North Carolina whitewater - Thompson River, Blue Ridge Mountains, Transylvania County Transylvania county, North Route 281 to Lake Jocassee section whitewater kayaking, rafting, and paddling information.   CLASS IV-V+     5.2 miles   This river will kill you!It is not suitable for any watercraft.  The stream is small, but large waterfalls appear suddenly.  The river is typically too shallow to float. The watershed gets lots of rain.Rainfall amounts may double or triple amounts in Brevard or Walhalla. A storm will change the flow dramatically. Says Marvin Whitewater rafting and kayaking in North Carolina is often easier than elsewhere, so if you're not from around here don't forget that rivers here are less demanding. The put-in is not too far from Brevard, please print out     a copy of the road map further down the page so you won’t get lost. The scenic beauty of Transylvania County and the cool fresh water make the trip here worthwhile. When you're paddling down a Blue Ridge Mountains river like this one you always get great scenery along the way too. There are no other sections to paddle along Thompson River than the North Route 281 to Lake Jocassee section. The North Route 281 to Lake Jocassee section of Thompson River in North Carolina is 5.2 miles long and has been rated as a class IV-V+ section by American Whitewater. There's camping available near Thompson River. Getting some good exercise and spending some quality time in nature are great attractions for lots of people. This is a pretty decent length section, suitable for an afternoon trip. There aren’t any hotels right nearby but if you're   willing to drive a short distance then no problem but if you don’t have reservations you might end up sleeping in your car. Since you're on this site you are probably into whitewater rafting or kayaking, either way this area has a large number of paddling rivers. Briefly about the general area: Going for a hike along the Foothills Trail will let you absorb the natural beauty of this area, and Lower Falls is a lovely location to pop by while you're at Thompson River. Thompson River is a wet site that gets a large amount of precipitation; all through March this area sees the most rain; the driest of the months is April. At Thompson River during the long summer days highs are in the 70's; during summer nights temperatures are in the 50's. For the period of the winter the highs are typically in the 40's, and winter nights come with lows in the 20's to Thompson River. Having a good time in the Blue Ridge Mountains is trouble-free. Tarkiln Gap is a great location to spend some time at. Thompson River, North Route 281 to Lake Jocassee road map Printable road map with the put-in and take-out locations clearly marked. QUICK STATS AW Class: IV-V+ Length: 5.2 miles Average Gradient: 330 fpm    Putin Location Coordinates: Latitude: 35.07759 Longitude: -82.9992 Takeout Location Coordinates: Latitude: 35.02119 Longitude: -82.98091 Paddler input for Thompson River, North Carolina: Submit Input: Your Name: Write or Paste Input here: Upload picture:      Input Submission Guidelines Current weather conditions at Thompson River, Blue Ridge Mountains, North Carolina Local climate location: HIGHLANDS 8 miles away RAFTING TRIP OUTFITTERS There are no whitewater outfitters currently listed for this river. Sapphire Valley Resort, Sapphire 6 miles away Scenic mountain views provide the perfect backdrop for this four-season resort. Hotel rooms, condominiums, and houses are nestled in the Blue Ridge mountains but are surrounded by activities for the e... Old Edwards Inn and Spa, Highlands 14 miles away Where four mountain roads converge in the shadow of the Great Smoky Mountains lies the quaint village of Highlands, North Carolina. Surrounded by evergreen and rhododendron forests, this is the ideal ... The Inn at Half Mile Farm, Highlands 15 miles away The Inn is situated on fourteen acres with wooded walking paths, two stocked fishing ponds and a six acre lake. The courtyard and grounds are beautifully landscaped. Relax on the patio or front porch ...   Blue Ridge Mountains Whitewater Complete list of all the whitewater kayaking and rafting spots in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Blue Ridge Mountains Outdoors Info Complete outdoors info for the Blue Ridge Mountains. All North Carolina Whitewater Complete list of all the whitewater paddling spots in North Carolina. Books about whitewater paddling on Thompson River, North Carolina List of books from Amazon.com that cover whitewater paddling on Thompson 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 Brevard, North Carolina Very comprehensive list of a variety of outdoors recreation in the vicinity of Brevard, North Carolina, the metro area neareast to Thompson River. Find info on campgrounds, hiking trails, ski resorts, lakes, beaches, parks, whitewater and more.       These outdoors activities are available near Thompson River.   Whitewater Near Thompson River: Whitewater, Oconee County , 2 miles away, Class III-V+ - 2.4 miles long (Base of Upper Falls to Lake Jocassee) Horsepasture River, Transylvania County , 3 miles away, Class V+ - 4.2 miles long (US Route 281 to Lake Jocassee) Whitewater River, Jackson/Transylvania County , 4 miles away, Class IV-V+ - 4 miles long (Bullpen Road to Highway 281) Chattooga River - East Fork, Oconee County , 6 miles away, Class -blank- - 1.9 miles long (Highway 107 to Walhalla Fish Hatchery) Toxaway River - Upper, Transylvania County , 6 miles away, Class IV-V+ - 2 miles long (Above Lake Toxaway) Toxaway River, Transylvania County , 6 miles away, Class V+ - 3.69 miles long (Highway 64 to Lake Jocassee) Tuckasegee River, Jackson County , 7 miles away, Class III-V - 4.5 miles long (Above Tanasee Creek Reservoir) Chattooga River - East Fork, Oconee County , 8 miles away, Class -blank- - 2.46 miles long (Walhalla Fish Hatchery to Chattooga) Toxaway Creek, Transylvania County , 8 miles away, Class II-V+ - 3.6 miles long (Frozen Creek Road Bridge to Lake Jocassee) Chattooga River, Jackson County , 9 miles away, Class V - 6 miles long (North Carolina 1107 to Bull Pen Bridge)   Ski Areas Near Thompson River: Scaly Mountain, North Carolina , 22 miles away, 225 vertical feet Sky Valley, Georgia , 26 miles away, 210 vertical feet Cataloochee, North Carolina , 30 miles away, 740 vertical feet Ober Gatlinburg, Tennessee , 54 miles away, 600 vertical feet Wolf Laurel, North Carolina , 61 miles away, 700 vertical feet Sugar Mountain, North Carolina , 99 miles away, 1200 vertical feet Ski Beech, North Carolina , 100 miles away, 830 vertical feet Hawksnest, North Carolina , 101 miles away, 619 vertical feet Appalachian Mountain, North Carolina , 112 miles away, 365 vertical feet Winterplace, West Virginia , 194 miles away, 603 vertical feet   Hotels Near Thompson River: Sapphire Valley Resort, Sapphire , 6 miles away Old Edwards Inn and Spa, Highlands , 14 miles away The Inn at Half Mile Farm, Highlands , 15 miles away Best Western Executive Inn, Seneca , 20 miles away Jameson Inn Seneca, Seneca , 20 miles away   Camp Grounds Near Thompson River: Westridge, Lake Toxaway, 4 miles away Sloan Bridge Campground, Oconee County, 5 miles away Riverbend RV Park, Lake Toxaway, 6 miles away   Trails Near Thompson River: Foothills Trail, Oconee County , 5 miles away Foothills Trail, Oconee County , 5 miles away Winding Stairs Trail, Oconee County , 9 miles away Whiteside Mountain National Recreation Trail, Jackson County , 10 miles away Ellicott Rock Trail, Macon County , 10 miles away   National Parks Near Thompson River: Blue Ridge Parkway, Asheville - NC , 43 miles away Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Gatlinburg - TN , 52 miles away   Golf Courses Near Thompson River: Sapphire Lakes Country Club, Sapphire , 3 miles away Red Bird Golf Links, Sapphire , 5 miles away Lake Toxaway Company Country Club, Lake Toxaway , 6 miles away   Lakes Near Thompson River