What Do You Mean, No Knobbies?

Published May 2, 2004 12:00AM


Destinations, June 1997 What Do You Mean, No Knobbies? The park can’t sate every adventure appetite. But you needn’t go far. By Parke Puterbaugh Few of the rivers and streams in Great Smoky Mountains National Park are deep or wide enough for paddling, even after a heavy rainfall. But that doesn’t mean a visit to the area need be completely dry. The Nantahala Outdoor Center, the Southeast’s premier rafting, kayaking, and canoeing operation, is only 13 miles southwest of the park. This one-stop paddlers’ shop provides the necessary guides, equipment, and instruction to get you rafting on some of the finest whitewater in the nation. Among the NOC’s regular routes are the Nantahala, a dam-controlled river that’s popular with beginners; the Chattooga, a National Wild and Scenic River made famous — or infamous — in Deliverance; and the Nolichucky, a feisty, unpredictable river that cascades through one of the deepest canyons in the East, churning up rapids justly given names like “Jaws.” For reservations, contact the NOC at 800-232-7238. Mountain biking enthusiasts should also look for their off-road satisfactions outside the national park, since the hiking trails there are closed to fat tires. (You can ride on the park’s 146 miles of dirt roads, however.) As compensation, the Tsali Recreation Area, one of the most popular off-road destinations in the Southeast, is only 12 miles west of Bryson City. But for steeper, more challenging trails and far smaller crowds, head an hour’s drive east to Pisgah National Forest. More than 200 miles of singletrack snake through lush, damp forests, complete with cliffs, waterfalls, and intermittently, enough mud to ensure that you’ll return bathed in mountain-biker glory. Pack plenty of shampoo. For information on the Tsali, call the Cheoah Ranger District at 704-479-6431. For information on Pisgah, call the Pisgah Ranger District at 704-877-3265.

Destinations, June 1997 What Do You Mean, No Knobbies? The park can’t sate every adventure appetite. But you needn’t go far.
By Parke Puterbaugh
Few of the rivers and streams in Great Smoky Mountains National Park are deep or wide enough for paddling, even after a heavy rainfall. But that doesn’t mean a visit to the area need be completely dry. The Nantahala Outdoor Center, the Southeast’s premier
rafting, kayaking, and canoeing operation, is only 13 miles southwest of the park. This one-stop paddlers’ shop provides the necessary guides, equipment, and instruction to get you rafting on some of the finest whitewater in the nation. Among the NOC’s regular routes are the Nantahala, a dam-controlled river that’s popular with beginners; the Chattooga, a National Wild and Scenic River made famous — or infamous — in Deliverance; and the Nolichucky, a feisty, unpredictable river that cascades through one of the deepest canyons in the East, churning up rapids justly given
names like “Jaws.” For reservations, contact the NOC at 800-232-7238. Mountain biking enthusiasts should also look for their off-road satisfactions outside the national park, since the hiking trails there are closed to fat tires. (You can ride on the park’s 146 miles of dirt roads, however.) As compensation, the Tsali Recreation Area, one of the most popular off-road destinations in the Southeast, is only 12 miles west of Bryson City. But for steeper, more challenging trails and far smaller crowds, head an hour’s drive east to Pisgah National Forest. More than 200 miles of singletrack snake through lush, damp forests, complete with cliffs, waterfalls, and intermittently, enough mud to ensure that you’ll return bathed in mountain-biker glory. Pack plenty of shampoo. For information on the Tsali, call the Cheoah
Ranger District at 704-479-6431. For information on Pisgah, call the Pisgah Ranger District at 704-877-3265.

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