USA Raft - Nolichucky River - Erwin, TN
Posted by: 
vhasler
N 36° 05.954 W 082° 25.906
17S E 371115 N 3995903
USA Raft offers half and full day trips on the Nolichucky River with Class 2-4 rapids. The river is not controlled by a TVA dam, thus spring trips are high water, while summer are technical.
Waymark Code: WM5HXH
Location: Tennessee, United States
Date Posted: 01/11/2009
Views: 6
There are several rafting companies offering trips on the Nolichucky River (Noli for short). USA Raft has had good reviews and was being considered for a youth trip (which was later cancelled due to lack of rain).
The Nolichucky River flows through a steep gorge starting from the North Carolina mountains. There is no Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) dam here, so big water is in the spring (or after heavy rains), while summer trips are technical in dodging the boulders. Don't recommend in late summer or in times of drought as only the floating ducks might make it through.
The waymarked location is the USA Raft site, which is their take-out point. The bus in the gallery runs you upriver to the put-in location for the trip length.
From the business website (link below) for 2008,
Nolichucky Gorge 1/2 day trip
Trip format: a guide in every raft for all water levels (guaranteed).
Ages 10+, no experience required.
Trip Cost: Sun.-Fri. through $59.95 per person + tax.
Saturday $59.95 per person + tax.
Group discounts: 9 - 26 people: $4 per person.
27+ people: $8 per person.
Full-day trip with lunch
Trip format depends on the water level: guided rafts and/or guided rafts with guide-assisted self-paddled ducks.
Ages 12+, recommended for fit and active people, no experience is required.
Trip Cost: Sun.-Fri.: $74.95 per person.
Saturdays: $74.95 per person. (+ tax).
Group discounts: 9 - 26 people: $5 per person.
27+ people: $10 per person.
Here a useful tip: Call the TVA at (800) 238-2264 for a 24-hour recorded message on stream flow. 500 cubic feet per second is really low water, but doable with the ducks. 2,000 cfps is reasonably high level.