North Carolina whitewater - French Broad River, Great Smoky Mountains, Transylvania/ Henderson/ Buncombe/ Madison County

Transylvania/ Henderson/ Buncombe/ Madison county, Barnard to Hot Springs section whitewater kayaking, rafting, and paddling information.

 

CLASS III-IV     8.1 miles
  This stretch of French Broad River is 8.1 miles long and is rated by American Whitewater as a class III-IV section. The sections for whitewater rafting and kayaking here in North Carolina are often more forgiving than in other states, so you'd better keep in mind that many of the rivers here are not very demanding. The put-in location is a reasonable drive from Greeneville, as you can see on the road map further down. The river winds through the Great Smoky Mountains and you get great scenery. Not too many hotels nearby, you'll have to drive a bit to
    get to one, but if you don’t have reservations you might end up sleeping in your car. For all you camping people there are campgrounds nearby. The wonderful North Carolina scenery and the water flowing gracefully down French Broad River are reasons enough to come here and paddle.
On this section you do get some distance, it's good length for a morning trip. This is not the only paddling stretch in this river system, there are others too. Great exercise and a chance to spend some time outdoors have a lot of people coming here. Some people prefer whitewater rafting and some kayaking, either way this is an area with plenty of spots for that.

Briefly about the general area:
Windy Gap is next to French Broad River and is a good site; you can go for a hike on the Little Paint Creek Trail. Summertime at French Broad River arrives
 
with high temperatures in the 80's, and during the night it cools down to the 60's. The wintertime comes with highs in the 40's with winter lows in the 20's overnight here at French Broad River.
And that's not all there is to do here in the Great Smoky Mountains. French Broad River is a relatively wet place commonly with lots of rainfall; of all the months in a year July is the one with the most rain while October is the month with the least amount of precipitation.

French Broad River, Barnard to Hot Springs road map
Printable road map with the put-in and take-out locations clearly marked.

QUICK STATS
AW Class: III-IV
Length: 8.1 miles
Average Gradient: 24 fpm
  
Putin Location Coordinates:
Latitude: 35.84805
Longitude: -82.75445

Takeout Location Coordinates:
Latitude: 35.89361
Longitude: -82.82222

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Current weather conditions at French Broad River, Great Smoky Mountains, North Carolina
WXPort

Local climate location: GREENEVILLE EXP STN 21 miles away


RAFTING TRIP OUTFITTERS

There are no whitewater outfitters currently listed for this river.

General Morgan Inn & Conference Center, Greeneville
17 miles away
Originally constructed in 1884, The General Morgan Inn reflects the style of a grand railroad hotel. Our elegant lobby features marble details, handpainted wallpaper, and crystal chandeliers. Many of ...

Comfort Inn Greeneville, Greeneville
17 miles away
Our amenities include a seasonal extra large outdoor pool, 24 hour courtesy guest office with free high speed internet, 24 hour on site exercise room. We also offer deluxe continental breakfast that i...

Jameson Inn Greeneville-Tn, Greeneville
17 miles away
At Jameson Inn Greeneville, guests experience the conveniences of a contemporary hotel withthe charm of a country inn. Along with our Legendary Service, guests alsocan enjoy a complimentary breakfast ...



OTHER_INFO
  Great Smoky Mountains Whitewater
Complete list of all the whitewater kayaking and rafting spots in the Great Smoky Mountains.

Great Smoky Mountains Outdoors Info
Complete outdoors info for the Great Smoky Mountains.

All North Carolina Whitewater
Complete list of all the whitewater paddling spots in North Carolina.
Books about whitewater paddling on French Broad River, North Carolina
List of books from Amazon.com that cover whitewater paddling on French Broad River, North Carolina.
Find a whitewater outfitter in North Carolina

Whitewater Basics
If you're new to whitewater paddling please take a look at this basic whitewater info.
Outdoors Recreation Near Greeneville, Tennessee
Very comprehensive list of a variety of outdoors recreation in the vicinity of Greeneville, Tennessee, the metro area neareast to French Broad River. Find info on campgrounds, hiking trails, ski resorts, lakes, beaches, parks, whitewater and more.
 

   

OUTDOORS
These outdoors activities are available near French Broad River.
 Whitewater Near French Broad River:
Big Laurel Creek, Madison County , 2 miles away, Class III-IV - 7 miles long (Hurricane to Hot Springs)
Brush Creek, Madison County , 4 miles away, Class IV-V - 5 miles long (to French Broad River)
Spring Creek, Madison County , 4 miles away, Class III-IV(V) - 7 miles long (Route 1171 to Hot Springs)
Walnut Creek, Madison County , 6 miles away, Class III-IV(V) - 4 miles long (US 25/70 to Barnard)
French Broad, Cocke County , 13 miles away, Class I-III - 18 miles long (Hot Springs to Highway 107 at Del Rio)
Cold Springs Creek, Haywood County , 16 miles away, Class IV - 2.5 miles long (to Harmen Den)
French Broad River, Transylvania/ Henderson/ Buncombe/ Madison County , 16 miles away, Class I-III - 6.5 miles long (North Carolina Route 251 to Route 1634)
Hurricane Creek, Haywood County , 17 miles away, Class -blank- - 4.3 miles long (SR 1336 to Pigeon River)
Pigeon River, Haywood County , 20 miles away, Class I-III - 26.7 miles long (Confluence of East-West Fork to New Hepco Bidge)
French Broad, Cocke County , 20 miles away, Class I-II(III) - 8.5 miles long (Del Rio to Bridgeport Market)
 Ski Areas Near French Broad River:
Wolf Ridge, North Carolina , 20 miles away, 700 vertical feet
Cataloochee, North Carolina , 27 miles away, 740 vertical feet
Ober Gatlinburg, Tennessee , 54 miles away, 600 vertical feet
Scaly Mountain, North Carolina , 60 miles away, 225 vertical feet
Sky Valley, Georgia , 64 miles away, 210 vertical feet
Ski Beech, North Carolina , 65 miles away, 830 vertical feet
Sugar Mountain, North Carolina , 66 miles away, 1200 vertical feet
Hawksnest, North Carolina , 68 miles away, 619 vertical feet
Appalachian Mountain, North Carolina , 80 miles away, 365 vertical feet
 Hotels Near French Broad River:
General Morgan Inn & Conference Center, Greeneville , 17 miles away
Comfort Inn Greeneville, Greeneville , 17 miles away
Jameson Inn Greeneville-Tn, Greeneville , 17 miles away
Days Inn Greeneville, Greeneville , 17 miles away
Hampton Inn Greeneville TN, Greeneville , 18 miles away
 Camp Grounds Near French Broad River:
Meadow Fork Campground, Hot Springs, 3 miles away
Hot Springs Resort and Spa, Hot Springs, 3 miles away
Hot Springs Campground, Hot Springs, 6 miles away
 Trails Near French Broad River:
Little Paint Creek Trail, Greene County , 5 miles away
Paint Creek Trail, Greene County , 6 miles away
Pounding Mill Trail, Madison County , 8 miles away
Dixon Trail, Greene County , 9 miles away
Greene Mountain Trail, Greene County , 9 miles away
 National Parks Near French Broad River:
Blue Ridge Parkway, Asheville - NC , 22 miles away
Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Gatlinburg - TN , 51 miles away

Outdoors related information copyright © Stratus-Pikpuk, Inc. - Detailed hotel information copyright © Interactive Hotel Solutions
Some content, including Reach Name, Class, and Length, comes from American Whitewater