Upper Pigeon River Whitewater Rafting
Overview
A cornerstone of Smokies vacations, the Pigeon is the closest whitewater rafting tour to Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, and Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Inclusions
- NOC provides all the necessary river gear and equipment.
What to expect
Itinerary
The Pigeon River is the closest and most popular whitewater adventure for travelers staying in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, TN. Splashing wave trains and bouncy hydraulics make this a fun trip for both first-time and experienced rafters. The trip provides nearly-continuous Class II-IV rapids like Lost Guide and Accelerator with beautiful views into Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
NOC provides all the necessary gear and equipment.
The Pigeon River is the closest and most popular whitewater adventure for travelers staying in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, TN. Splashing wave trains and bouncy hydraulics make this a fun trip for both first-time and experienced rafters. The trip provides nearly-continuous Class II-IV rapids like Lost Guide and Accelerator with beautiful views into Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
NOC provides all the necessary gear and equipment.
Additional information
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- Regularly sanitized high-traffic areas
- Gear/equipment sanitized between use
- Transportation vehicles regularly sanitized
- Guides required to regularly wash hands
- This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
- This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 24 travelers
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Ticket delivery
You can present either a paper or an electronic voucher for this activity.
Cancellation
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start time of the experience.
lizwhetstone00
May 2021
My husband and I took our 4 daughters ages: 10, 12, 12, and 13 on the Upper Pigeon rafting trip with NOC on the first week of May 2021. As we had never been white water rafting before, I spent a lot of time researching reviews and comparing companies. We wanted a family vacation for our girls ...
My husband and I took our 4 daughters ages: 10, 12, 12, and 13 on the Upper Pigeon rafting trip with NOC on the first week of May 2021. As we had never been white water rafting before, I spent a lot of time researching reviews and comparing companies. We wanted a family vacation for our girls that was not full of artificial experiences, like rides or amusement parks. So even though I am no helicopter mama, I was very nervous (inwardly) for what I had signed us up for as I have grown very fond of these lovely people! I agonized over whether to do the Lower or Upper Pigeon trip. Even on the day of the trip, I was ready to walk away from it if the people at NOC did not give me the warm and fuzzies with the safety of my children. As we arrived, it was raining and we were concerned about the weather and I was so close to chickening out. What we were about to do with our kids seemed very surreal. The leader of the tour spoke with us and addressed my concerns as a nervous mother very sincerely. We decided to go for it and dressed in our splash guard shirts and watched a safety video under a tent with the other patrons. The video gave specific instructions on how to assume a floating position should you fall into the water. You must never try to stand up. Also, it explained how to be an active participant in your own rescue. While this was vital information, it did not ease my anxiety! Then we met our guides. Kent was a 16 year river rafting veteran and he came over and spoke with us. He probably noticed my crazed-mama-eyes and he was very calming and reassuring to us. On the bus ride over, he even came and spoke with my husband and me directly about our worries. We told him that if it was possible, we would prefer a cautious but fun first rafting experience with our girls over a wild one. He totally reassured us. To my surprise, my 2 daughters wanted to be in front of the raft. He taught us how to lock in our toes so as not to fall out and he continually vocalized what he was doing and why. He had to make so many decisions. It was astounding. Kent made our ride! He was so caring and thoughtful and capable. The ride was life-changing. It really takes a team effort to river raft and it was such an incredible moment for our family. We saw other tour companies along the way and I was so relieved that I chose NOC over the others. All our guides were so experienced. I can't recommend Nantahala Outdoor Center enough and I can never thank Kent enough for keeping us all safe. This ended up being the highlight of our trip to the Great Smoky Mountains! Kent, we hope to see you next year! FYI: if you are driving to the Upper Pigeon outpost from Pigeon Forge, do NOT take the directions from Siri. We went through parts of Tennessee that I'd like to never see again. It was quite scary, tiny roads through the back hills. Scenic is not a word I would use. Stick to the highways!hilliap
August 2023
This was our first time white water rafting anywhere, and glad we chose NOC to get us going! Facilities were clean and organized. The experience was enhanced by our guide, Andy, who made the trip even better by his jokes and positive attitude. Everything was safe and way more fun than we expec...
This was our first time white water rafting anywhere, and glad we chose NOC to get us going! Facilities were clean and organized. The experience was enhanced by our guide, Andy, who made the trip even better by his jokes and positive attitude. Everything was safe and way more fun than we expected (even the bus ride to the drop off point was a good time)! Highly recommend for anyone.Tripletravel2016
October 2022
This was our first experience white water rafting and it exceeded our expectations by leaps and bounds. NOC staff was excellent and made the trip one to remember!
This was our first experience white water rafting and it exceeded our expectations by leaps and bounds. NOC staff was excellent and made the trip one to remember!SteveV672
September 2022
This was my second time white water rafting, but first time here. It was my wife's first time ever. We happened to be the only two in the raft besides Dirty Mike. He was a terrific guide. He told us about all the local things we could do outside of rafting as well as everything about the rive...
This was my second time white water rafting, but first time here. It was my wife's first time ever. We happened to be the only two in the raft besides Dirty Mike. He was a terrific guide. He told us about all the local things we could do outside of rafting as well as everything about the river. The water was flowing slowly today, but enough to get us pretty wet. This company is all about your experience and not the profit. They stopped at one point and let us surf in one of the rapids. We already plan on bringing the kids back. If you have kids under 8, they have a rafting trip for that as well. "Uncle Stevie" promises to have sauce on him next time. Thanx again Dirty MikekatielP8510MW
July 2022
We did the Upper Pigeon trip with AJ and it was amazing! It was our first time rafting and we got quite the rush on some of the rapids. Our pictures at the end were awesome! This was truly the high point of our trip and I would highly recommend it to others.
We did the Upper Pigeon trip with AJ and it was amazing! It was our first time rafting and we got quite the rush on some of the rapids. Our pictures at the end were awesome! This was truly the high point of our trip and I would highly recommend it to others.Willishawk
June 2022
We were on a couples trip and decided to go white water rafting for the first time. This was a great experience and thrilling activity. Mack was our guide and we all thought he was the best, with a lot of personality, jokes, great stories, and historical and river information that kept the trip...
We were on a couples trip and decided to go white water rafting for the first time. This was a great experience and thrilling activity. Mack was our guide and we all thought he was the best, with a lot of personality, jokes, great stories, and historical and river information that kept the trip interesting. The sign up process is easy, and you can fill out all forms prior to arriving, saving time. They give you all the equipment needed, and offer comprehensive safety training. We all felt confident after this training. The lower Pigeon river offers a great mix of floating, large and smaller rapids, and a beautiful scene for the trip. We were able to jump out at one point for a quick swim which was invigorating. We cannot wait to go again, and we would absolutely use NOC again. Great experience and a highlight of a wonderful couples trip.