Rafting on Tennessee's Ocoee River Our mission: to take on the Class III and IV whitewater rapids of the legendary Ocoee River, one of the most popular water adventures on the East Coast.

Everyone is up early this late June morning, ready for the one-hour ride from Chattanooga to our outfitter in Ducktown, Tennessee. With temperatures in the 90s these past few days, it’s not surprising now to find pockets of fog sitting in low lying areas along the road. The drive through Cleveland, Tennessee, on U.S. Highway 64 East leads us into the Cherokee* National Forest and the Ocoee River Gorge.

It’s a quiet Sunday morning before the 4th of July. Scattered along the roadside are lots of firework stands. At 8:30 a.m. it’s already 71º and another hot day is on tap. This will be a perfect day to paddle down the river.

A Number of Outfitters Offer Raft Trips

The highway soon widens to four lanes and it’s easy to tell by the businesses on the one side where the original two-lane road once stood. While our directions indicate we’re a distance from Ocoee Rafting, our outfitter, we begin to see tell-tale signs that we’re in the neighborhood - Outland Expeditions, High Country, Adventure Unlimited, Quest Expeditions, Cherokee Rafting, Nantahala Outdoor Center (hey wait, isn’t this the Ocoee River?), Cascade Outdoors, Big Frog Expeditions, Sunburst Adventures, Outdoor Adventures, Whitewater Tennessee, Ocoee Outdoors and Ocoee Inn Rafting. Then among all this commercialism appears Parksville Beach National Park on Ocoee Lake, operated by the National Forest Service with camping, a small inn, hiking and bass fishing.

Descending into the gorge, there are a fair number of pulloffs - some with views and some with picnic tables. On the left is a rock wall. Ocoee Lake is to the right and a thin guardrail sits in between.

It’s been a dry year. Driving past the National Forest Service’s Ocoee Whitewater Center, built next to the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics kayaking course, there are many exposed boulders and rocks and it seems as if rafters and kayakers need to portage their boats. Later that morning those thoughts are erased when the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), who controls the water and generates power, opens their floodgates.

As the road starts to snake up the mountain, it’s time to focus on the highway again. Folks are out bicycling already. The scenery remains much the same, only with more rocks and deep green pine trees. We must be getting closer. There’s Wildwater’s camp, the Ocoee Adventure Center and shortly thereafter the right-hand exit to our destination.

Ocoee Rafting - The Oldest Outfitter
We arrive early at Ocoee Rafting Center having heeded their instructions that they maintain their schedule and that late arrivals lose their seats. It’s nice to see that they reward those who are punctual.

We climb a few steps, to the sprawling wood deck interspersed with rocking chairs. At the far end is the check-in room that doubles as a gift shop. Daniel Powter’s song “Bad Day,” made famous on the television show American Idol, plays in the background…a sign of things to come?

Off the side of the deck guides are inflating the rafts and securing them to the top of the buses for the short trip to the put-in site. Clean and well-maintained restrooms are strategically located below deck on the bottom level. Picnic tables are situated out back for lunch or snacks later when we return. On the wall is an artist’s rending of the river highlighting the various hot spots we’ll encounter. While they are just words now, they’ll take on a much greater meaning shortly.

After no time at all, we’re instructed to select a life jacket, helmet and paddle and gather round to receive basic instructions. Common sense things…if you fall from the raft don’t try to stand up as your feet may get caught between the rocks - just float. Sounds simple enough.

Our trip today includes the upper and middle sections of the Ocoee River. The upper incorporates the man-made Olympic whitewater course for the 1996 Atlanta kayak and canoe competition. The riverbed is nothing but rocks and a trickle but each weekend from spring to fall, the TVA re-routes the water flow for recreational purposes and it becomes a wild ride.

At the Ocoee Whitewater Center, overlooking the course, there are two bridges and ample “rock” seats to watch rafters and kayakers encounter Humongous. Outfitter guides who make it through unscathed position themselves on the bank with safety lines just in case others need help.

Copper Mountain Mining
At the center find more than 30 miles of hiking and mountain biking trails. The Old Copper Mountain Road Trail encompasses portions of the route between Cleveland, Tennessee, and Copper Basin, where copper ore was once transported. The Ducktown Basin Museum, located nearby at the site of the former Burra Burra Mine, provides insight into the minerals found in the area and the affects their abstraction has had.

The Final Leg of the Journey
At the end of the Upper Ocoee, rafters exit just before Ocoee Dam #2. It’s actually illegal to cross over the dam or attempt to cross over it. When you see it you’ll know why. This is a brief rest stop. Here there’s a small parking lot for spectators or kayakers, restrooms and vending machines. This is also the launch site for the Middle Ocoee, making it a busy place. Adventurers pick up their rafts and transport them down the ramp to the next put-in.

The Middle Ocoee offers non-stop fun. Barely out of one uniquely named set of rapids and it’s time for another. Was that one of our rafts that had folks standing on the rock?

All too soon we’re at the end of our journey. Seems the river has washed our souls of our day-to-day stresses and put us closer to nature - some as observers, others as unwilling participants. Each of us feels a little soggy, yet reinvigorated. The day has slipped by quickly. One thing’s for sure, we’ll all sleep good tonight and have plenty of stories to tell.

*If you’re familiar with the role of Chattanooga as one of the departure points for the Cherokee Indians on the Trail of Tears, it makes sense that this forest bears the name of the tribe. In recent years, the city of Chattanooga has unveiled a magnificent public art project on the east side of the Tennessee Aquarium complex downtown honoring the Cherokees. It’s well worth of a visit.

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Ocoee Rafting Ducktown, TN

Whitewater Rafting Center 4400 U.S. Highway 64 Copperhill TN 37317 (877) 692-6050 (423) 496-0100