run the biggest rapid as many times as our customers want to do so.”
During the summer and early fall, it is not uncommon for hundreds of customers to frequent area waterways each week. Weather often plays a major role in the amount of traffic that visit the companies that offer waterways tours, however, as can the level of the rivers themselves.
“Weekends are usually our busiest days of the week. We’ve sent out around 600 people out on the river on tubes in a given week, so we usually get pretty high volume on those days. We’ve had Sundays and Mondays where people walk in and it’s gotten pretty busy. But a lot of volume depends upon weather,” Kolodziej of Wahoo’s explains. “If the day is going to be nice, we can expect a lot of walk-ins. Generally on a weekday when it’s busy we’ll send out 200 to 250 people at our Todd-New River location. A lot of people will book in advance, but those depend on the weather, as well as how long they are here on vacation, and factors like that. When customers have a day planned and it’s raining, we try our best to accommodate them as best we can.”
Even with the substantial business, however, area adventure groups not only can handle the volume, but are able to provide a top-level experience that will leave customers yearning to return.
“Every person that comes on our trips, whether kids going rafting for the first time on the Watauga River or some of the crews that go every year with us, they’ll have a blast,” Leonard with High Mountain Expeditions stated. “We have the same returning staff just about every year, and a lot of the guys have been with us for 10 or 20 years, so our staff and experience really sets us apart as well.”
“We’ve been in business since 1981 and have the reputation of being the best rafting company in the High Country,” Barrow from Edge of the World noted. “We pride ourselves in our customer service and go far beyond what a typical rafting company would do for their tours. We make memories that last a lifetime and we have the most repeat customers out of any other company.”
“We’ve been in business for 45 years and we appreciate being able to serve our customers. We have a kayak and fly shop for those interested in fly fishing. we have gear for them, as well as a fly fishing guide who will offer guided trips for either half-day or full-day trips,” Ashley of Zaloo’s Canoes said. “We also offer a group camping area on Grassy Creek with a bath house and showers right on the river for families, groups or churches wanting to have a weekend retreat, and we have a large field for group camping.”
Although many of the area outdoor adventure companies accept walk-ins, making reservations in advance are often preferred. Outdoor excursion company offerings, rates and dates of operation vary by company, so it’s best to call in advance to book the water adventure of a lifetime.
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