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Upper Pigeon River: Whitewater Rafting Smokies Vacations
4.8
27 Ratings
Hartford
A vital part of holidays in the Smokies, the Pigeon offers the nearest whitewater rafting adventure to Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Duration:
2 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation:
1 day
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Highlights
- NOC Pigeon Outpost - The Pigeon River is the closest and most popular whitewater adventure for travelers staying in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, TN. Splashing wave trains and bouncy hydraulics make this a fun trip for both first-time and experienced rafters. The trip provides nearly-continuous Class II-IV rapids like Lost Guide and Accelerator with beautiful views into Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
NOC provides all the necessary gear and equipment.
![](https://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/attractions-splice-spp-720x480/0a/f4/1e/d2.jpg)
What's Included
- All necessary river gear and equipment provided by NOC.
Location
NOC Pigeon Outpost
Hartford Road
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.8
(27 Ratings)
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Jeremy
Jul 29, 2024
Excellent trip for kids and timid rafters. Absolutely AWESOME guides - We went on this trip as a first time trip for our 9&10 year olds and a friend who had never rafted. We have rafted plenty in Colorado so comparatively I think their rating system has lower standards their level 4s were not scary at all. But……. We had a blast, look at the pics and see our kids faces. They were able to raft and I was not scared they would fall out, like I was before the trip.
1. Location - beautiful. About 55 min easy drive from pigeon forge.
2. Facilities- just fine. The bathroom changing center was very large with a lot of parking. They organized the flow of traffic and rafters very well.
Guides: the main guide Anna was sooo funny, knowledgeable and clearly a good leader. She and her team were in sync and that made their many jokes land well.
Our guide Taylor from Tampa FL was so funny and attended to us very well. She knew we wanted the rapids and didn’t skip a single one. She made sure to try to get each of us on the boat equally wet ( although the front seats definitely got the most).
LOVED THIS TRIP! I can’t say enough at how safe I felt my children were which would be the main reason I would t raft.
Thank you to the wonderful guides for our awesome experience
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Passport17574450832
Jul 17, 2024
Great adventure! - Amazing experience! Two seniors and two teenage gradsons enjoyed Upper Pigeon River witewater rafting with this company. Highly recommended! Will do it again. Well organized. Our guide, Chelsea, was amazing. We felt abosulutely safe. We lerned a lot. Kids want to go back asap
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Arlene_a
Jul 14, 2024
Great family adventure - All of it. Great adventure Catlin was a great guide made it very fun kids were afraid about going but after wanted to do it again there was nine of us and it was great family adventure I am seventy two. And everybody help me It was fantastic
Review provided by Viator
Traveldrei
Jun 1, 2024
100% amazing fun, friendly and awesome - First and foremost let me start off by saying I was completely terrified to do this. The second we stepped onto the property, I knew I was going to love it. Super friendly and welcoming staff. Our guide Andy was 100 million times fantastic. I can not thank him enough for being so fun. He really loves what he does and it shows. I recommend this location for a great time and for fast fun humor!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Klhornfeck
May 28, 2024
Amazing Day on the Pigeon River! - What a great experience! I was able to do both the lower and upper Pigeon River in one day. Every staff member at NOA was personable and knowledgable. I not only had a fun time riding the rapids, I also learned a lot about the river and the history of this beautiful area. Ask for Elisabeth, Sarah or Keaton - wonderful guides! I’ll definitely be back!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Nzhlsv
May 11, 2024
Excellent experience, highly recommend you use NOC. - Good well organised trip by a bunch of very friendly knowledgeable guys. Well informed pre trip briefing. Highly recommended!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sherry_l
Aug 30, 2023
Great experience!! - This was my 1st time to go water rafting with my daughter, and I had FUN!. Our guide Chelsea was very experienced and knowledgeable on what we should do and when. I would definitely recommend it, especially if it's your 1st time. Experience of a Lifetime! I would do it again and I'm 65 yrs old!!
Review provided by Viator
Hilliap
Aug 3, 2023
Great first time! - This was our first time white water rafting anywhere, and glad we chose NOC to get us going! Facilities were clean and organized. The experience was enhanced by our guide, Andy, who made the trip even better by his jokes and positive attitude. Everything was safe and way more fun than we expected (even the bus ride to the drop off point was a good time)! Highly recommend for anyone.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Emma_p
Jul 30, 2023
So much fun! - My partner and I had a blast rafting down the upper Pigeon River. The crew is comical and friendly and check in was very easy. The bus ride to the the launch site was very quick and getting into the raft and into the river was not as chaotic as expected with all rafting companies launching at the same times. Noah, our guide was very knowledgeable and outgoing. Overall, we had a great time and would definitely come back! Thanks so much!
Review provided by Viator
David_w
Jun 9, 2024
Upper Pigeon Forge - Well oiled machine. Spent about an 90 minutes in the water. Staff and guides are professional and friendly.
Review provided by Viator