North Carolina's shimmering Nantahala River offers river rafting through family friendly rapids that are mild but exciting. Nantahala rafting features eight miles of practice on easy Class II rapids before splashing through the exciting Class III whitewater of Nantahala Falls. This is one of America’s most popular whitewater runs!

Since 1972, NOC has shared the outdoors with millions of guests on white water river rafting trips, with all varieties of kayak and canoe instruction, on mountain bikes and around the world with our adventure travel trips.

Located in western North Carolina near the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, NOC is within easy driving distance of Atlanta, Charlotte and Knoxville. Our world-class staff leads white water rafting trips on seven of the Southeast's best rivers, including the Chattooga River, Cheoah River, French Broad River, Nantahala River, Nolichucky River, Ocoee River, and Pigeon River. Learn to whitewater paddle from the pros in our renowned canoe and kayak Paddling School. We also offer adventure-learning programs for groups of all types, ropes course climbing, flat water lake kayaking, fly fishing and hiking.

With NOC, you can expect the highest quality service and top-notch equipment, with almost 40 years experience leading adventures in SC, NC, GA, TN and even destinations abroad. We're confident that we have a trip to match every experience level, with Family-Friendly Trips and Action-Packed Adventures.

When you visit our Nantahala headquarters, you'll also find a complete outdoor destination with lodging options, three restaurants and a pub, a fully-stocked Outfitter's Store, the Wesser General Store and Fly Shop and the Nantahala Welcome Center. Make NOC your destination for rafting adventures and more!