# east coast beta?



## sammyphsyco (Aug 15, 2012)

To make a long story short due to my wife's job we may have to relocate again, if it isn't western Montana I'm kinda blah about it. Georgia, south Carolina and Tennessee are at the top of the list. 
I just bought my first boat and I'm comfortable at class III. I have wanted to have my own boat after my first commercial trip, I'm not giving it up at this point.
So my question is of those states I have mentioned above which has the most or best places for rafting? III is my sweet spot right now but would eventually like to up my rafting game. 500 miles is about the most I'm willing to drive mostly, occasionally travel further.

Please help me dear Abbey.


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## jortsKing (Jan 9, 2014)

if its east tennessee, that would seem like the clear winner to me, by a lot. the other two states have whitewater but east tennessee has more, and a much better variety. Atleast thats how i remember it. I started paddling around cleveland, tn, and got around that part of the country a bit. if i were you, and currently living in North Dakota, i'd be pretty damn stoked about east TN! good luck!


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## npolley (Apr 2, 2015)

I live in Georgia. The best whitewater you'll get here is all in the Northern part of the state. The Tallulah gorge is a classic but that is more class IV and releases only 5 times a year. Getting a raft down the stairs to the put-in can be a pain too. 

The Chattooga river may be more your speed. It's commercially rafted in the summer and the five falls section, is the only class IV on it. 

I've done some paddling in Eastern Tennessee and that's not a bad place to be either. The Ocoee is right there where Georgia and Tennessee meet and it has a really active community of boaters around it. The rain fed stuff in that area is also pretty good.

Boatertalk is the MountainBuzz equivalent in the SE so you may want to check that out. Also if you are in the mood to drop some money for a great resource on the rivers here in the SE look no further than Kirk Eddlemon's books.

Purchase — Whitewater of the Southern Appalachians


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## npolley (Apr 2, 2015)

Pull for North Georgia, East Tennessee, upstate South Carolina (Really just Greenville) and Western North Carolina


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## 2kanzam (Aug 1, 2012)

With only those three options, East TN hands down with the best paddling and just go visit the Chattooga or Tallulah every once in awhile.....SC would be the last on my list for well....just about everything (unless you're into saltwater?)

But I'd probably rather live in Western NC in Asheville or Bryson City more so than than East TN....lots of good paddling, public land etc....

Boatertalk sucks BUT the folks from those areas are really active on that board.


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## dsrg (Mar 3, 2015)

Asheville, Sylva, and Bryson City in NC all have great communities of year round paddlers. There are smaller but dedicated boater communities in Greenville and Clemson (SC), and also in Cleveland, TN. Two other considerations come to mind: 
1) Driving distances are short between any of them. 3 hours one-way will get you from one edge to the other of the area everyone is talking about.
2) Private rafting is rare in the east. 

How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.


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## mcmarcia (Apr 24, 2007)

*good info....*

I used to guide out east thru the 80's. East Tenn or western NC would be my vote of the options. The nantahala is II and III, ocoee III IV, then there is the french broad, tuckaseege amd some others in the area. I really liked west virginia if that would be an option, New, Gauley, Cheat, ...., but you get into class IV up there.


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## richierivertrip (Jul 28, 2008)

Been paddling the southeast since 1974. Most private boaters have canoes or kayaks. The rivers are best suited for short, one day trips. Most rafts you will see are commercial rafts for paddle rafting. Very few easterners have oar rig rafts, and most of them are probably fishing guides. Multiday trips hardly exist, not like the great rivers out west. East TN or western NCis your best bet. Sell your raft out west and get a canoe or kayak for the east.


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## sammyphsyco (Aug 15, 2012)

Just bought my first raft this winter and haven't had it on the water yet, would rather not sell it. It's a 10.5 footer that I plan on running mostly R2 with my kid and taking the younger kids (7&9 y/o booger eaters), I've enjoyed the commercial trips but want to be on my own time schedule. The kids have expressed interest in kayaks but me, meh not so sure.
Kind of curious as to why private rafts are somewhat rare? Are those permitted rivers or????


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## richierivertrip (Jul 28, 2008)

No rivers in the south east are permitted. Since almost all trips around here are just one day affairs it is easier to deal with a canoe or kayak and just put it on top of your vehicle. A raft requires a trailer, or inflating then deflating. But you sound like you are going to use a small raft like a canoe so that should work out well for you. Nantahala, Nolichucky, ocoee, New, Chattooga, French Broad, and others should work well for you.


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## 2kanzam (Aug 1, 2012)

sammyphsyco said:


> Just bought my first raft this winter and haven't had it on the water yet, would rather not sell it. It's a 10.5 footer that I plan on running mostly R2 with my kid and taking the younger kids (7&9 y/o booger eaters), I've enjoyed the commercial trips but want to be on my own time schedule. The kids have expressed interest in kayaks but me, meh not so sure.
> Kind of curious as to why private rafts are somewhat rare? Are those permitted rivers or????


 
Rafts/oar rigs are not rare here...at least not in WV, maybe a little bit rarer in those areas, but not unheard of. I hear that spiel all the time and I don't know why. I know all sorts of guys running oar rigs and I run into new private rafters everyweekend at the ramp.

I have at least 20 overnight floats just in WV that I do in my 14ft raft.

People don't know wtf they are talking about.


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## richierivertrip (Jul 28, 2008)

2kanzam said:


> Rafts/oar rigs are not rare here...at least not in WV, maybe a little bit rarer in those areas, but not unheard of. I hear that spiel all the time and I don't know why. I know all sorts of guys running oar rigs and I run into new private rafters everyweekend at the ramp.
> 
> I have at least 20 overnight floats just in WV that I do in my 14ft raft.
> 
> People don't know wtf they are talking about.


What are some of those overnight floats you do? I'd like to check a few out. 
Still, the multiday western trips are hard to beat.


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## 2kanzam (Aug 1, 2012)

richierivertrip said:


> What are some of those overnight floats you do? I'd like to check a few out.
> Still, the multiday western trips are hard to beat.


Of course there are several on the New River From Sandstone Falls all the way down to Fayette Station.
-Greenbrier River has many
-Smokehole Canyon on the SF of the SB of the Potomac (very western feel to it- very remote for WV)
-The Trough (SF of the Potomac)
-Cheat Canyon
-Big Sandy
-Several on the Gauley above the Dam
-Gauley Below the Dam
-Upper Shavers
-Lower Shavers
-Dry/Black Fork of the Cheat
-Bluestone
-New River Dries
-NB of the Protomac
other States: Obed, Yough, Big South Fork, James, Clear Creek

....and others


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## richierivertrip (Jul 28, 2008)

2kanzam said:


> Of course there are several on the New River From Sandstone Falls all the way down to Fayette Station.
> -Greenbrier River has many
> -Smokehole Canyon on the SF of the SB of the Potomac (very western feel to it- very remote for WV)
> -The Trough (SF of the Potomac)
> ...


With all your knowledge, you ought to write a guide book on overnight trips in the mideast/southeast.


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## k2andcannoli (Feb 28, 2012)

Ha big sandy overnight, upper and lower, would be a hoot!!! Camp on the upper, drop the gear at the lower putin, and go run wonder falls! That would be an overnight experience unique to West Virginia.


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