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Watauga Family-Friendly River Rafting Adventure

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Elizabethton, United States
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Watauga Family-Friendly River Rafting Adventure
Option to ride in inflatable kayaks
I booked this vacation in the fall of 2018 (4 night stay in a treehouse, white water rafting for a family, and cave spelunking)...the reservation process was extremely confusing. Early spring 2019, I went through all of our reservations to make sure everything was good to go - they were missing our cave experience. After several emails/phone calls, it was (supposedly) taken care of...but more on that in bit. A few days before our trip, they sent a reminder, but it was worded very weird and showed “June 28th-June 29th Cascade; 1 4 night”...I reached out to confirm it was 4 nights based off the dates provided and they did respond promptly apologizing for the confusion, and that it was booked for 4 nights. We checked in on June 28th - we weren’t told where our treehouse was, where any bathrooms were, or any other information that is usually provided at checkin. I had to go back and ask once I realized I had no clue where I was going;) FYI - they have 1 indoor shower and 2 toilets for the entire place. They were clean, but 1 shower sucks no matter where you are. They also said the outdoor showers were hot water...but we never even got lukewarm water from them. There is also no place to wash dishes - I utilized the outdoor showers. When we finally went to unload, we discovered we had a flat tire. The 2 staff members helping load tubes were very helpful and nice during this issue. Once settled into our treehouse, we discovered that our site didn’t have a grill or camp fire ring...which meant we had to carry our stuff to an empty site or the picnic area EVERY TIME WE WANTED TO COOK. Every other treehouse had both a fire pit and a grill. Besides the lack of the fire/grill, the treehouse was nice - ours had wooden beds which were very uncomfortable, but I’ll take the blame for not packing air mattresses (we ended up buying cheap pool floats at Walmart...they worked good enough). On the 29th, we had our cave experience and rafting tour scheduled. After driving 1 1/2 hours to the cave place (apparently it’s not provided by Wahoo, they just book it for you) we were greeted by blank faces...Wahoo never booked the tour with them!!!!!! Even after our emails/phone calls regarding the cave tour and they still failed to communicate to the tour company that we purchased a tour. The cave people were amazing and were able to work us in (and I’m so glad they did as it was amazing - check out Appalachian Caverns). After the cave experience, we went to Elizabethton for the more “timid” white rafting - we had our 6 and 10 yr old girls with us. The staff was friendly and polite - we had Gracie, she hadn’t been a rafting guide for long, but was great. We had lots of fun, and again, staff was great. My oldest daughter loved jumping off the cliff into the freezing water😊 On the 30th, we explored Elk Knob State Park and then went tubing down the river through Wahoo’s. We thought we’d be able to save some money, as we had our own tubes with us, but they charge $12 a person to use the shuttle one time for less than a 10 min drive!!! Outrageous...and she didn’t even tell me the price, just charged it to my card that I didn’t realize was kept on record. The whole process was unorganized and chaotic - there was zero communication going on between the office staff and the river staff, and between the office staff and the people paying to go tubing (they give you a piece of paper and don’t tell you what to do next). On the 1st, we explored Grandfathers Mtn - highly recommend!! I’m not sure what time office staff arrives/leaves, but we left on the 2nd between 8:30-9:00 and had to leave the keys to the treehouse with one of the river staff. If he hadn’t have been there, we’d have either been stuck until staff got there or would have left the key next to the door....I think adding a key box would be a great idea...I would hate for anyone to be charged extra due to something like this, but most people have time frames while on vacation and can’t “wait” for staff to show up. Overall, we truly did enjoy our stay...just some minor things that they will hopefully work on improving in the future - mainly communication on the business side of things. The place is beautiful, clean, and did have a volleyball net set up to keep people occupied while hanging out. All staff we encountered were polite/nice - both office and river staff. I do think the office staff is overwhelmed as she is the only one I ever saw, and the office area was usually packed.
I booked this vacation in the fall of 2018 (4 night stay in a treehouse, white water rafting for a family, and cave spelunking)...the reservation process was extremely confusing. Early spring 2019, I went through all of our reservations to make sure everything was good to go - they were missing our cave experience. After several emails/phone calls, it was (supposedly) taken care of...but more on that in bit. A few days before our trip, they sent a reminder, but it was worded very weird and showed “June 28th-June 29th Cascade; 1 4 night”...I reached out to confirm it was 4 nights based off the dates provided and they did respond promptly apologizing for the confusion, and that it was booked for 4 nights. We checked in on June 28th - we weren’t told where our treehouse was, where any bathrooms were, or any other information that is usually provided at checkin. I had to go back and ask once I realized I had no clue where I was going;) FYI - they have 1 indoor shower and 2 toilets for the entire place. They were clean, but 1 shower sucks no matter where you are. They also said the outdoor showers were hot water...but we never even got lukewarm water from them. There is also no place to wash dishes - I utilized the outdoor showers. When we finally went to unload, we discovered we had a flat tire. The 2 staff members helping load tubes were very helpful and nice during this issue. Once settled into our treehouse, we discovered that our site didn’t have a grill or camp fire ring...which meant we had to carry our stuff to an empty site or the picnic area EVERY TIME WE WANTED TO COOK. Every other treehouse had both a fire pit and a grill. Besides the lack of the fire/grill, the treehouse was nice - ours had wooden beds which were very uncomfortable, but I’ll take the blame for not packing air mattresses (we ended up buying cheap pool floats at Walmart...they worked good enough). On the 29th, we had our cave experience and rafting tour scheduled. After driving 1 1/2 hours to the cave place (apparently it’s not provided by Wahoo, they just book it for you) we were greeted by blank faces...Wahoo never booked the tour with them!!!!!! Even after our emails/phone calls regarding the cave tour and they still failed to communicate to the tour company that we purchased a tour. The cave people were amazing and were able to work us in (and I’m so glad they did as it was amazing - check out Appalachian Caverns). After the cave experience, we went to Elizabethton for the more “timid” white rafting - we had our 6 and 10 yr old girls with us. The staff was friendly and polite - we had Gracie, she hadn’t been a rafting guide for long, but was great. We had lots of fun, and again, staff was great. My oldest daughter loved jumping off the cliff into the freezing water😊 On the 30th, we explored Elk Knob State Park and then went tubing down the river through Wahoo’s. We thought we’d be able to save some money, as we had our own tubes with us, but they charge $12 a person to use the shuttle one time for less than a 10 min drive!!! Outrageous...and she didn’t even tell me the price, just charged it to my card that I didn’t realize was kept on record. The whole process was unorganized and chaotic - there was zero communication going on between the office staff and the river staff, and between the office staff and the people paying to go tubing (they give you a piece of paper and don’t tell you what to do next). On the 1st, we explored Grandfathers Mtn - highly recommend!! I’m not sure what time office staff arrives/leaves, but we left on the 2nd between 8:30-9:00 and had to leave the keys to the treehouse with one of the river staff. If he hadn’t have been there, we’d have either been stuck until staff got there or would have left the key next to the door....I think adding a key box would be a great idea...I would hate for anyone to be charged extra due to something like this, but most people have time frames while on vacation and can’t “wait” for staff to show up. Overall, we truly did enjoy our stay...just some minor things that they will hopefully work on improving in the future - mainly communication on the business side of things. The place is beautiful, clean, and did have a volleyball net set up to keep people occupied while hanging out. All staff we encountered were polite/nice - both office and river staff. I do think the office staff is overwhelmed as she is the only one I ever saw, and the office area was usually packed.
5

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icon3 hours  (Approx.)
Mobile ticket
iconOffered in: English
Good for avoiding crowds

Overview

Embark on a whitewater rafting adventure that begins at the base of the highest electric dam in the Southeast and proceeds through a stunning cliff-sided valley. This stretch of the Watauga River features Class I and II rapids, and one class III known as "the Anaconda.” Private parking, picnic areas, hot showers, restroom facilities and changing rooms are available at the start and end points.
  • Whitewater rafting on the Watauga River
  • Professional river guides put safety first
  • Free parking and base camp amenities
  • Multiple departure times available
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Taxes & Fees included
Class I, II & III rapids
Hot Showers
Changing Rooms & Restrooms
Screened-in Picnic Shelter
Riverside Picnic Area
Free Parking
Hotel pickup and drop-off
Food and drinks

Departure Point

105 John Sheffield Dr, Elizabethton, TN 37643, USA

Return Details

Returns to original departure point
  • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
  • Not wheelchair accessible
  • All necessary rafting equipment will be provided
  • Professional Guide Safety Lesson
  • Liability Waiver form will need to be filled out upon arrival
  • A minimum of 3 people per booking is required
  • Minimum age is 3 years
  • Most travelers can participate
  • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 60 travelers
  • OPERATED BY Wahoos Adventures

All sales are final and incur 100% cancellation penalties. Learn more about cancellations.

The answers provided below are based on answers previously given by the tour provider to customers’ questions.
Q:
What is the maximum group size during Watauga Family-Friendly River Rafting Adventure?
A:
This activity will have a maximum of 60 travelers.

See all safety measures taken by Watauga Family-Friendly River Rafting Adventure.

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Product code: 51456P6

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