Chattooga River Rafting: Fully Guided in Georgia

Raft the Chattooga with NOC!

Experience the Southeast’s premier whitewater adventure on the Chattooga River—one of the few rivers in the country protected by the National Wild & Scenic Rivers Act. Designated in 1974, the Chattooga remains an untouched wilderness corridor, known for its dramatic gorges, iconic rapids, and remote beauty.

NOC has been guiding trips on the Chattooga since 1972—long before the river gained national fame in the film Deliverance, where NOC’s co-founder, Payson Kennedy, performed river stunts. Today, our expert guides uphold that legacy with top-tier training and the best river gear in the industry.

Choose Your Adventure:

• Section 3 (Ages 8+): Section III is the perfect trip for families and groups of any skill level with its exciting Class II-III rapids. NOC highly trained guides lead your raft through drops and rapids, with breaks for swimming and a riverside lunch. The trip finishes with a memorable grand finale, the famous Class IV Bull Sluice rapid. Rated “#1 Thing Every Southerner Ought to Do” by Southern Living, this is a premier experience that your family will always remember.

• Section 4 (Ages 12+): Ready for more intensity? The Chattooga River Section IV is the Southeast’s most definitive whitewater rafting experience. This section boasts some of the most iconic rapids like Seven-Foot Falls, Raven’s Chute Rapid, and the famous Five Falls—where five Class IV-V rapids unfold in 1/3 of a river mile.

Both full-day trips include a riverside lunch stop, often near the beautiful Long Creek Falls. Trips available March-October.

Highlights

• Breathtaking wilderness setting: Raft through the Wild & Scenic Chattooga River, flanked by undeveloped national forest and rugged Appalachian beauty, a true icon of southeastern whitewater.

• Signature rapids to remember: Section III ends with the legendary Bull Sluice rapid. Section IV thrills with Seven‑Foot Falls, Raven’s Chute, Entrance, Corkscrew—and the packed sequence of Five Falls in under a third of a river mile.

• Mid‑trip breaks & local features: Both trips include riverside lunch stops and opportunities for swimming and exploring waterfalls.

• Trusted NOC expertise on a historic river: NOC has guided guests on the Chattooga since the company’s founding in 1972; our guides bring decades of experience on this classic film-famous and federally protected river.

What to Expect

These trips last approximately 5-6 hours, with 4 hours on the river and the rest on trip preparation and riverside lunch.

Please check-in for your trip 30 minutes prior to your reservation at NOC’s Chattooga River Outpost near Clayton, GA. After a brief orientation and video, you’ll get geared up with pfds and paddles and load onto the big blue bus to shuttle to the river put in. Once in the raft, your experienced guide will walk you through the rafting lingo and what to expect. Then it’s down the river you go, paddling through bouncy waves, cool mountain water, and fun rapids, stopping halfway for a riverside lunch and walk to the falls.