Whitewater Rafting

The Cabins at Long Branch

3 Cabins

The Cabins at Long Branch in Topton, NC, offers 3 handcrafted two-bedroom cabins at 3,500 feet above the Nantahala Gorge. This is a cabin property rather than a serviced RV park — the published record shows no RV sites or hookups, so contact them directly if you're traveling in a rig. WiFi covers the property, and there's a playground. The elevation and the seclusion are the product. A lake, creek frontage, and mountain forest surround the cabins, with fishing, kayaking, boating, whitewater rafting, and birding all close. Topton sits high above the Nantahala River's Class III and IV whitewater corridor in the southern Blue Ridge — one of the most-run stretches of whitewater in the eastern United States, with the Nantahala Outdoor Center and Great Smoky Mountains National Park nearby. Rates for the cabins are on the booking page. Three cabins in peak rafting and fall color season book out early — and call about RV accommodation before you tow.

from $169/night

Dillsboro RV River Park

Dillsboro RV River Park in Dillsboro, North Carolina, offers full-hookup RV sites directly on the Tuckasegee River, with mountain views, a general store, and a big-rig-friendly layout in Jackson County. Catch-and-release fishing runs straight from the sites in one of the finest trout rivers in western North Carolina. Full-hookup RV sites carry water, sewer, and electric on a layout sized for big coaches — worth noting in mountain terrain where long rigs often struggle to find a level pitch. A general store covers camp basics and firewood, restrooms and showers serve the sites, and WiFi reaches the campground. The riverside sites are the ones to request. Pets are welcome. The river is the whole proposition. The Tuckasegee's cold, clear mountain water sustains one of the region's best brown trout, rainbow trout, and smallmouth bass fisheries, and catch-and-release access runs directly from the sites rather than a drive away — guests fish before breakfast without moving the truck. Whitewater rafting and biking run from the property, with planned activities through the season and a golf course and wineries nearby. The mountain views from the campground are the other reason guests book. Dillsboro is the distinguishing part. The small Victorian-era downtown has been preserved as a craft gallery, pottery, and specialty shop destination — a genuine arts community with its own character, distinct from the larger tourism economies at Cherokee and Bryson City nearby. The river flows through the middle of it, and the Great Smoky Mountains region opens up from there. Directions arriving from Highway 19-23 Business from the Sylva area: follow Highway 19-23 (Haywood Road) through Dillsboro to the stoplight at the US-441 and Haywood Road intersection, then turn left onto Highway 441. Summer fishing and October foliage drive the heaviest demand in the Smokies. Reserve well ahead for fall color weekends.

from $65/night