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A Perfect Place To Paddle

North Carolina is several boat lengths ahead of the fleet when it comes to being a great place to paddle. Combine 37,000 miles of freshwater rivers and streams, 1,500 lakes of 10 acres or more, and 300 miles of coastline, and you’ll find that the Tar Heel State has everything to keep you floating merrily along.

All that water guarantees a host of paddling adventures for both novice and expert paddlers of all ages. Lazy rivers and quiet lakes invite you to drift along and watch the waterbugs race your canoe. The more adventurous can careen past slick black boulders as their raft sweeps down mountain streams or, those who prefer blue water sports can skim the ocean in a kayak like a flying fish.

When it comes to white water rafting, diversity is a big drawing card for North Carolina’s rivers. Four rivers, the Tuckasegee, Nantahala, French Broad, and Nolichucky, offer a great combination of spectacular highland scenery and white water of varying difficulty. Novices can hone their skills on long stretches of Class I and II rapids while the more adventurous can bounce along on thrilling Class III and IV whitewater while being swept through North Carolina’s stunning mountain gorges.

Local outfitters offer guides to steer the inflatable rafts so that passengers are guaranteed the best ride down the swiftly moving waters. For those with more skills and who prefer to run the river alone, there are kayaks and canoes that add a true sense of adventure. One way to relax after careening off boulders on a mountain whitewater run is to head to North Carolina’s heartland and some river canoeing. For nature lovers or those who are just seeking a lazy float downstream, the Lumber River is hard to beat.

A free-flowing blackwater river, the Lumber River Canoe Trail was North Carolina’s first recreational water trail and the first national canoe trail in the Southeastern US. Most of the river is undeveloped and the banks are thick with gum, river birch, bald cypress, ash, water tupelo and wax myrtle.

A canoe is the perfect vehicle for this river because you never know what you will see around the next bend. A canoe’s stealth allows you to happen upon an otter, an osprey, or a great blue heron. Another turn can reveal a doe with a two-day old fawn or a group of baby ducks testing their paddling ability.

Lumber River fishing offers large mouth bass, crappie, blue gills and catfish. The river also changes with the season. When the water level drops in the spring, sandbars appear. When the water is high in the wintertime, there are places where you can canoe into the swamp and come back into the river a bend or two downstream.

For paddlers who want to get really close to the water it’s hard to beat a kayak. These sleek, slender craft sit low in the water, offer little wind resistance and are more stable than a canoe. North Carolina’s entire coast provides an ideal setting for the sport. One area kayaker’s love to dip their paddles is along the Outer Banks because the sound side is basically a big pond. Here, you can enjoy a sunset by water, take a fishing line, go crabbing, or do pretty much anything you can do in a canoe.

Eco-tourism is one of the fastest growing outdoor activities and a kayak is a perfect vehicle to let you explore nature. You can easily slip into an area without causing much of a disturbance. That means you can get in close to the wildlife near the maritime forests along parts of the Outer Banks. Or, paddle into one of the wildlife refuges, salt marshes or tidal creeks and see the coast up close.

North Carolina’s varied waterways offer everything you need for a paddle sport vacation. The only difficult choice is what body of water you want to enjoy first.