Along the jigsawed border between North Carolina and Tennessee, the Nolichucky River cuts a nearly 3,000-foot gorge through the peaks of the Appalachian Mountains that exits at the outdoor community of Erwin. It is one of the deepest gorges in the Eastern U.S., and within it is a remote 10-mile stretch from Poplar to Erwin, interspersed with scoured, twisting class III-IV boulder gardens and serene pools beneath the dense forested peaks. The gorge draws river runners and whitewater rafters from surrounding states, and no one may know its story better than the guides who call it home.
“When you’re going into the first rapid, it makes a hard left bend, and the gorge walls really start coming up,” Mason Schmidt, co-owner of Blue Ridge Paddling, shares of launching on the Nolichucky and drifting into the Class III+ Entrance rapid. “You come around that bend, and you look up, and you get the chill bumps.”
Rafting is at the heart of the Nolichucky River community, and for whitewater guides like Schmidt at outfitters including Blue Ridge Paddling, USA Raft, Hawksnest Whitewater Rafting, and Wahoo’s, the Nolichucky has never been as exciting as it is today. These guides have paddled the river for years, even decades, yet during the historic flooding of Hurricane Helene, the rapids of the Nolichucky Gorge underwent a geologic event in front of their very eyes. Forever transformed, they are discovering the falling waters of the river in new form. Now, with access to the river reopened, the guides of the Nolichucky are prepared for others to join and embark on a voyage down this wild corner of East Tennessee.
“The Nolichucky is a full-on experience,” Slayton Johnson of Wahoo’s Adventures shares. “You’ve really got to get your mind right. Get your body right. Because you’ve got a long day ahead of you.”
Learn more about rafting trips and outdoor activities in East Tennessee by visiting TNVacations.com
Feature image: NOMO Films
