 NOC company founder, Payson Kennedy, was stunt double for Ned Beatty in the legendary movie Deliverance! This T-shirt brings it all back! See our rafting trip page to register for an adventure on the Chattooga, the Wild and Scenic River where the movie was filmed. Price: $ 19.00 Before the novel and the film Deliverance appeared in the early 1970s, any outsiders one met along the Chattooga River were likely serious canoeists or anglers. Price: $ 18.95 Released for the first time in trade paperback, this is the classic tale of four men caught in a primitive and violent test of manhood.The setting is the Georgia wilderness, where the state's most remote white-water river awaits. Price: $ 15.00  | Return to the Chattooga River Main Page
Chattooga River FAQ:
What are trips on the Chattooga like?
Trips on the Chattooga with NOC are awesome. The Chattooga is designated a National Wild and Scenic River and if you are looking for an uncrowded wilderness experience with an abundance of wildlife, amazing scenery and thrilling rapids you will find it here.
Whether you choose Section III or Section IV, your trip begins with a "hike-in" to the river. Because the Chattooga is protected as part of the National Wild and Scenic River System, the river corridor is buffered by a 1/4 mile zone on each side of the river where roads are prohibited. This short hike allows you to experience the beauty of the Sumter National Forest. Hiking in, you leave the cares and concerns of the real world behind as you approach the Chattooga River.
Depending on the water level which can fluctuate quite dramatically, you will put-in at a number of different access points on the river. The exact locations are determined on a daily basis to provide you with the utmost safety and quality of experience.
Section III trips are generally relaxed and suitable for young children and is more of a quiet, wilderness experience punctuated by fun and exciting rapids. Bull Sluice at the end is a Class IV scenic and adrenaline-pumping highlight. Section IV trips are focused more on the whitewater with some of the most amazing rapids in the entire United States. Seven Foot Falls and the Five Falls are highlights. In the Five Falls Section there are Five Class IV, IV+ and V rapids as the river drops 75 feet in only a 1/4 mile. But Section IV is also a scenic wonder, and the beauty of the area is hard to ignore as you run this river that separates Georgia from South Carolina.
Also, NOC has the best equipment. We have the newest rafts and the lightest, fastest, most maneuverable ducks. Our fleet of inflatables is versatile so we can offer exciting trips at any water level. At high water we take large 6-person rafts and at low water we use smaller 4-person rafts. This maximizes the thrill factor and minimizes the chances of scraping over rocks. Additionally, NOC is the only outfitter that uses self-bailing rafts exclusively on the Chattooga River.
Do you take pictures of us rafting the Chattooga?"
Absolutely! We take your picture at several locations on the river as you negotiate the biggest rapids. Your pictures are available for viewing and purchase at the end of the day. We also encourage you to bring your own waterproof camera to capture your personal moments that we can't catch.
I've never heard of Ducks before. Can you tell me more?
Duckies are small rafts designed for one person. Sometimes they are called inflatable kayaks. Ducky trips are really fun! Our guides give very detailed and comprehensive instruction on how to handle and control a duck. We almost always have a guide in a duck to help guests as you travel down the river. Rafting in a ducky allows you to be the "guide" and most first-time ducky boaters come off the river with wide smiles and a huge sense of accomplishment. But we'll never force people to paddle ducks just because the river is low. The flexibility of our fleet allows us to offer you the choice. Still, seeing the wilderness beauty of the Chattooga River from the level of a duck really can be a profound and personal experience if you are looking to get away from it all. For your safety, ducks are only offered on Section III. More About the Ducky Trip Experience.
How long is your season on the Chattooga?
We run trips on the Chattooga from March to the end of October.
When is the best time to come for the highest water?
That's hard to say. In general water levels will be higher in the spring and lower in the summer and fall. But after rain events, tropical storms or hurricanes, the river will usually go up to heart-pounding levels. The best way to stay on top of current conditions on the Chattooga is to sign up for our enewsletter. Whenever there is high water, we send out high water alerts to those who have signed up to the newsletter. Also, you can check our River Levels page for real-time flow information.
Was the movie Deliverance filmed on the Chattooga?
Yes. Filming for Deliverance took place on a number of rapids on Section III and Section IV, as well as in the nearby Tallulah Gorge. NOC's founder, Payson Kennedy, was also one of the stunt doubles. In the scene when the canoe breaks up, you can see Payson in the water along with other local paddlers. Burt Reynolds, however, did his own stunts, as did John Voight. That scene where John Voight climbs the cliff and then later falls into the river was filmed without a stunt double.
Will I need to paddle or do you have a stunt double for me?
LOL! River trips on the Chattooga are the real deal, not Hollywood productions, so we do not provide stunt doubles. Whitewater rafting is a participatory experience and it is necessary for you to paddle and to follow all guide commands. Fortunately, you do not need to be a triathlete to paddle the Chattooga. Individuals of average physical ability do just fine. However, if you are extremely overweight or do not want to paddle, the Chattooga might not be for you and we would recommend you consider an easier river such as the Nantahala or the French Broad.
Can I walk around rapids if I'm scared?
Yes. It is possible to walk around the bigger rapids such as Bull Sluice, Woodall Shoals, and the Five Falls. But most of the time folks who are scared realize pretty quickly that whitewater rafting is more fun than they have ever imagined. Much of the fear of a rafting trip is the fear of the unknown. Until you experience a whitewater river yourself, you don't know what to expect, and not knowing what to expect can be scary. Whitewater rafting is often portrayed in the media as an extreme and dangerous activity, and in truth, the stories that make the evening news are usually on very big Class V or Class VI rivers where rafters have put on after a flood or without the proper equipment--such as K-Mart rafts made for swimming pools and without life jackets or PFDs.
While there are always inherent risks in whitewater rafting, our professional staff does everything possible to minimize them through extensive training, years of experience, and by providing the best possible instruction and equipment. Since 1972 NOC has been safely guiding over 1,000,000 guests down rivers Class I through Class V; and your safety and enjoyment are our highest concern.
How well trained are your guides?
Our Chattooga guides are among the best in the industry. In most cases, our Chattooga guides have many years of guiding experience on other rivers so they have really honed and developed their river skills over a long period of time. In addition, all of our guides are trained in First Aid and CPR while most are also trained with Wilderness Advanced First Aid or are trained as Wilderness First Responders or even EMTs. Some guides are also trained paramedics, nurses, and even doctors.
To be "checked out" as a Chattooga Guide, our guides are required to learn the river intimately at many different water levels and demonstrate competence guiding rafts of all sizes down the river safely. All guides take refresher courses at the beginning of each season, and the various medical certifications that they hold have to be renewed on an annual or biannual basis.
Our guides take great pride in their work and strive to be the best at what they do. Consequently, NOC's depth of knowledge about the Chattooga River and skill in guiding on the river is unmatched.
How cold is the water?
Most of the time it's perfect. In the early spring it can be a little cold, but if you've been on the Nantahala and felt that river's frigid water, don't worry. The Chattooga is much warmer than that and especially during the hot days of summer we spend a lot of time cooling off in the Chattooga.
Can I smoke on the river?
No. Smoking not is allowed on the river and we advise you to leave your cigarettes in your car so they don't get wet.
What else should I leave in the car and what can I take on the river?
Good question. The Number 1 thing not to take is money, followed by any other valuables that you don't want to lose. There is no need to bring any valuables with you on the river--they can only get lost in the river. By all means, do bring eyeglasses--you'll need them to see and you can secure them to your head with Chums or other forms of eyeglass retainers that we sell in our store. Do bring sunscreen. Do bring any medicine(s) that you need. We have a first aid kit on all trips and your medicines can be placed in the first aid kit to keep them safe as we travel down the river. You can bring your hat or visor--both will fit under the helmet that you will wear on the river. And by all means, please bring your one-time use waterproof camera. If you don't have one you can purchase those in our store as well. Leave all expensive cameras and lenses and anything else that you don't want to damage or lose on the river locked in your car.
Do I need to bring water?
You do not need to bring food or water with you on the river. We provide both at lunch. If you want to bring a water bottle, you may. We sell NOC Nalgene water bottles and water bottle clips (carabiners) in our store that you can use to secure your water bottle into the raft. We strongly discourage plastic bottled drinks like store-bought Coke or Gatorade etc. on the river. These bottles can not be clipped into the raft and they have a tendency to fall out of rafts in large rapids, at highwater, or should the raft flip. Not only do you lose your drink in this instance, but they also pollute the pristine wilderness environment of the Chattooga River Corridor.
Do you serve alcohol?
No, we do not serve alcohol on any of our river trips, and please do not drink before the trip. If you have been drinking we won't take you rafting because it puts you and the other rafters in danger. Additionally, we do not issue refunds or credits for future trips if we exclude you from a rafting trip because you have been drinking beforehand. |
