White Water Rafting

If you are a beginner rafter and you would like to know what rivers best fit for you and your family here are the class ratings and rivers for you.

The Class Ratings

Class I – Very easy. Waves small, regular. Passages clear, sandbanks, artificial difficulties like bridge piers. Riffles.

Class II – Easy. Rapids of medium difficulty, with passages clear and wide. Low ledges.

Class III – Medium. Waves numerous, high, irregular. Rocks, eddies. Rapids with passages that are clear though narrow, requiring expertise in maneuvering. Inspection usually needed.
The river best for beginners would be the Watauga River it is a popular river to enjoy for families with younger children. On this river you can enjoy the milder rapids and beautiful pastoral scenery along the banks of the river.

If you love adrenaline high pace rides then here are the class ratings you might want to consider when you go white water rafting.

The Class Ratings

Class IV – Difficult. Long rapids. Waves powerful, irregular. Dangerous rocks, boiling eddies. Passages difficult to reconnoiter. Inspection mandatory first time. Powerful and precise maneuvering required.

Class V – Very difficult. Extremely tough, long and very violent rapids, following each other almost without interruption. River bed extremely obstructed. Big drops, violent current, very steep gradient. Reconnoitering essential but difficult.

Class VI – Extraordinarily difficult. Difficulties of class V carried to extremes of navigability. Nearly impossible and very dangerous. For teams of experts only, at favorable water levels and after close study with all precautions.

One of the local favorite rivers to raft is Wilson’s Creek NC. The creek drops 85 feet per mile and gives you a great thrill as you raft over 5 and 10 foot ledges. More popular rivers for NC white water rafting is the Pigeon River in Gatlinburg, French Broad river near Asheville, and the Nolichucky River lies at the bottom of one of the deepest gorges in the east.