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NANTAHALA RIVER
(VIA NANTAHALA WESSER CAMPGROUND)
NOTE:  RAFTING TRIP
LOCATION:  Western North Carolina
TRIP STARTS:  Nantahala River Put-In
TRIP ENDS:  N.O.C - Wesser, N.C.
TOTAL DISTANCE:  ~8 Miles
TRIP TYPE:  One Way, Shuttle Trip
TRIP DIFFICULTY:  Moderate
ROUTE USED:  Nantahala River
TRIP TRAFFIC:  Heavy
TRIP TYPE:  Day or Overnight Trip
MANAGEMENT:  Nantahala National Forest

HIGHLIGHTS:  This section of the Nantahala River is very popular with both kayakers and rafters and was once used for summer events in the 1996 Olympics.  The eight mile river route starts at the put-in thirteen miles west of Bryson City on Highway 19/74.  It ends at the Nantahala Outdoor Center or N.O.C. in Wesser, N.C (which is also the access point to the Appalachian Trail).  The N.O.C. is a very popular place particularly in the summer months and the river is typically mobbed with both kayakers and rafters in the late morning and early afternoon hours from June through August.  There are over twenty named rapids on the damn controlled Nantahala River and a large number of commercial outfitters offer both guided and self-guided kayaking, rafting, and duckie trips.  Wesser Falls, a Class III rapid a short distance from the N.O.C., is the largest rapid in this section and there is a wooden platform nearby where many people stop to watch all the action.

MORE DETAILS

bullet click to see photos from this trip: July 29, 2005 
bullet click to see more photos from the Nantahala River:  August 18, 2000, July 27, 2001, August 2, 2002, August 1, 2003, July 30, 2004
bullet click to view a detailed trip report:  July 30, 2004 (password required)
bullet click to view maps:  area map, National Forest recreation map, Nantahala River detailed map, park map
bulletclick for the Southeastern Destinations discussion forum
bulletclick to access the guidebook A Canoeing & Kayaking Guide to the Carolinas, 8th  which has details on this destination
bulletclick for North Carolina hiking and backpacking books
bulletclick for other hikes in the Nantahala National Forest


 
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