North Carolina whitewater - Oconaluftee River, Great Smoky Mountains, Swain County

Swain county, Quiet Walkway to Smokemont section whitewater kayaking, rafting, and paddling information.

 

CLASS III     4 miles
  The Quiet Walkway to Smokemont stretch of Oconaluftee River in North Carolina is 4 miles long and has been rated as a class III section by American Whitewater. The put-in location is a short drive from Sevierville, as you can see on the road map further down. The natural beauty of Swain County and the beautiful way the water current moves down the stream beats anything. There's camping available near Oconaluftee River. There are nice comfortable hotels here, and if you make reservations in advance you're all set. The Great Smoky Mountains scenery is
    wonderful. Whitewater rafting and kayaking spots in North Carolina tend to be more forgiving than the national average, so better not forget that rivers here are not as hard as elsewhere. Great exercise and spending some quality time in nature have a lot of people coming here.
The Quiet Walkway to Smokemont stretch is one of a few paddling stretches in this river system. Whether you're whitewater rafting or kayaking this is an area with plenty of spots for that. On this section you do get some distance, you can easily run it on an afternoon.

Briefly about the general area:
Oconaluftee River sees pretty high levels of precipitation; March is the wettest month with most rain while October is the month with the least amount of precipitation.
High temperatures at Oconaluftee River all through the warm days of summer are
 
in the 80's while nighttime lows are generally in the 60's. During the winter highs are in the 40's, and after the sun is down during the winter temperatures at Oconaluftee River fall into the 20's.

Oconaluftee River, Quiet Walkway to Smokemont road map
Printable road map with the put-in and take-out locations clearly marked.

QUICK STATS
AW Class: III
Length: 4 miles
Average Gradient: 100 fpm
  
Putin Location Coordinates:
Latitude: 35.58789
Longitude: -83.36261

Takeout Location Coordinates:
Latitude: 35.5545
Longitude: -83.31141

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

Local climate location: SEVIERVILLE 2 miles away


RAFTING TRIP OUTFITTERS

There are no whitewater outfitters currently listed for this river.

Best Western Great Smokies Inn, Cherokee
5 miles away
Stay at this Cherokee, North Carolina hotel just one mile from Smoky Mountain National Park. The Best Western Great Smokies Inn is a unique log cabin style hotel that is conveniently located with ea...

Baymont Inn Cherokee/Smoky Mountains, Cherokee
5 miles away
Come and experience fine southern hospitality at Baymont Inn & Suites-Cherokee! Our friendly staff lays out a delicious Continental Breakfast every morning. Our rooms are clean and comfy and come ...

Comfort Inn Cherokee, Cherokee
5 miles away
Hotel adjacent to Riverfront. Downtown 0.5 miles. Tribal casino 2 miles. Cherokee Indian Village and Unto These Hills outdoor drama 0.5 miles. Historic Dillsboro and Great Smoky Mountains Railway 12 m...



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 Oconaluftee River, North Carolina
List of books from Amazon.com that cover whitewater paddling on Oconaluftee 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 Sevierville, Tennessee
Very comprehensive list of a variety of outdoors recreation in the vicinity of Sevierville, Tennessee, the metro area neareast to Oconaluftee River. Find info on campgrounds, hiking trails, ski resorts, lakes, beaches, parks, whitewater and more.
 

   

OUTDOORS
These outdoors activities are available near Oconaluftee River.
 Whitewater Near Oconaluftee River:
Oconaluftee River, Swain County , 3 miles away, Class II-III - 11.5 miles long (Smokemont Campground to Birdtown)
Raven Fork, Swain County , 5 miles away, Class II-III+(IV) - 8 miles long (Job Corps Bridge to Confluence with Oconalufftee)
Raven Fork, Swain County , 6 miles away, Class V+ - 4 miles long (Gorges to Confluence with Straight Fork)
Little Pigeon River - Middle Prong, Sevier County , 7 miles away, Class V - 1.4 miles long (Ramsey Prong/ Eagle Rocks Prong confluence to Bridge at Trailhead)
Straight Fork, Swain County , 8 miles away, Class III-IV - 4.6 miles long (Round Bottom to Raven Fork)
Little Pigeon River - Middle Prong, Sevier County , 8 miles away, Class IV+ - 1.5 miles long (Ramsey's Cascade trailhead to Porters Creek confluence)
Deep Creek, Swain County , 9 miles away, Class II - 3 miles long (Bryson City)
Upper Road Prong, Sevier County , 9 miles away, Class V+ - 1.09 miles long (Green Light Falls to Third Bridge)
Tuckasegee River, Jackson/Swain County , 9 miles away, Class I-III - 8 miles long (Whittier to Bryson City)
Little Pigeon River - Middle Prong, Sevier County , 10 miles away, Class III-IV - 2.7 miles long (Picnic Grounds at Greenbrier Ranger Station to Highway 73)
 Ski Areas Near Oconaluftee River:
Ober Gatlinburg, Tennessee , 17 miles away, 600 vertical feet
Cataloochee, North Carolina , 17 miles away, 740 vertical feet
Scaly Mountain, North Carolina , 32 miles away, 225 vertical feet
Sky Valley, Georgia , 33 miles away, 210 vertical feet
Wolf Laurel, North Carolina , 61 miles away, 700 vertical feet
Ski Beech, North Carolina , 107 miles away, 830 vertical feet
Sugar Mountain, North Carolina , 107 miles away, 1200 vertical feet
Hawksnest, North Carolina , 109 miles away, 619 vertical feet
Appalachian Mountain, North Carolina , 121 miles away, 365 vertical feet
Winterplace, West Virginia , 191 miles away, 603 vertical feet
 Hotels Near Oconaluftee River:
Best Western Great Smokies Inn, Cherokee , 5 miles away
Baymont Inn Cherokee/Smoky Mountains, Cherokee , 5 miles away
Comfort Inn Cherokee, Cherokee , 5 miles away
Comfort Suites Cherokee, Cherokee , 5 miles away
Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites CHEROKEE/CASINO, Cherokee , 5 miles away
 Camp Grounds Near Oconaluftee River:
Yogi In The Smokies, Cherokee, 4 miles away
Flaming Arrow Campground, Cherokee, 4 miles away
Bradley's Campground, Cherokee, 5 miles away
 Trails Near Oconaluftee River:
Messer Trail, Cocke County , 13 miles away
Lower Whiterock Trail, Cocke County , 15 miles away
Sugarland Mountain Trail, Sevier County , 15 miles away
Palmer Creek Trail, Haywood County , 15 miles away
Caldwell Fork Trail, Haywood County , 16 miles away
 National Parks Near Oconaluftee River:
Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Gatlinburg - TN , 14 miles away
Blue Ridge Parkway, Asheville - NC , 54 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