Reviews

4,800 5-Star Reviews

See what our guests have to say about rafting with us!

Guests love visiting Smoky Mountain Outdoors! Whether you are looking to go whitewater rafting or kayaking near Gatlinburg, we have adventures for everyone! Kids and adults are both welcome at Smoky Mountain Outdoors and our reviews show that everyone has a great time with us! Take a look at our recent reviews below.

Smoky Mountain Outdoors

4.8

Based on 3183 reviews

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Scar Bass

02:55 11 Jul 20

we all had so much fun , we really enjoyed it . besides the racists mfs that were out there. some of the ppl were really nice and greeting . the strip was lit

Holly Stenger Colson

11:26 10 Jul 20

Awesome guides. We had Brooklyn as ours and she was great! Easy first experience, just wish we would have had our own raft and that our photos would have been better. Will definitely go back.

Heather Mattson

00:29 10 Jul 20

Beautiful and wonderful place

Brittany Henderson

19:46 08 Jul 20

We had a blast white water rafting. Our guides name was Collin and he was awesome, very personable and knowledgeable. This was our 2nd time white water rafting and we can’t wait to do it again! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Chris Shoemaker

18:44 08 Jul 20

thanks so much amazing grace. It was a blast!

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Smoky Mountain Outdoors

4.8

Based on 3183 reviews

See all reviews Write a review

Scar Bass

02:55 11 Jul 20

we all had so much fun , we really enjoyed it . besides the racists mfs that were out there. some of the ppl were really nice and greeting . the strip was lit

Holly Stenger Colson

11:26 10 Jul 20

Awesome guides. We had Brooklyn as ours and she was great! Easy first experience, just wish we would have had our own raft and that our photos would have been better. Will definitely go back.

Heather Mattson

00:29 10 Jul 20

Beautiful and wonderful place

Brittany Henderson

19:46 08 Jul 20

Chris Shoemaker

18:44 08 Jul 20

thanks so much amazing grace. It was a blast!

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Smoky Mountain Outdoors (SMO) Rafting

4.9

Based on 796 reviews

Brian Link

21:11 08 Jul 20

Great trip. Experienced staff. Anyone that wants to have fun can do the upper! If you arrive early be sure to check in... right away. They might be able to put you on an earlier trip. Also get on the website so you can do the online waivers to make it faster as wellread more

Matthew Driewer

00:12 03 Jul 20

Great family adventure. Well run and clean. Excellent was to get a little thrill on some Class 3 and 4 rapids. Had a... great time with our guide, Tom and didn’t even miss the other guide that fell out on the Lost Guide rapids earlier in the day 😉read more

Phil Ross

21:52 01 Jul 20

We went on an excursion with SMO today and our family had a great time. Our guide, D.J., Did an excellent job and was... very entertaining on the bus ride to the drop off point. He made the rapids a little more lively with his approaches and made it exciting. We would do this rafting again.read more

justin land

13:09 01 Jul 20

This place is AWESOME! My girlfriend and I went here for our first time rafting and they did NOT DISAPPOINT!! Staff is... super friendly and funny. We had Corey as our guide and he was very knowledgeable about the river and made everyone comfortable! We will definitely be back!!read more

Ashley Organ

23:54 29 Jun 20

Great experience from the time we arrived. We all had a wonderful time on the upper river tour. The kids ages 8, 9,... 11&12 haven't stopped talking about it! Our guide was knowledgeable and very helpful too!read more

Nick Pfau

14:54 26 Jun 20

Awesome! This was my favorite thing to do. So much fun and they kept you safe. The guides know how to have a good... time while keeping you safe. Beautiful views!read more

Anna Williams

21:59 25 Jun 20

What an exhilarating and fun experience! We had a discount with this company through CLIMB Works Zip-Lining Company.... Our tour guide, Walker, was energetic, engaging, and did a great job with giving clear directions on what to do on the raft. Beautiful views down the river beside I-40. Our group of 7 (8 including the tour guide) all managed to stay on the raft! It was all of our first times going white water rafting, but would definitely be up to doing it again!read more

Mandy Sheriff

03:26 24 Jun 20

Amazing trip! Friendly and knowledgeable guides. Had the upper river ride with guide Tye who was fun and willing to... answer all my son’s questions. Did the lower river with guide Chuck who was nice. Felt safe and had a great time!read more

Michael Lang

19:04 20 Jun 20

Our guides for our party of 12 were friendly and made it as fun as possible. The lower pigeon was less rough than we... hoped, so its a great option for anyone with small kids. Compared to same rating Colorado waves it was an easy smooth ride. I would do the upper pigeon next time. We made reservations the day of and had a spot 2 hours later. During booking, we asked about social distancing on the bus ride and they assured that they do separate groups with empty seat rows. The check in office had plenty glass barriers for the cashier. We had felt it would be a safe trip with only minimal exposure to one guide, and with them sitting behind us on the boat. The bus ride back is not what was promised. At the end of the trip, the guides said we had seats with space around and we could get on, but as we boarded we saw it was packed with no social distance around our seats. We were crammed in tight with the guides standing in aisles and all seats filled. Then one of the guides (not ours) stood directly in front of our group with no mask on, in front of my 71 year old mother in law that had a mask on and made jokes, and didn't take the hints to stand back. After the day was over, the manager apologized and promised to work on improving while giving us a refund. We didn't ask for a refund, but it indicates to me they are serious.read more

Rob Vigh

23:09 18 Jun 20

This was a great time. The guides were Awesome. We had Brett on the rapids and he knew the river so we'll. On the... lower half we had Hayden an she was very good as well. The were lively and engaging. They were everything you would want in river guides.read more

Sean Thornton

02:58 17 Jun 20

My wife and I decided to go white water rafting for our anniversary and Smokey Mountain Outdoors did not disappoint.... Our guide Caleb was an amazing guide. He was a great teacher before we got started and he showed us a great time. There are many rafting companies in the area but I highly recommend Smokey Mountain Outdoors. Everything in my opinion was top notch and I can't wait to do it again.read more

Kevin McClure

12:37 14 Jun 20

Great rafting experience for the family. Option for higher or lower level whitewater rafting. Guides are really good.... Open four days a week when water is released from the dam upstream. In total, about a three hour tour. Highly recommended!read more

Jessica Schmidt

21:18 27 May 20

We were late and missed our rafting time, but they had room on the next tour. We were definitely happy for that. It was... a fun activity for our vacation, will do again if in the area! Our guide, Mika, was very friendly and professional.read more

Blake Stover

18:57 24 May 20

Great experience! Thanks to our tour guide Mike our group had a blast. The river was beautiful and the rapids are great... for beginners who have never been white water rafting before. Would highly recommend to do, and shout out to Big Mike !read more

Ryan Melkerson

19:47 22 May 20

Very highly recommend SMO for anyone wanting to raft through the smokies! This was our first time ever rafting. We had... so much fun! Entire trip lasted around 2 hours. Fantastic views throughout the trip. Our guides were awesome and fun to raft with!read more

CTS STEALTHY

22:07 21 May 20

It was a great first time experience for our family. Our guide Matt, was extremely professional. Our raft capsized... during one of the class 4 rapids (!!), and Matt as well as the other tour guides all worked together calmly and quickly to get us together. It was his first time in that situation but he was trained and quick. Although it is very unlikely, it can happen! The river is real and relentless, just as the mountains. But as long as everyone works together, even during something like that, it can be an enthralling experience. Especially with such professionalism and expertise from the guides. Kid friendly. Safe. And will make a great memory.read more

Bryan Grace

00:17 01 Jan 20

Our trip was in August we had a Great experience and Tyler our Guide was Great.. Cant wait to go again!

Heather Carmichael

17:01 08 Nov 19

Great family fun! Adventure through the mountains and down the Pigeon River with professional guides. It's a blast!

Bryce Jaggers

21:02 25 Aug 19

Went on my first rafting trip here and it was absolutely incredible. We saw a Whitetail deer walking along the bank not... 50' from us, a BALD EAGLE soar right over our heads, and had an incredible guide in Abe who not only kept incredible conversation with his humor & knowledge of the area - but also took care of the 4 of us when we fell in after a particularly tricky rapid. I could not have imagined a more perfect trip, and cannot recommend it highly enough!read more

Michele Kane

20:38 25 Aug 19

What a fun experience! My husband and I went white water rafting with Smoky Mountain Outdoors and had a blast! The... instructor that we had was so much fun and experienced and you can tell just how much he loved what he does. There are many different rafting companies in this area but I would 100% recommend using this company for your rafting experience.read more

William Hoffmann

01:07 18 Aug 19

We had an amazing time with our guide Maddie. 3/4 of our group were newbies, but her instructions were clear, and we... all had a great time and a successful run down the Pigeon River. We'll definitely be back!read more

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21:12 17 Aug 19

Our guide Makenzie made it fun for two young boys, two women, a teen girl and a grown man. No small feat. We laughed. A... lot. She taught us about history on river and asked us about us. Price was good, they ran smooth operation!read more

Evan Grady

13:24 31 Jul 19

Fun, Fun, Fun! Did I say Fun? From Maggie Valley area you will drive less than 45 minutes to this destination just off... I-40 in Tennessee. They offer multiple craft times including a 1630hrs (4:30pm) time that will save you some hillbilly dough! Lots of parking, decent bath house/changing rooms and of course a gift shop. Skip the overpriced photos that they offer. Do enjoy your trip and have a blast. Enjoy!read more

Kelli Rilley

13:04 24 Jul 19

We did the lower level course as an introductory step for our 4 kids. Our guide Judo was amazing and patient with our... family of 6. What a great overall experience. It was a fantastic way to work as a family and how the staff encourages that is amazing. Our kids are already wanting to do this again, which in my mind is far worth more than 5 stars!read more

Dave O'Connor

21:18 17 Jul 19

This whitewater rafting trip was the highlight of our family vacation. Top notch organization. Our guide, TJ was... terrific. Can't wait to do it againread more

Kaila Knies

04:04 11 Jul 19

Really great! It was our first white water rafting experience and it was a lot of fun! Our guide Jason was amazing and... super knowledgeable about the river, surrounding area, and rafting. He also have us some great tips for dinner and hiking spots. This was definitely the highlight of our trip. 10/10 would recommend.read more

Dawn Carter

13:20 16 Jun 19

Our guide John was warm, engaging and funny and made sure we had a safe and great time! Very efficiently run operation... from start to finish. I like that there are various trip options as well depending on ability and age. Will definitely be returning!read more

Brad Crall

21:48 12 Jun 19

The upper river tour was great and Brie was a great guide. I would recommend Smokey Mountain Outdoors. They were all... pros and the guides really loved their work.read more

Snufalufag Gaming

19:29 11 Jun 19

Absolutely fantastic experience here. Our guide Jean Paul was extremely experienced, funny, nice, and inclusive. Really... made the experience for the 7 of us on the raft. The river is perfect for rafting newcomers, and is quite easy for experienced rafters. Would definitely recommend Smoky Mountain Outdoor to anyone looking for a rafting trip while they are here.read more

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White Water Rafting With Smoky Mountain Outdoors

5.0

Based on 134 Reviews

Kelly H.

2020-07-10 18:48:54

My 14 yr old son and I had an awesome and adventurous time on this trip!! It's nature so not much control which made it a great experience. Courtney was an... read more

Dan D.

2020-07-07 06:31:34

Awesome trip. Our guide was great lots of positive fun energy from all the leaders. Very professional setup of the office/store. All the equipment is... read more

Joe K.

2020-06-25 18:33:11

My wife booked this for us as a surprise since I had never been white water rafting. From the guys that greeted us at parking, to the cashiers in the gift... read more

Ashleigh H.

2020-06-15 06:14:39

My family and I went white water rafting with Logan as our guide this past Saturday and let me tell you, it was a BLAST. Not only was the water and the view... read more

Emily V.

2020-06-14 08:37:51

I went with a group of 5 people white water rafting at this place and it was amazing! People were very friendly and our guide JB was the best! We were... read more

Christian H.

2020-05-24 15:02:12

The rafting was extremely fun because the water was up on the river. Courtney was our guide down the river and she did a fantastic job! Me and my wife would... read more

Joseph Carlo V.

2019-09-02 09:16:04

I highly recommend this company as multiple companies use the same river to raft in Hartford, TN. You get more with your money as the route is longest with... read more

Shawn N.

2019-08-17 20:13:40

My first time and what a great experience! Rachel was our guide and she was personable and full of energy! I did the upper track, there were some good,... read more

Kendra B.

2019-04-12 13:20:00

Great guide and easy to book! My husband and I went on an anniversary trip to the smoky mountains and decided to try out whitewater rafting doing the upper... read more

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