Rafting on the Chattooga River is a special adventure! Leave the hustle and bustle behind. Get out and enjoy the wild and scenic beauty this remote, undeveloped setting has to offer.
Tips to make your trip the most fun possible
- Go with one of the three companies who are permitted to operate on the Chattooga River.
- Due to its Wild and Scenic River status, there are not many easy access points to the river, which limits the amount of traffic that the river sees. The Chattooga River is a beautiful river, with pristine river banks and no development along the sides.
- Bring a waterproof camera to capture your memories. The commercial outfitters will have photographers at the major rapids for the action shots, but if you want to take any pictures of the scenery, a personal camera is a plus. Realize, however, that you will be expected to paddle and that you will not be able to take pictures during the rapids in those small boats. If possible you can clip a camera to your life jacket so its easy to access. Guides will not be able to take cameras in and out of dry bags during the trip.
- Bring comfortable shoes that can get wet, will stay on your fee, and that you can walk around in comfortably. There are several opportunities on each trip to explore waterfalls, neat boulders, caves, etc. and having good footwear is essential.
- You will be required to wear a helmet, so any additional hats/visors will need to fit under the helmet. It is usually pretty easy to adjust the size of the helmet, but it is good to be aware before you pack your large brimmed sun hat.
- If you have any medical conditions, such as asthma, or severe allergies to food or insects, bring your inhalers and epinephrine pens with you. People mistakenly think that since they might not have had a problem recently, they don’t need to carry the appropriate medication. The Chattooga is remote enough that there may not be enough time to get to medications if they are left behind. Companies are happy to stow these into the first aid kits.
- Be willing to go with the flow. Literally! The Chattooga is a free-flowing river, which means that the water levels are constantly changing. Different levels may lead to different put in/take out spots, different unique swims that are available (or not), and different speeds of the water. One of the beauties of this river is that every trip you take here can be completely different than the last one. While high water can lead to big holes and raging rapids, low water can expose neat cave swims and steeper drops.
