Amazing trip! Our guide was “Rev” Dean and was wonderful. We “surfed” backwards, safely+intentionally bounced off of a big rock, jumped out to swim, spun in a circle with kids standing in the front, experienced a class 3, and had a lot of laughs. Highly recommended!

We really enjoyed our rafting trip on the Lower Pigeon on Sunday! Our guide Ziggy kept us entertained, and in the boat. Really enjoyed ourselves!

So I should give some advice as I downplayed the fact these were the lower falls and not the bigger rapids, we got plenty wet and definitely had to paddle through some rapids, it ends with level 3 rapids, some level 2 and some calm water with an opportunity to jump overboard and swim, then they pull you back in. You do not need your phone, you will be hanging onto a paddle and paddling through the trip, there's really not much time to get the phone out of its waterproof case and snap shots. The tour guides had funny stories and talked you through everything really well. I'm not sure we really needed to arrive 45 minutes early, but we are nearing the end of tourist season so maybe it's just slower, but we sat for that full 45 minutes waiting. I can see if you hadn't filled out wavers beforehand or purchased tickets before, there would be more paperwork. A good trip, had some exciting parts, I might even consider doing the upper falls, but honestly this was a good level of excitement no one was disappointed. My advice: leave the phones at home and bring a change of clothes (I got soaked while my kids got moderately wet and my husband was mostly dry, I regret not bringing a change of clothes as it was a 40 minute ride back to the hotel and the car seats are still wet)

Had a great time on the lower river trip. Went with our 3 year old, 6 year old and 11 year old. Enough excitement for the older 2 but mild enough for our “shark lookout”. Austin was our guide and he was amazing - fun, knowledgeable, good with the kids. Would definitely recommend!

We did the lower pigeon River Rafting Tour (Family Float). It was easy to find location. Parking was easy. we did all the paperwork online, and so nothing to do after check in. the arrive 40 minutes early was a bit of a drain and seemed unnecessary. I can understand how arriving 15 minutes early would have been a bit of chaos. Essentially once you get there and check in, you are asked to wait on a big covered gazebo. July in Tennessee is hot hot hot. And waiting there with our kids, with no fans on for what ended up being at least 50 minutes. Once you are called off for your rafting group (7 or less people, plus guide), the guide will get you fitting with helmets and life jackets. They were great about making sure that we had well fitting life jackets. For the family float, you then walk down a little bit and the rafting take off point is right at the main office location. I think for the Upper pigeon river you have to take a bus to the take off point. We then got in our rafts and did a float down. The guide gave us local information about and taught us about the river. Once the rafting is done, we were loaded onto a bus for a short ride back to the main office, turned in our equipment and were done. Our guide was Hannah who was okay. It seemed there was a lot more playing around going on in the other rafts, my kids kept asking to splash water (pretty hot!), but none of that seemed to be encouraged by her, so I told them not to do it. I pre-bought the photo package for $44 online when we bought our tickets. Online it says they guarantee at least 10 photos of your raft. This ended up being 10 photos from all the same location. My mistake was to assume there would be 10 different photos, but essentially it was all the same photo, and about 12 of them. Not sure exactly how it would have worked. They had a wall of Venmo QR codes for all the guides, which also made tipping very easy and that was much appreciated.

Request REVEREND DEAN THE DUNKING MACHINE because he was amazing. 75 never looked so young on someone and he was phenomenal at encouraging and coaching. We were the last boat to leave and ended up second as Rev Dean never got us into trouble (getting stuck or losing passengers). Great guy

The trip was great and our guide, Logan, was excellent. He had a great knowledge of the River and surrounding areas and made it very fun, especially for our children

Our raft guide, Tia, was excellent and very friendly. Learned a lot from her experience of the Smoky Mountains.

Overall a great experience, this company seemed to have their routine down and were very structured. Our float on the lower section went by slightly faster than we had hoped but had plenty of kid safe rapids and the kids were allowed to get out and swim at one point. (Quickly). Our guide Ashley barely spoke which made our trip very sleepy. She did her job of handling the trip safely but that’s about all. We saw that most of the other guides were trying to have fun, joke, and interact with their guests. We would use SMO again in the future and maybe even try the upper section as well.

This was our second rafting trip. We had a blast. We felt safe and the guides are awesome and great sense of humor. Thank you!

It was our first time. It was fun and easy. We got alittle wet but it wasn’t too bad. We are ready to move to the next level,

First time white water rafting with our awesome guide, Sean! This company was pretty awesome from start to finish! Easy to book online, easy check in process, quick and easy safety presentation and away we went down the river! We had three children with us and Shawn made sure that they had a great time. He was patient and positive. He really helped make the entire experience amazing for us! This was a great introduction to white water rafting-- and we cannot wait to go again! Thank you for the education, professionalism, and fun!

Big Steve was full of personality! Very knowledgeable about the river & the area. I was super nervous & he made me feel safe and secure. I had so much fun! He got me and my girlfriends soaked! Can’t wait to do it again! I most definitely recommend requesting Big Steve as your white water rafting guide!

Fantastic rafting trip! With all the ways they have to separate you from your money in the Gatlinburg area, this trip is a real bargain. Get out on the water and in nature and it'll actually be the cheapest thing you do all week. Very efficient operation, from the moment you arrive to park, through checkin, to the loading of buses and rafts, very efficient. You don't feel like cattle even though they have quite a few people going on trips. They get you into your individual group pretty quick and ensure you receive the attention needed. Went through some nice rapids and spent just the right amount of time on the trip. You have a little flat water float the after the rapids, not too much, but just enough to enjoy the scenery. They have changing rooms in the restroom areas and pay lockers to put your car keys up before the trip.

Our family had a great time! Half of our crew, especially the younger two kids were first timers. Jacob explained everything thoroughly. He was great. He told fun stories like the shark rock, which my 5 year old son loved. While also explaining why we see smoke on the mountains. Showed us when to focus on amazing sites to see. Our favorite part was when he let us spin around in the raft. This has been our best experience here!! Thank you guys for everything.

Great experience! Great tour guide Ashton! She was amazing with the kids. Definitely recommend for all. It left us wanting more.

My husband and I went today, it was so much fun. Fast water, rolling water, Our guide Abbey was fantastic, she kept us in good hands.

Bart was our guide and he was absolutely the best. I had my nervous 9 year old granddaughter with me and he calmed her down. The overall trip was just amazing. This was my 1st time but definitely not my last. My granddaughter and I both love it.

We had such a good time from start to finish. None of us had white water rafting experience, a few were nervous but by the end we all had a blast. TJ was experienced, professional and just as wild and funny as us. Definitely plan on going again!

We went with two kids, age 11, who were nervous. Our guide, Caleb, was very knowledgeable, friendly, and fun for us all. The kids left asking if they could do the upper river rapids. I highly encourage this group for a rafting experience. Please don’t forget to tips these guides. They work hard to ensure you have a safe and fun trip!