Cheoah River Trips in Detail

Cheoah Raft Trip Facts

Planning for Your Cheoah Adventure

Click here to visit our Pre-Trip Planning page for details about what to bring and what to expect on your rafting trip. You can also click here for directions to NOC's Cheoah River Outpost.

Rapid Descriptions

Craik's Ledge: Class III
A straightforward four-foot drop over a river-wide ledge.

Wilma's Ledge: Class IV+
Halfway down a 300-yard staircase of continuous ledge drops, some less than a foot, some as steep as three feet, lies Wilma's Ledge, below the pipe and swinging bridge.

Half-Cocked: Class IV+
This long, extremely technical rapid is riddled with rocks, trees and brush. It consists of three slanting ledge drops which require tight turns in the midst of pushy water and diagonal waves.

Submarine: Class IV
MOI: Class IV+
Chaos Theory: Class IV+
Bear Creek Falls: Class V
Python: Class IV+
These five rapids together comprise one and a half miles of continuous Class IV+ whitewater that drop 225 feet. Need we say more? Okay then: Bear Creek Falls is the largest vertical drop on the Cheoah at 12 feet and is a feature unique to the Southeast with breaking holes and boulders everywhere. Rafts make a hard left at the bottom of this falls to head to Python, a giant rock resembling a snake's head. All this assumes you've run the giant obstacles at Submarine and MOI cleanly, and successfully navigated the virtual minefield of holes causing the chaotic water of Chaos Theory.

Tapoco Lodge: Class IV
After Python ends, you have a very short stretch of Class III wavy water before entering Tapoco Lodge Rapid, which is one of the river's best. Seasoned paddlers claim this stretch has some "meaty, monster holes." Tapoco Lodge Rapid is actually quite scenic from the lunch deck of Tapoco Lodge high up the river left bank, but your focus through here will be the waves and holes. Below the rapid, enormous waves continue on a hundred yards into the mile-long finale gorge.

The Gorge: Class IV+
Narrow and constricted, The Gorge is filled with holes, long wave trains, boulders, reactionary waves and abrupt drops before slowing to a halt in Lake Calderwood. Be sure to check out the dam on river right featured in the movie: "The Fugitive." It's the one Harrison Ford jumped off of.