5 Questions You Should Ask When Booking A White Water Rafting Trip

June 28, 2017 by Grant Outlaw 2 Comments

5 Questions You Should Ask When Picking A White Water Rafting Company

When choosing a rafting company to go rafting with it can be difficult to find any differences between outfitters. Let me tell you though that there is a wide variety of trips that are offered. Not every company puts the same attention to quality, service, experience and safety. So here is a short list of questions you should ask for the answers to when picking a rafting company.

1. HOW MANY ROOKIES DO YOU HAVE THIS SEASON?

What you are wanting to know is how many first year guides does this outfitter have and what are the chances that you will get one of these guides. In our industry this is called the raft guide lottery. You don’t want a new guide learning how to run rapids with you as the guinea pig. There are companies that are mostly new guides and then there are some with none.

2. HOW MUCH TIME ARE WE GOING TO SPEND ON THE RIVER?

This is an important question. On the river that we operate on, the Ocoee River, there are outfitters that give a 45 minute trip and then there are companies that give a 2 hour trip. That can be over a 100% more time on the river. When asking this question you will want to emphasize time on the water and not the whole trip time.

3. HOW FAR IS YOUR OUTPOST FROM THE RIVER?

It is better when an outfitter is close to the river. This gives you a shorter bus ride to the river and allows for more of your trip to be spent on the river. You should look for a company within 10 miles of the river you are rafting. There are companies that have over an hour ride just to get to the river.

4. WILL YOU GET PICTURES OF OUR TRIP AND AT HOW MANY RAPIDS?

Every company should get pictures of you going down the river and if they don’t you should be worried. What you really want to know is about how many pictures and at how many different locations. Also you will want to know if those pictures are going to be available for you to view and purchase when you get back to the outpost.

5. WILL WE GET TO SURF AND PLAY ON THE RIVER?

There are two parts to this question. First does the company allow playing and surfing on the river and second does the company have guides that can play and surf in the rapids. There are outfitters that strictly do not allow anything other than a straight down the river trip. Avoid these companies, there is a lot of fun that can be had in white water and you want to experience all of it. The companies that do allow playing and surfing don’t always have guides that can do it. So what you want to look for is a outfitter that allows playing and that has highly experienced guides.

We hope that this list will help you in finding the best outfitter on the rivers you are hoping to raft.

Happy Rafting!

9 Questions Guides Get All The Time

April 5, 2016 by Grant Outlaw 1 Comment

9 Questions River Guides Get All The Time

As guides, we are taking people down the river everyday and most of them have never been rafting before. We get a lot of questions. This is a list of some of the questions we get all the time. Some are pretty funny and some border common sense.

1. Are we going to get wet?

2. Do I have to paddle?

3. Do we go rafting if it is raining?

4. Can we run the dam?

5. Can I take my phone with me on the raft?

6. Can I fall out of the raft?

7. Does the river run in a circle?

8. Do we have to wear a PFD (personal flotation device)?

9. Does the raft run on a track?

What White Water Rafting River Is Best For Me? (Infographic)

March 15, 2016 by Grant Outlaw 2 Comments

It can be hard to decide which white water river to go rafting on?

So, we put together this infographic comparing three of the south’s most popular dam released rivers to help you decide.

Which river do you think is best for you?

Presidential Quotes on Rivers and Nature

February 15, 2016 by Grant Outlaw Leave a Comment

Here are a few presidential quotes on rivers and our environment to celebrate this Presidents Day. In searching for these quotes is seemed that our waters, lands, and wild places have always been a love of our leaders (although some more than others).

1. “… the time has also come to identify and preserve free flowing stretches of our great rivers before growth and development make the beauty of the unspoiled waterway a memory.”

– Lyndon Johnson, Message on Natural Beauty

2. “Clean air, clean water, open spaces — these should once again be the birthright of every American.”

– Richard Nixon, Annual Message to Congress on the State of the Union, 1970

3. “The spiritual uplift, the goodwill, cheerfulness and optimism that accompanies every expedition to the outdoors is the peculiar spirit that our people need in times of suspicion and doubt…No other organized joy has values comparable to the outdoor experience.”

– Herbert Hoover, Speech to National Conference on Outdoor Recreation, 1925

4. “I see an America whose rivers and valleys and lakes hills and streams and plains the mountains over our land and nature’s wealth deep under the earth are protected as the rightful heritage of all the people.”

– Franklin D. Roosevelt

5. “The land, the earth God gave to man for his home … should never be the possession of any man, corporation, (or) society … any more than the air or water.”

“Laws change; people die; the land remains.”

– Abraham Lincoln

6. “An unspoiled river is a very rare thing in this Nation today. Their flow and vitality have been harnessed by dams and too often they have been turned into open sewers by communities and by industries. It makes us all very fearful that all rivers will go this way unless somebody acts now to try to balance our river development.”

– Lyndon Johnson, remarks on signing the Wild & Scenic Rivers Act, October 2, 1968

7. “The supreme reality of our time is … the vulnerability of our planet.”

“National parks and reserves are an integral aspect of intelligent use of natural resources. It is the course of wisdom to set aside an ample portion of our natural resources as national parks and reserves, thus ensuring that future generations may know the majesty of the earth as we know it today.”

– John F. Kennedy

8. “Leave it as it is . . . The ages have been at work on it, and man can only mar it.”

– Theodore Roosevelt

9. “As we peer into society’s future, we – you and I, and our government – must avoid the impulse to live only for today, plundering for, for our own ease and convenience, the precious resources of tomorrow. We cannot mortgage the material assets of our grandchildren without risking the loss also of their political and spiritual heritage.”

– Dwight D. Eisenhower, Farewell Address to the Nation, January 17, 1961

10. “The public must retain control of the great waterways. It is essential that any permit to obstruct them for reasons and on conditions that seem good at the moment should be subject to revision when changed conditions demand.”

– Teddy Roosevelt, 1908

11. “We have too long treated the natural world as an adversary rather than as a life-sustaining gift from the Almighty. If man has the genius to build, which he has, he must also have the ability and the responsibility to preserve.”

– Gerald R. Ford, Remarks at dedication of National Environmental Research Center, July 3, 1975

12. “Here is your country. Cherish these natural wonders, cherish the natural resources, cherish the history and romance as a sacred heritage, for your children and your children’s children. Do not let selfish men or greedy interests skin your country of its beauty, its riches or its romance.”

– Theodore Roosevelt

13. “There is new life in the soil for every man. There is healing in the trees for tired minds and for our overburdened spirits, there is strength in the hills, if only we will lift up our eyes. Remember that nature is your great restorer.”

– Calvin Coolidge, Speech given by telephone to a Boy Scouts gathering in New York, July 25, 1924

14. “We can no longer afford to consider air and water common property, free to be abused by anyone without regard to the consequences. Instead, we should begin now to treat them as scarce resources, which we are no more free to contaminate than we are free to throw garbage into our neighbor’s yard.”
– Richard Nixon, Annual Message to Congress on the State of the Union, 1970

15. “If we’ve learned any lessons during the past few decades, perhaps the most important is that preservation of our environment is not a partisan challenge; it’s common sense. Our physical health, our social happiness, and our economic well-being will be sustained only by all of us working in partnership as thoughtful, effective stewards of our natural resources.”

– Ronald Reagan, Remarks on signing annual report of Council on Environmental Quality, July 11, 1984

Hope you enjoyed this, on this Presidents Day. Please feel free to add in the comments your favorite presidential quote on the greatness of our country.

The Best of Bryson City, NC

January 29, 2016 by Grant Outlaw Leave a Comment

Bryson City is a small outdoor town located in Western North Carolina on the southern edge of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP). For the adventure and outdoor lover, Bryson City has been one of the best kept secrets in the mountains.

Here is what makes this place so awesome, the best of Bryson City.

Best Hike

Goldmine Loop

Located in the GSMNP, a short drive from town, in a area referred to as the “Road to Nowhere” lays the Goldmine Loop trail. This 3.1 mile trail wanders through the mountain forests opening up to views of Fontana Lake and sites of homesteads long forgotten. The loop is highlighted by the long dark tunnel that starts the hike and is the reason the area is called the “Road to Nowhere.” This area is a passionate topic with the locals who see it as a broken promise. Had it been finished the road would have allowed access to family cemeteries that were made inaccessible with the creation of Fontana Lake. The trail is a moderate hike with little elevation change and a one mile alternate if the trail seems like too much for you.

Best Cup of Joe

Mountain Perks

An awesome little cafe right in town. Bryson City has plenty of coffee shop options but Mountain Perks is by far the best. The coffee is always great and the food never fails. Their slogan of “life’s to short for bad coffee” is hard to argue with. My personal favorite meal is the Kerby sandwich w/ a Milky Way to wash it down. The owner Pam can usually be found behind the bar providing a little bit of spice that only comes from a family run coffee house.

Best Camping

Deep Creek Campground in The GSMNP

Camping in the park is an experience everyone should try. Deep Creek camping puts you in the middle of what the mountains are all about, with streams, trail, and waterfalls. Sites are cheap but there are no bells and whistles (like showers) but you can’t beat the location. At Deep Creek you can choose between backcountry, group camping and horse camps but for the beginner, go for frontcountry (it is a good primer for national park camping).

Best Brew

Nantahala Brewing Company

This place is a little different. Inside there is corn-hole and giant jinga to play. But at the bar you will find plenty to wet your whistle, from their flagship beers to seasonal and specialty brews. Must try’s are the Dirty Girl Blond, Bryson City Brown and Noon Day IPA. After a hike or paddle there is no greater reward than sitting down at the bar at Nantahala Brewing Company.

Best Mountain Biking

Tsali Mountain Bike Trails

The highly acclaimed Tsali Mountain Bike Trails are a series of four trails that climb and fall along Fontana Lake. Two trails are open to biking each day with the others open for horseback riding. Along with bike trails there is also a campground as a part of the Tsali recreational area. So if riding is what you love, camp a few nights and ride till your legs go numb. For the beginner, Thompson and Right loop are best. For the more experienced, Left loop is the way to go. If in need of some bike repairs look up the guys at Tsali Cycles, there you can have some local brew while your bike gets worked on.

Best Night Stay

Fryemont Inn

This historic inn first opened its doors in Bryson City in 1923. The Fryemont Inn feels like you have gone back in time and has a authentic mountain lodge feel. The lodge is not all old, with a modern pool, bar, and dinning on the grounds. Located in town you are in the middle of it all and can always take a walk around town. From rooms to suites they can accommodate the romantic getaway or the small family.

Best River Trip

Nantahala River Rafting

A short drive from town is the Nantahala River with class II and III rapids that are perfect for the beginner paddler. From the first splashes of the rapid Patton’s Run to the final drop of Lesser Wesser the Nantahala river excites. Chose between rafting with a guide, non guided, or fun one or two person funyaks. Floating through the Nantahala gorge is one of the most beautiful ways to experience the area. For the best ride on the river reserve with Carolina Outfitters. They offer a wide variety of boats and times so you can raft when you want the way you want.

Best Breakfast

Everett Street Diner

No frills, just good food. Everett Street Diner is locate at what most would consider the direct middle of town. This is where the locals eat. The reason why, because it is good hardy go get something done food. If you happen in at typical working folks breakfast or lunch time, good luck getting a seat. When you come in for breakfast you are likely to be eating across from the fire squad or EMT’s. My favorite by far is the biscuits and gravy, but there has never been anything I didn’t tear through.

Best Gear Shop

Bryson City Outdoors

Located right in the heart of town, Bryson City Outdoors is part gear shop and part adventure hub. They know the local area well and have what you need to get the most out of it. Aside from their store they also offer stand up paddle board rentals on the Finger lake. Check these guys out, they are new and make an awesome addition to the Bryson City area.

Best Time of Year

The Autumn

The summer is crowded and the winter is dead but the fall is perfect. In mid October the leaves start to changed turning the mountains into a colorful landscape. The temperature is perfect for enjoying everything the mountains have to offer, from rafting to hiking. Fall festivals are happening everywhere with local artisans and Appalachian music abundant.

Hope this helps you make the most of your next trip to the Bryson City area.