Upper Pigeon River Whitewater Rafting

Overview

Available languages

English

2 hours 30 minutes

Mobile ticket

A cornerstone of Smokies vacations, the Pigeon is the closest whitewater rafting tour to Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, and Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Additional Info

Not recommended for pregnant travelers

Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health

Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

What‘s Included

NOC provides all the necessary river gear and equipment.

What To Expect

The Pigeon River is the closest and most popular whitewater adventure for travelers staying in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, TN. Splashing wave trains and bouncy hydraulics make this a fun trip for both first-time and experienced rafters. The trip provides nearly-continuous Class II-IV rapids like Lost Guide and Accelerator with beautiful views into Great Smoky Mountains National Park. NOC provides all the necessary gear and equipment.

Options

Upper Pigeon River Whitewater Rafting

Reviews

4.79

29 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

Great Experience
kaylapL2256TP,
Aug 31, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
The trip was great we had a great guide named Paul. I actually fell in and he jumped into action so fast one of the best experiences I've ever experienced honestly. I would definitely recommend and do this again at this beautiful location... beautiful site. Welcoming and joyful guides. Over all 10/10. Tips: always listen to your guide and make sure safety gear is on properly and have fun but most importantly be aware.
Fantastic Day on the Pigeon River!
KLHornfeck,
Jun 26, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Amazing experience! Terrific guides made the experience really fun! Beautiful scenery and challenging rapids make it an unforgettable experience. Ask for Elisabeth as your guide!
Sarah is a top notch guide
COLadyRoadWarrior,
Aug 26, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
We enjoyed our time on the Upper Pigeon with guide Sarah, who was also the lead guide / trip coordinator / narrator. She had a giddy for what she does for a living. The Upper Pigeon is short but sweet. NOC guides ensure you when fun and stay safe.
Rafting with Teens
Sarah S,
Aug 18, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
My husband, my kids (11 and 15), and I went white water rafting for the first time with NOC on the Upper Pigeon River. We loved it. Our guide, Sarah, was fun, personable, and professional. The company is focused on safety and we all felt comfortable. The rapids were better than I expected and we would definitely take this trip again!
"Great Rafting Trip, Guides and Outfiter"
2thdoc33133,
Aug 9, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
We've been whitewater rafting in many places across the USA, including the Nantahala with this same NOC outfitter. Hartford is a "blink and you'll miss it" tiny town, but you'd never think that, if you saw the NOC facilities there. We were impressed with the large spread, check-in area with table to fill out paperwork and store, as well as the bath house for after rafting showering and change of clothes. They have a small theater where they review all the essentials, take all questions and even show a short tutorial video. Their guides are all very energetic, knowledgeable and clearly love their jobs. Mark was our guide and he was terrific. The equipment is all top notch and they go all out to accommodate their clients. The runs we did were fun, but there were many challenging ones. That said, kids and novices can still safely take this trip. We've used NOC twice before in 1997 and 1999, and this third time was just as good. I highly recommend this excursion and NOC.
Great Experience!
Rosanne B,
Aug 8, 2024
- Review from Viator
5.00
Kaitlyn was a wonderful guide—great conversation and excellent at navigating the rapids. Overall, the trip was really fun... I wish it were a little bit longer... It took about 1 hour in total. A half-hour more would have been perfect. Very well-run and professional company. I highly recommend it.
Excellent trip for kids and timid rafters. Absolutely AWESOME guides
Jeremy N,
Jul 29, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
We went on this trip as a first time trip for our 9&10 year olds and a friend who had never rafted. We have rafted plenty in Colorado so comparatively I think their rating system has lower standards their level 4s were not scary at all. But……. We had a blast, look at the pics and see our kids faces. They were able to raft and I was not scared they would fall out, like I was before the trip. 1. Location - beautiful. About 55 min easy drive from pigeon forge. 2. Facilities- just fine. The bathroom changing center was very large with a lot of parking. They organized the flow of traffic and rafters very well. Guides: the main guide Anna was sooo funny, knowledgeable and clearly a good leader. She and her team were in sync and that made their many jokes land well. Our guide Taylor from Tampa FL was so funny and attended to us very well. She knew we wanted the rapids and didn’t skip a single one. She made sure to try to get each of us on the boat equally wet ( although the front seats definitely got the most). LOVED THIS TRIP! I can’t say enough at how safe I felt my children were which would be the main reason I would t raft. Thank you to the wonderful guides for our awesome experience
Great adventure!
Passport17574450832,
Jul 17, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Amazing experience! Two seniors and two teenage gradsons enjoyed Upper Pigeon River witewater rafting with this company. Highly recommended! Will do it again. Well organized. Our guide, Chelsea, was amazing. We felt abosulutely safe. We lerned a lot. Kids want to go back asap
Great family adventure
Arlene A,
Jul 14, 2024
- Review from Viator
5.00
All of it. Great adventure Catlin was a great guide made it very fun kids were afraid about going but after wanted to do it again there was nine of us and it was great family adventure I am seventy two. And everybody help me It was fantastic
Upper Pigeon Forge
David W,
Jun 9, 2024
- Review from Viator
4.00
Well oiled machine. Spent about an 90 minutes in the water. Staff and guides are professional and friendly.