Summer is Here: Make the Best of It

Finally, it's summertime! It's the best season for relaxing, spending family time together, enjoying the great outdoors and making memories!

But summer gets shorter every year, and before long the Back-to-School sales will be here. So start making your summertime plans today. Fill your weekends with fun activities and ensure that when fall gets here your desk, wall and mantel will show great photos from summer 2013, your family's best summer yet.

Of course NOC offers many great adventures for active families. Below is a quick review of our rafting and zip line offerings to help you formulate your plans. These exciting adventures will create lasting memories and provide an exciting, fun day together.

"Get Your Feet Wet"- Beginner Rivers
These family-friendly rivers offer class II-III rapids that are easy to navigate, giving you a taste of what whitewater rafting is all about.  For an extra challenge, select rivers offer rental and ducky (inflatable kayak) trips, giving you the opportunity to guide your own adventure.

Heading into Nantahala Falls

• Nantahala River - near Bryson City, NC - minimum age is 7 or must weigh at least 60 lbs
  * Enjoy Nantahala River Campus featuring riverside dining, shopping, zipping and many more on-site adventures
• French Broad River - near Asheville, NC - minimum age is 8
• Lower Pigeon - near Gatlinburg, TN - minimum age is 3
• Lower Nolichucky Float Trips - near Johnson City, TN - minimum age is 4

"Make a Splash" - Intermediate Rivers
NOC's intermediate river trips offer continuous, splashy class III-IV rapids that are great for those looking for excitement, beautiful scenery and a day full of fun. These river trips number among the best whitewater runs in the region.

Big splash on the Middle Ocoee

• Middle Ocoee River - near Cleveland, TN - minimum age is 12
  *America's Favorite Whitewater Rafting Run
• Upper Pigeon River - near Gatlinburg, TN - minimum age is 8 or must weigh 70 lbs
• Chattooga Section III - near Clayton, GA - minimum age is 8
• Nolichucky River - near Johnson City, TN - minimum age is 12

"Take the Plunge" - Advanced Rivers 
For our adrenaline-wired guests, NOC offers several high adventure trips featuring class III-V rapids and promising a day of excitement you will not soon forget.  These trips are recommended for guests who have previous whitewater rafting experience and can actively participate for the duration of the trip.

All smiles on Chattooga Section IV

• Upper/Middle Ocoee Combo - near Cleveland, TN - minimum age is 13
  
• Chattooga Section IV - near Clayton, GA - minimum age is 13
  *Geogia's Wild and Scenic River
• Cheoah River - near Robbinsville, NC - minimum age is 16

Don't forget about the Zip Line Tours!

As of this season, NOC now offers two unique zip line adventures at NOC's Nantahala River Campus.

NOC Zip Line Adventure Park will challenge your skills and encourage you to face your fears on an aerial obstacle course featuring 17 fun, unique components, including the Wesser Zip, which runs around 550' long.

NOC's Mountaintop Zip Line Tour features a half-mile mega-zip with breathtaking 360 degree views above the treetops, just one of 10 zip lines leading you along a ridge top tour of the lush and scenic Nantahala Gorge.  Take a minute to check out this preview of NOC's newest aerial tour:



For information about raft and zip packages click here. 
We look forward to seeing you on the rivers and in the air this summer!

Many Reasons Remain to Raft this Summer

Back to School commercials are running on TV, the presidential nominating conventions are almost here, and there's a tropical storm out in the Gulf of Mexico--all signs that time's running out on summer 2012.  So, before you get back to the year-round routine, time remains for one last hurrah outside with friends and family. What better way to end the summer than out on the river with loved ones?

Some of our guides at the Nantahala River agree, and they offered a few more reasons on why it makes sense to end the summer at NOC:

"Here at the Nantahala everything is in one spot; it's an all-in-one weekend destination!" - Kim, Whitewater Rafting Head Guide

"Because when the weather is hot, the rivers are cold. It feels great." - Jen, Retail Manager

"Whitewater rafting brings the whole family, or group of friends, together for one last summer shindig on the river." - Taylor, Adventure Center

"We have the best trained guides, and they'll show you a great time on our rivers." - Curt, Nantahala Rafting Assistant Manager

"NOC's river trips are unlike anything else. You will leave with much more than just a great time; you'll have memories that will last forever." - Rachel, Guest Relations

Savings to Look For This August


Chattooga Section III & IV
Save $10 on all Chattooga Trips on Sundays in August. Section III is a family-friendly trip with mostly class II/III rapids and one optional class IV rapid.  Section IV is a beautiful wilderness run with many class IV/V rapids including the famous "Five Falls"stretch. Both sections are full day trips and include a delicious and fun riverside lunch.

Rafters launch off Bull Sluice, the optional Class IV rapid on Chattooga Section III.

Pigeon River Discount Trips - as low as $24.99
The Pigeon River, just outside of  Hartford, TN, offers discounted trips in the late afternoon through August.  The Upper Pigeon boasts class III and IV rapids,  and is great for beginners who are looking for some big splashes.  Kids as young as 8 years old can raft this section, so it also makes for a fun family trip! A perfect addition to a weekend in the Smokies or in Gatlinburg, TN.

Upper Pigeon Rafting

Ocoee River Discount Trips- as low as $24.99

With fun, bouncy waves and class III and IV rapids, the Ocoee is a classic southeastern river.  In August, the Middle Ocoee offers discount trips early in the morning or late in the afternoon on Sunday's.  This section is a nice step up from a beginner river for folks who are looking for some exciting whitewater.  You must be 12 years old to raft this section of whitewater.

Middle Ocoee Rafting

To book a rafting trip click on the links above to go to noc.com, or call 800.905.7238.

NOC's Exciting June Rafting Specials

It's June, and we're about to hit peak season on the South's whitewater rivers. But that doesn't mean there aren't any specials or discounts out there for savvy shoppers. In fact, we went ahead and collected these for our blog readers, enews subscribers and and Facebook friends so you could see them all in one place.

Here's a list of the top NOC specials going right now:

1) Ocoee River rafting trips for only $20. Yes, you read that correctly; the 3pm, 4pm and 5pm trips on Sunday the 24th are only $20. That's 60% off peak day rates on the most popular river in the world! Don't worry there's no catch: the rafts are still inflated, there's a great NOC guide in the boat, and you're running the same awesome rapids. This will be NOC's best Ocoee deal of the season. Take advantage of it!

Big splashy fun on the Ocoee River. You can see why it's many rafters favorite run!

2) Nantahala Rafting and Zip Line Adventure Park Combo: NOC opens its new Zip Line Adventure Park this Friday at the Nantahala. It's the perfect compliment to the very popular half-day Nantahala trip: a 550' zip line into a 16-obstacle aerial adventure park 40' above the ground. The entire raft and zip experience only costs $89.99—the normal price for most zip line tours.  

NOC's new Zip Line and Adventure Park features exciting zip lines and complex aerial obstacles testing  concentration, focus and mettle!

3) Save $20 per person on 7am Chattooga River Section IV trips on June 16, 17 and 24. Yes, 7am seems early, but consider these factors:

Perhaps my personal favorite summer experience: approaching the drop
at Seven Foot Falls on the Chattooga. 

a) Scarcity: weekend Chattooga trips tend to sell out throughout the summer—the outfitters only have a very limited amount of availability on the Chattooga, which contributes to the river's wilderness feel.

b) Quality: the morning trips are the guides' favorites due to more plentiful wildlife, moderate temperatures and the early-morning river ambiance.

c) Convenience: yes, it doesn't seem convenient to be at the Chattooga River at 7am, but you'll be finished in the middle of the day, and you'll be able to make it back home or to the cabin for more time with family and friends.

And, to boot, you save $20 per person. Just book as normal, and we'll apply the discount at the end of the transaction.


4) Nolichucky High Adventure Ducky Trips. These are the most exclusive rafting trips NOC offers. When water levels get just right NOC offers exciting guided duck trips through the Noli's Class III and IV rapids. Non-kayakers, will experience the rush that's hooked the hard boaters. If you've enjoyed a duck trip on the Nantahala, this is the big next step. These trips are for paddlers 16+ and include a very high guide-to-guest ratio to ensure guests are appropriately supported. Don't miss this opportunity.

NOC guide demonstrating the line through a large rapid on the Nolichucky
High Adventure Ducky Trip.

5) Pigeon River rafting. So, if you are really flexible you can still grab spring pricing (30% off) on Pigeon trips through Friday. If you can't just drop everything and go rafting, that's ok (get your priorities straight for Pete's sake!). NOC offers standard late-day discount trips for $29.99 and $24.99. Just to put this in context: if you live in Knoxville, and you can get off work a bit early, your group can go rafting on select 5pm trips and save money. Think of that as adding a bit of weekend right into the middle of your workweek—always a good thing.

Family fun on the Pigeon River. These happy rafters will remember this trip forever.