North Carolina whitewater - Watauga River, Watauga County Watauga county, US Route 321 Bridge to Route 1200 section whitewater kayaking, rafting, and paddling information.   CLASS II-III     4 miles   If you're coming from Boone it's not a long drive at all to the starting location, if you're not familiar with the area there's a road map further down the page. The average North Carolina whitewater rafting or kayaking river tends to be easier to run than those in other states, so better not forget that rivers here are less demanding. The beautiful scenery of North Carolina and the cool fresh water have people coming here. There are many good hotels to choose from, but do book a room before you come because it is a very popular destination. This stretch     of Watauga River in North Carolina is 4 miles long and is rated by American Whitewater as a class II-III section. No matter if you're whitewater rafting or kayaking there are lots of good spots for that around here. There are plenty of other stretches in this river system that can be paddled as well. This stretch has has enough mileage, you can easily run it on an afternoon. If you're a camper you can camp at one of the great campgrounds nearby. Briefly about the general area: This river has it all. Through the long summer days highs here at Watauga River reach the 70's, and during the night it cools down to the 50's. Throughout the winter this place gets highs in the 40's, and overnight lows in the 10's for Watauga River. Laurel Creek Falls is a delightful place to stop at while you're at Watauga River, and   Ward Hollow is beyond doubt a splendid place to visit. Watauga Falls is always fun to check out, and you can never get enough of the great skiing at Ski Beech. Watauga River is a wet site that gets a great deal of rainfall; May is when you get the most rain here while December is ordinarily the driest month. Watauga River, US Route 321 Bridge to Route 1200 road map Printable road map with the put-in and take-out locations clearly marked. QUICK STATS AW Class: II-III Length: 4 miles    Putin Location Coordinates: Latitude: 36.25199 Longitude: -81.83301 Takeout Location Coordinates: Latitude: 36.26789 Longitude: -81.88501 Paddler input for Watauga River, North Carolina: Submit Input: Your Name: Write or Paste Input here: Upload picture:      Input Submission Guidelines Current weather conditions at Watauga River, North Carolina Local climate location: BANNER ELK 25 miles away RAFTING TRIP OUTFITTERS There are no whitewater outfitters currently listed for this river. Beech Mountain Inns, Banner Elk 5 miles away Nothing tops the Beech Mountain Inns in Eastern Americas Highest Town with an Elevation of 5,506 feet. The Beech Alpen Inn compliments its Mountain setting with the old world charm of the rustic Inns ... Best Western Mountain Lodge At Banner Elk, Banner Elk 6 miles away The Best Western Mountain Lodge at Banner Elk offers comfort and convenience in a beautiful mountain setting. Nestled in the 'Heart of the High Country', we are within minutes of the area's best attra... La Quinta Inn & Suites Boone, Boone 10 miles away Only a 1/2 mile from downtown, the brand new La Quinta Inn & Suites Boone is a beautiful mountain lodge with a spectacular view of the Appalachian and Sugar Mountains. We even have some rooms with Fi...   All North Carolina Whitewater Complete list of all the whitewater paddling spots in North Carolina. Books about whitewater paddling on Watauga River, North Carolina List of books from Amazon.com that cover whitewater paddling on Watauga 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 Boone, North Carolina Very comprehensive list of a variety of outdoors recreation in the vicinity of Boone, North Carolina, the metro area neareast to Watauga River. Find info on campgrounds, hiking trails, ski resorts, lakes, beaches, parks, whitewater and more.       These outdoors activities are available near Watauga River.   Whitewater Near Watauga River: Watauga River, Watauga County , 4 miles away, Class IV-V - 4.9 miles long (Guys Ford Bridge to Watauga Lake) Watauga, Watauga / Johnson County , 4 miles away, Class IV-V - 4.9 miles long (Guys Ford Bridge to Watauga Lake) Watauga River, Watauga County , 5 miles away, Class I-II - 12 miles long (North Carolina Route 105 Bridge to US Route 321 Bridge) Elk River, Avery (NC)/Carter (TN) County , 6 miles away, Class IV-V(V+) - 4.8 miles long (Route 130 to bridge above Sone Mtn Church Tennessee) Elk River, Carter and Avery County , 6 miles away, Class IV-V - 5 miles long (Big Falls to Poga Rd) Elk River, Avery County , 8 miles away, Class IV-V - 8.4 miles long (Route 1326 to Route 1305) Elk River, Carter County , 9 miles away, Class II-III - 4.3 miles long (Route 2520 to US 321 bridge Close to Elk Mills) Watauga River, Watauga County , 9 miles away, Class II-IV - 2 miles long (SR 1557 to North Carolina 105) Boone Fork, Watauga County , 10 miles away, Class III-IV(V+) - 4.5 miles long (Julian Price Park to Watauga) Gragg Prong River, Avery County , 14 miles away, Class IV-V - 1.6 miles long (Roseboro to Lost Cove Creek)   Ski Areas Near Watauga River: Ski Beech, North Carolina , 4 miles away, 830 vertical feet Hawksnest, North Carolina , 7 miles away, 619 vertical feet Sugar Mountain, North Carolina , 7 miles away, 1200 vertical feet Appalachian Mountain, North Carolina , 14 miles away, 365 vertical feet Wolf Laurel, North Carolina , 48 miles away, 700 vertical feet Winterplace, West Virginia , 90 miles away, 603 vertical feet Cataloochee, North Carolina , 94 miles away, 740 vertical feet Ober Gatlinburg, Tennessee , 121 miles away, 600 vertical feet Scaly Mountain, North Carolina , 122 miles away, 225 vertical feet Sky Valley, Georgia , 126 miles away, 210 vertical feet   Hotels Near Watauga River: Beech Mountain Inns, Banner Elk , 5 miles away Best Western Mountain Lodge At Banner Elk, Banner Elk , 6 miles away La Quinta Inn & Suites Boone, Boone , 10 miles away Super 8 Motel Boone NC, Boone , 12 miles away Red Carpet Inn Boone, Boone , 13 miles away   Camp Grounds Near Watauga River: Grandfather Campground and Cabins, Banner Elk, 5 miles away Vanderpool Campgrounds, Vilas, 6 miles away Flintlock Campground, Boone, 8 miles away   Trails Near Watauga River: Daniel Boone Scout Trail, Caldwell County , 9 miles away Iron Mountain Trail, Johnson County , 13 miles away Little Pond Mountain Trail, Carter County , 14 miles away Yancey Ridge Trail, Avery County , 14 miles away Laurel Fork Trail, Carter County , 15 miles away   National Parks Near Watauga River: Blue Ridge Parkway, Asheville - NC , 61 miles away