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White Water Rafting Experience on the Upper Pigeon River

White Water Rafting Experience on the Upper Pigeon River

Overview

The Pigeon River gorge cuts east to west across the Smoky Mountains from North Carolina and into Tennessee. As one of the most popular rafting trips in America, the Upper Section of the Pigeon River offers guests with the best introduction to whitewater anywhere.

City: Hartford

Wed 25 Sep

Other dates

You can choose the date already on the booking website

Starting at $43.00

Make a reservation

Wed 25 Sep

Starting at $43.00

Make a reservation

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What's Included

Equipment included: life jacket, helmet and paddle

Additional Info

Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
Guests will then meet their personal guide and recieve the necessary equipment Including: life jacket, helmet and paddle.
After your guide double-checks to make sure all equipment is fitted properly, guests then hop on our bus for a short 10-minute ride to the launching point for your trip.

What To Expect

Pigeon River

The Pigeon River gorge cuts East to West across the Smoky Mountains from North Carolina and into Tennessee, offering paddlers panoramic views of the Great Smoky Mountains while cooling off from the summer heat.

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Traveler Photos

Reviews (470)

mikesL9780LR

Jul 2019

White Water Rafting through Big Creek Expeditions - Joan Was our guide. After two days before having storms that caused flooding conditions, I wasn't sure they would even let us go. We walked out of the hotel and the creek beside it was moving sooo fast, that we saw some ducks on the water under the bridge, and ten seconds later, they had been swept on the river out of view. It was crazy fast water. It was a bit of a drive to get to Big Creek Expeditions from our Pigeon Forge Margaritaville Island Hotel, but the concierge Lore Lee had set up the reservations for us and told us this was the group that would make sure you were safe and wouldn't allow the boat to tip even if some on the same boat wanted to get wet. With a wife and two young boys, having an enjoyable and safe trip was a must and I needed it to go over without a scare so they would want to do it again. We got there and listened to the safety presentation and felt comfortable with the crew. We were given Joan as our guide and I am not sure we could have asked for better. She was clear at the outset that because the river was so high and the water moving so fast, she was a bit nervous having my two boys (8 and 11) in those conditions. She stated that there were parts of the river where she would have them get down in the boat while my wife and I continued rowing. We screwed up the initial rapid (my fault as I had misunderstood her instruction and thought she meant row backwards, oops) and you could tell she was getting more nervous about this particular ride. We got better and more in unison as we went and Joan engaged and chatted with us the entire ride all the while giving us instructions on navigating the rapids safely and enjoyably. We accidentally had the boys on the raft during a class four rapid that she had intended on them getting down for. The current was sooo strong that day that we had tried to skirt it, but it pulled us in anyways. She was an expert though and while we took a pretty good "hit", the boys remained seated and we made it through and now have a story for the boys to tell. The only mishap on the trip was when Joan got stung by a bee on her underarm during one of the rougher rapids. We had a great time, would highly recommend both Big Creek Expeditions and our guide Joan to anybody considering white water rafting when in the Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg area. We will definitely be back if we are in the area again. Thanks for a great time and memories to last a lifetime.

Response from Host

Aug 2019

Wow, Mike! What a compliment to not only Joan, but Big Creek Expeditions as a whole. We pride ourselves on having the most experienced and professional guides on the river, and Joan is an asset to our team. We are glad that despite the high water levels, we were still able to accommodate you and your family. Thank you for taking the time to let us know about your overall experience. We hope you will come back and visit us again in the future!

sarahjanevlogs

Jul 2019

Had THE best time white water rafting earlier this month. My group had Brett whilst the others had Evan but we kept catching up to each other and having a blast just splashing each other when we were in the calm waters. I felt very safe and had the time of my life and this day ended up being the best day of my entire trip and I will make it my mission to return to this place. There hospitality was above and beyond Brett & Evan made it feel like we were hanging out with best friends. If your in the area please go visit and go white water rafting...... you will not be disappointed :)

Response from Host

Aug 2019

Wow, what a compliment! We are delighted to hear that you had an excellent experience with our guides Evan and Brett as well as Big Creek Expeditions as a whole. We truly love what we do and we believe that it really shows. We hope to have you back again soon!

Steve C

Jul 2019

First i want to say that once we were able to get rafting, it was a blast! Our guide, Dudley, was knowledgeable, funny and completed the whole white water experience. The rapids along the upper Pigeon River are great for first timers. We had 14 in our group and I was the only one to ever do any white water rafting. The Class III & IV rapids were pretty mild for me but perfect for the rest of the group. We chose to raft on a Saturday because that is when the Dam releases the most water and the river is fastest. Any rain the night before or prior to our departure would have made the rapids much better. Overall, we all enjoyed our trip with one exception: We had to travel more than an hour from Maggie Valley for a 1:30 reservation. We were told to be onsite by 1:00. Our disappointment came when we had to wait more than 1 1/2 hours after we arrived. Also, don't bother going to buy water shoes at Walmart, they sell a better water shoe on-site for the same price as Walmart!

Response from Host

Aug 2019

We are happy to hear that you had a great experience with Dudley and that the Class III-IV rapids were enjoyable for your group. The Pigeon River is great for people of all experience levels and we do have some great deals on water shoes, t-shirts and various souvenirs here at our office. I want to apologize for the extended wait you experienced. There are several logistical factors that are completely out of our control,like traffic on the shuttle to the put-in, delays on the river from other companies (which in turn makes our guides arrive back late), guests getting lost on their way to our outpost and other varying factors. I also apologize for the miscommunication you received during your reservation process. Guests are informed that their reservation time is the same as their check in time and you did not need to arrive at 1 but at 1:30. We hardly ever experience large delays, but due to extenuating circumstances that were beyond our control on the day of your trip, you were in fact forced to wait a little longer. Sometimes the best things in life are worth waiting for, after all. We hope to have you back again in the future. If you have further concerns or would like to speak with me directly, feel free to reach out: [email protected]