Tennessee Paddling Rivers

The Buffalo River in Wayne and Perry Counties is a class I,II stream with regular waves and occasional rapids. There are plenty of canoe liveries serving the Buffalo River.

The Elk River in southern middle Tennessee is a Class I float suitable for beginners.

A Class I,II,III river with occasional rapids, the river is suitable for beginners to intermediates.

Closer to home, the sedate Harpeth River meanders through the pastures and hills west of Nashville.

The Hiwassee River offers great fishing; rafting and tubing are popular too. Hwy 30 runs beside the river and is a great scenic drive.

Enjoy the beauty of the Sequatchie Valley by canoe. One of only two Rift Valleys in the entire world, the other being Great Victoria Valley in Africa, the Sequatchie Valley was formed by giant shears as the plateau literally split apart, giving the valley its memorable shape. Over 125 miles long from the Tennessee River to Crossville, the Sequatchie Valley never exceeds 5 miles in width. The beautiful Sequatchie River winds southward through the valley, criss-crossed by old bridges and lined with hardwood stands. Canoe trips from two hours to a full-day. Suitable for children. Fishing, swimming, wading, picnicking and full activities on the Sequatchie River.

The Caney Fork River snakes through eastern middle Tennessee, offering pastoral floats with occasional rapids and excellent fishing. The Center Hill Dam impounds the river, with good trout fishing directly below the dam. At the tail end of the lake is Rock Island State Park, featuring a natural sand beach across from scenic high bluffs. Several waterfalls are in the park. A great place for family camping.

The Duck River flows south of Nashville near Columbia and Chapel Hill, flowing through Henry Horton State Park. It is only the second river named a State Scenic River since 1970, approximately 37 miles of the Duck River in Maury County received this designation, marking it as one of only 13 such rivers in Tennessee. The Duck’s scenic section, which begins at Iron Bridge Road near Columbia and extends upstream to the Maury and Marshall County line, features over 500 documented species including aquatic plants, fish and invertebrates. The river contains 39 mussel and 84 fish species; more species of fish than in all of Europe.

The Nolichucky River’s churning white water winds through the deepest gorge in the eastern United States. The scenery is spectacular with steep slopes and cliffs rising more than 2,000 feet from the magnificent river. There is public boat access upstream in Poplar, North Carolina, as well as a take-out at Chestoa in Erwin, Tennessee.

The Upper Pigeon River carves a gorge through the Great Smoky Mountains and consists of Class II, IV river with difficult rapids, suitable for advanced paddlers.
The Lower Pigeon River is very casual and laid back, with Class I and II rapids and one Class lll at the end of the trip. It is a great introduction to whitewater fun for anyone. The lazy rapids will challenge those with no whitewater experience while showing off breathtaking views of the Smokies

The Clinch River is a broad river that flows into the mighty waters of the Tennessee river at a steep wooded ridge called Southwest Point, located in the peaceful town of Kingston, Tennessee. Located a half hour north of Knoxville, Tenn., the Clinch River is one the state's premier tailwater fisheries. Big and broad, smooth and lazy, with plenty of shoals to hold fish.

The Nantahala River, located in Nantahala National Forest, is one of America's favorite whitewater playgrounds. Its ideal location at the edge of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, just a short distance from Cherokee and Bryson City, NC makes the Nantahala River convenient to mountain vacationers.

The French Broad is an adventure filled, intermediate level whitewater voyage. Located just outside of Asheville, NC in the Pisgah National Forest. The French Broad offers a constant flow of class II-IV whitewater rapids. For an exhilarating day of thrilling whitewater in a gorgeous mountain setting, the French Broad is the areas best option.

The Obed River in Wartburg, Tenn offers whitewater paddling on a Class II - V stream; boaters need to know their experience level and water conditions before putting on the river. The river includes three different difficulty classifications (II-IV), making it one of the best whitewater rivers in the eastern United Sta

The Chattooga Wild & Scenic River begins at the base of Whitesides Mountain in North Carolina and flows in a southwesterly direction to form the border between South Carolina and Georgia. One of the wildest and most beautiful whitewater rivers in the country, the Chattooga was the first river in the Southeast to be designated "Wild & Scenic" by Congress and was used as a location for the movie Deliverance.

The Little River of Tennessee is a scenic river which drains a 380 square mile area containing some of the most spectacular scenery in the southeastern United States. The first 18 miles of the river are all located within the borders of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The remaining 33 miles flow out of the mountains through Blount County to join the Tennessee River at Stock Creek and Ft Loudon Lake in Knox County

The Wolf River unchannelized headwaters include lush wetlands, while its lower stretches contain refuges of undisturbed forest in the heart of Memphis. This is a unique river. The Wolf River Conservancy's mission is to conserve and enhance the Wolf and its environs as a natural resource for public education and low impact recreation.

he Toccoa River is perfect for those people who just want to relax and enjoy the gentle flow of the water. This river is actually the headwaters of Tennessee’s Ocoee River but changes its name to the Toccoa when it crosses the line into Georgia.

Big, closely spaced rapids make it one of the most popular whitewater rivers in the nation. No other river in the East offers the degree of challenge, safety and consistent water flow that is found here.
In fact, the Ocoee has been rated one of the ten best whitewater rivers in the country by Canoe Magazine. It has been chosen as the site of national whitewater championships on several occasions as well as home of the 1996 Olympic Whitewater competition.

The recently opened Cheoah River is NOT for the amateur boater. This river is full of Class IV/IV+ rapids with vegetation that requires some skill to navigate. Besides a couple of 1/2 mile relatively calm stretches, this 9 mile run is continuously in a steep grade. The Cheoah has some great wave trains when running at high levels, plenty of classic drops, blind horizon lines and more than a few big holes to play. There is nothing in the southeast longer, harder or steeper than the Cheoah River.
Dropping as many as 146 feet per mile, with average flows of 850 to 1000 cubic feet per second, this western-style river features exciting drops, huge waves and constant action. The 9 mile Class IV+ (V) run is broken into three distinct sections: a Class III narrow top section that winds through trees and shrubs in what Eric Jackson calls "a natural slalom course made for rafts"; a middle Class IV section that opens up with long, continuous whitewater that requires paddling that can be best described as whitewater aerobics rather than a series of forward and backward strokes; and the bottom Class V section nearly three miles long featuring the steepest gradient and largest, most technical drops on the river, including "Bear Creek Falls" and the "Gorge.

The New River is the second oldest river in the world, and its gentle water flow makes it the ideal setting for canoeing, even for the first timer. It's also the perfect place for swimming and picnicking. The New River offers excellent fishing and is the perfect river for a family picnic!