Southern Mountains

NC's Great Nantahala

Nantahala National Forest is a perfect family recreation destination.

With its looming peaks, inviting waters, wooded trails and scenic wonders, the Nantahala National Forest is an outdoor recreation paradise your family won’t want to miss. Whitewater rafting, fishing, hiking, biking, horseback riding and sight-seeing are among the many activities that keep visitors coming back to the “Land of the Noonday Sun” year after year.

One of the top rafting rivers in the country, the Nantahala attracts more than 250,000 people each year who come to experience the thrill of tumbling through the Nantahala River Gorge atop its foaming rapids. In fact, the river has been chosen to host the 2013 Freestyle Kayaking World Championships. This premier event is expected to draw more than 300 top freestyle paddlers from around the world, as well as thousands of spectators. 

Numerous outfitters – including the renowned Nantahala Outdoor Center, or NOC – provide gear and guides for trips downriver. After a basic safety course, anyone weighing 60 pounds or more can climb aboard a raft or kayak and give it a go. It’s an adventure the whole family can enjoy, and the Nantahala’s clear, cool water and constant but mostly moderate rapids make it an exhilarating and safe run that is well-suited for novice rafters. Those who aren’t ready to brave the whitewater can get a vicarious thrill watching from the wooden walkway over the final stretch of rapids, which includes Nantahala Falls.

For an all-day excursion, NOC offers the Rapid Transit package – a morning ride through the Nantahala Gorge aboard the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad, followed by an eight-mile raft trip in the afternoon.

Fishing enthusiasts also consider the area a real catch. The Nantahala River offers great trout fishing, while walleye, bass, sunfish and more thrive in Fontana Lake, the Nantahala Reservoir and Lake Chatuge.

Bicyclists and equestrians should explore the Tsali Recreation Area and its 40 miles of mountain biking and horse trails. Within the national forest, hikers will find 200 miles of hiking trails – including 52 miles of the Appalachian Trail – in the Wayah District alone. The Wayah District also is home to stony mountain peak Wayah Bald, where visitors can climb the Wayah Bald Fire Tower for views of the Appalachian Mountains in Georgia, Tennessee and the Carolinas.

And you don’t even have to leave your car to enjoy spectacular scenery along the 61-mile Mountain Waters Scenic Byway. Highlights include Lower Cullasaja Falls, Dry Falls and Bridal Veil Falls. Nantahala National Forest boasts numerous waterfalls, including the highest falls east of the Rocky Mountains, 411-foot Whitewater Falls.

Finally, don’t miss the awe-inspiring Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest, one of the largest stands of old-growth timber in the eastern United States. It features 400-year-old hemlocks and yellow poplars that tower some 100 feet tall and measure more than 20 feet around.

By Carol Cowan, courtesy of Journal Communications

added: December 23, 2008

updated: June 13, 2012