North Carolina whitewater, Straight Fork Swain county, Round Bottom to Raven Fork section whitewater kayaking, rafting, and paddling information.   CLASS III-IV     4.6 miles   The natural beauty of North Carolina and the cool fresh water are in themselves reasons enough to come here to paddle. If you've been out of state whitewater rafting and kayaking you might find the rivers here more forgiving, so don't forget that many runs in this state are very easy. This is one of a small number of paddling stretches in this river system, there are a few others too. The put-in location is a reasonable drive from Newport, there's     a road map further down the page with more info on that. You might have to settle for a hotel a bit away from the river if you want to stay the night, but if you don’t have reservations you might end up sleeping in your car. Getting your paddling muscles activated and just being out on the river for a while have people coming from far and near. For all you camping people there are campgrounds nearby. This section is long enough to enjoy a good non stop paddle, good for a one day paddling trip. The river winds through the Great Smoky Mountains and you get great scenery. This stretch of Straight Fork in Swain County is 4.6 miles long and is according to American   Whitewater a class III-IV section of whitewater. You might be into whitewater rafting or kayaking or both, doesn't matter, this is an area with plenty of places for that. Briefly about the general area: Hit the slopes at Cataloochee around here; a good place to pop by close by is Brushy Gap. There's no way anyone can get bored here in the Great Smoky Mountains. While you're here at Straight Fork you can take a hike along the Palmer Creek Trail, and you're sure to run into some wonderful folks from Whittier here. Coming to this river is always a good idea. If the weather is wonderful here at Straight Fork, you can go for a hike along the Caldwell Fork Trail. Straight Fork, Round Bottom to Raven Fork road map Printable road map with the put-in and take-out locations clearly marked.     Map Detailed Map Stats Stats for this river stretch Weather Local weather forecast These outdoors activities are available near Straight Fork.   Whitewater Near Straight Fork: Raven Fork, Swain County, 2 miles away       Class II-III+(IV) - 8 miles long (Job Corps Bridge to Confluence with Oconalufftee) Straight Fork, Swain County, 2 miles away       Class III-IV - 4.6 miles long (Round Bottom to Raven Fork) Raven Fork, Swain County, 2 miles away       Class V+ - 4 miles long (Gorges to Confluence with Straight Fork) Whitewater Outfitter - Smokey Mountain Tubing, Swain County, 5 miles away       Whitewater outfitter Oconaluftee River, Swain County, 6 miles away       Class II-III - 11.5 miles long (Smokemont Campground to Birdtown) Big Creek, Haywood County, 8 miles away       Class V - 5.4 miles long (Walnut Bottom to NPS Campground) Whitewater Outfitter - Smokey Mountain Tubing, Swain County, 9 miles away       Whitewater outfitter Oconaluftee River, Swain County, 9 miles away       Class III - 4 miles long (Quiet Walkway to Smokemont) Little Pigeon River - Middle Prong, Sevier County, 10 miles away       Class V - 1.4 miles long (Ramsey Prong/ Eagle Rocks Prong confluence to Bridge at Trailhead) Cataloochee Creek, Haywood County, 10 miles away       Class II-III(IV) - 6 miles long (Catalooche Campground to Waterville Lake)   Ski Areas Near Straight Fork: Cataloochee, North Carolina , 10 miles away, 740 foot drop, 4 lifts, 10 runs Ober Gatlinburg, Tennessee , 24 miles away, 600 foot drop, 3 lifts, 8 runs Scaly Mountain, North Carolina , 33 miles away, 225 foot drop, 4 lifts, 10 runs Sky Valley, Georgia , 36 miles away, 210 foot drop, 2 lifts, 5 runs Wolf Ridge, North Carolina , 54 miles away, 700 foot drop, 5 lifts, 20 runs Ski Beech, North Carolina , 99 miles away, 830 foot drop, 10 lifts, 15 runs Sugar Mountain, North Carolina , 100 miles away, 1200 foot drop, 8 lifts, 20 runs   Hotels Near Straight Fork: Great Smokies Inn Cherokee, Cherokee , 8 miles away Cherokee Lodge, Cherokee , 8 miles away Baymont Inn & Suites Cherokee Smoky Mountains, Cherokee , 8 miles away Comfort Suites Cherokee, Cherokee , 8 miles away Fairfield Inn & Suites Cherokee, Cherokee , 9 miles away   Campgrounds Near Straight Fork: Round Bottom Campground, Swain County, 2 miles away Great Smoky Mountains National Park - Enloe Creek, Whittier, 2 miles away Indian Creek Campground, Cherokee, 2 miles away   Trails Near Straight Fork: Palmer Creek Trail, Haywood , 8 miles away Caldwell Fork Trail, Haywood , 9 miles away Messer Trail, Cocke , 9 miles away Lower Whiterock Trail, Cocke , 10 miles away Baxter Creek Trail, Haywood , 11 miles away   Public Lands Near Straight Fork: Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Gatlinburg - TN , 21 miles away Blue Ridge Parkway, Asheville - NC , 46 miles away Nantahala National Forest, North Carolina , 31 miles away Panther Creek State Park, Tennessee , 39 miles away Francis Marion-Sumter National Forests, South Carolina , 40 miles away   Golf Courses Near Straight Fork: Sequoyah National Golf Club, Whittier , 12 miles away Bent Creek Golf Village, Gatlinburg , 12 miles away Golf Scapes, Whittier , 13 miles away   Lakes Near Straight Fork Waterville Lake, Haywood , 14 miles away