Nantahala National Forest

America Outdoors outfitters offer whitewater rafting, kayaking, fishing, canoeing, photography, hiking, camping and mountain biking in the Nantahala National Forest.

“Nantahala” is a Cherokee word meaning “land of the noon day sun,” a fitting name for the Nantahala Gorge, where the sun only reaches to the valley floor at midday. With over a half million acres, the Nantahala is the largest of the four national forests in North Carolina.  The Nantahala is famous for whitewater rafting, mountain biking, and hiking on over 600 miles of trail. Three long-distance trails—the Appalachian, Bartram, and Mountain-to-Sea Trails—cross the forest.  The 8.5-mile stretch of Nantahala River that runs from Beechertown to Wesser is nationally known as a world-class whitewater river. Continuous rapids provide wet, rolling rides for rafters and kayakers—from the novice to the expert. Among the national forest’s biggest draws, the river attracts about 200,000 people annually. Since the Nantahala River is controlled by a hydroelectric dam, water levels remain constant through the season.