paddling

Play it Safe on the Waters

The Adventure Side of the Smokies is a veritable outdoor waterpark for paddlers, float trips, kayak fishing, and swimming, all surrounded by some of Mother Nature’s most beautiful mountains and forests in the southeast.

During this week of National Water Safety,  we want to remind you to play it safe on our waters.  Each of the rivers offers a different experience, but also different risks.

The Pigeon River is known for its exhilarating whitewater, but the inherent danger comes from the rapids and  the rocks.

In the spring, the French Broad can vary in depth and current from rains and extreme weather. Popular for float fishing and backpack paddling, the level of the river and weather conditions are your best guides before entering the river.

The Nolichucky can also vary in water flow and depth. Flooding rains upriver, will create hazardous conditions downriver.

Never enter the water without wearing a personal floatation device (PFD).   Even strong swimmers can get caught in a current on the rivers.   When the water is high, eddies can form from submerged rocks and trees.  Make sure the PFD is sized properly for both adults and for children.  PFDs can be purchased locally at most large box retailers in the area if you have forgotten to bring on.

Come play, but play it safe in and around our rivers and lake.

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The 3 Rivers of the Adventure Side of the Smokies

The three rivers of Cocke County are destinations for exciting recreational adventures on the Adventure Side of the Smokies.  The history of these rivers shaped the past and are now shaping the future of recreation in Cocke County.

The Pigeon River is synonymous with some of the best white water rafting in the southeast. The river extends 70 miles, beginning  in the mountains of North Carolina, flowing northwest into Tennessee.  The river is impounded at Walter’s Dam in Waterville.  It is the scheduled dam releases that create the exciting white water rafting between Waterville and the take-out in Hartford TN. The lower end of the Pigeon continues to the confluence of the French Broad in Newport, TN.

The 216 mile French Broad River also begins in North Carolina and serves as a drainage basin for the both the Pisgah and Cherokee National Forests.  When the river enters Cocke County, it flows along the East Tennessee Crossing National Scenic Byway before entering the Holston River.  The river is known for spring time rafting and kayaking when the water is running high, and both fishermen who bank and float fish.  All thirty three (33 miles) of the river flowing in Cocke County were designated as a state scenic river.  Read more about the scenic portion of the river from local paddler and birder, Michael S, here.  ling

The Nolichucky River runs 115 miles from the highest mountains in eastern North Carolina and Tennessee until it reaches Cocke County creating the upper basin of Douglas Lake.  The river serves to create a county border with Hamblen County.   This area and the adjacent Rankin Bottom WMA is known for birdwatching, and when the lake begins to fill in the spring, locals know that the fishing is excellent.

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