I've been going tubing with Cherokee Rapids on the Oconaluftee River for years and it never disappoints. The process is easy: they bus you a couple of miles upstream and you float back down to their spot on the river. The trip usually takes 1 to 2 hours depending on the water flow. The river is beautiful and the float is a great balance of peaceful drifting and fun. Most of it is calm and relaxing, but there are a few stretches of mini-rapids that make things more exciting. There's also a swimming hole and a rope swing along the way that make the trip even better. What I like most about Cherokee Rapids is the flexibility. Unlike the other company in the area, you don't have to be back at a set time to catch a bus. You can take your time, enjoy the float, and finish at their riverside landing as long as it's before 5 pm. The staff is friendly, the setup is convenient, and the overall experience is excellent. I definitely recommend Cherokee Rapids if you want a mix of relaxation, adventure, and great service. read more

We arrived at 11. No one was there until someone told us that it is closed due low water. They should have post on window to let people know it is closed. I see people coming and waiting too. Wasted a trip. read more

The staff was super helpful and wonderful at responding to any test questions you may have. The river is super clean but not as full as we would have liked. We took my great niece age 9 for her first adventure. We all enjoyed and would definitely go again !! read more

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Came in based on what the Bryson City app said. This company gives you pointers as to what to expect. They shuttle you to the drop location and you literally float back to your vehicle. The staff are very pleasant. They even tell you to stop along the river bank and take your time floating back. On vacation for a week and even thought about tubing one more time with this company before heading home. Great stop for your next adventure. read more

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We went on a day that was really warm, 80 degrees and sunny! Perfect weather! There had been a lot of rain in the days before so water was higher than normal and running faster than usual! We love this particular company because they bring you up on a bus and drop you off with your float. Then, you float back down to where your car is parked. It's so nice to float back to your car right where you get out of the river. You can take your time and decide when you are ready to go back as there are no time restrictions. I am taking one star off because there was no safety instructions really and I would not recommend it for younger kids. I would say ages 11-12 and up because it could be really dangerous for younger kids. Several spots were moving extremely fast and there were places where the river is very deep. There were only two kid sized floats available on our round so, they gave them to the smallest kids. Other kids that were not much bigger had to use the adult sized floats. I am also taking one star off for no working bathrooms! They did have a changing area but there was no light so you couldn't close the door. The girls at the counter told us we had to go across the street to the public bathrooms and while we were gone, we missed the one and only bus and had to wait for the bus to return. I definitely recommend renting the cooler float and bringing a picnic. We stopped out at a nice spot and had our picnic lunch. It really is a beautiful place. All in all, we would do it again but they really need to fix the bathroom situation! read more

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This was our second trip to this wonderful place. The staff were very helpful and eager to get you going. We rented 5 tunes and a cooler tube for about $85. We waited for about 10 minutes before the bus pulled up. Some of my party needed a potty break, so we had to wait on the next bus (another 10 minutes). We were told that it was a short trip up and a 2-mile trip back over 2-3 hours. While it was hot outside, the water was always cold...we entered the water and away we went. All was well, but it did include several bruises, a scratched head, and being rained on for 1/4 of the trip down. In all, it was a great trip, and we look forward to making it again soon! read more

Cherokee Rapids - That Beautiful River - Tubing Near Me - Cherokee, North Carolina

We had so much fun!! Definitely worth it! We waited maybe 10 minutes for the next ride. There were plenty of life vests if you wanted one. They gave good but concise instructions. We had 5 kids, the youngest being 8 and we were never concerned about their safety. It was such a great add to our vacation and can't wait to do it again next year! read more

We went today. We had fun. Would be better if all the tubes had strings to tie together. Also needs to be a rope or something at the end to help get out. No one was even there to assist. read more

Excellent service and cost. I dislike cold water, but the tubing experience was wonderful because after 30 seconds your body acclimates to the water temperature! We had so much fun we returned the next day! Bring a waterproof pouch for your phone and water shoes or buy them at the store. Highly recommend! read more

It gets rocky & shallow in some spots but worth the trip. There are a few places you might have to stand and walk over the rocks if the water is too low but look around to find some cool rocks! Easy access on & off the river. Friendly staff. They don't help pull the tubes up the steps on the way but the floats are light. They also supply floats for your cooler & the river is adult beverage friendly! Great way to see the beautiful river. read more

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They have changing rooms across the parking lot. The women's room smelled like straight urine. No toilet in there so it smelled like someone urinated on the floor. The cashier was friendly. No life jackets for those that weigh 50-90. The orange jackets looked like there was mold on some of them. No guidance on where to enter after they drop you off at the starting point. You have to wing it. No safety protocol. Only a speech on what they'll charge you if you lose their tube and whatnot. No mention of deep areas. Another tubing company mentioned areas of 20 ft swimming holes which we decided against. This company left that out. There was an incident with one of the tubes in a deep area and the life vest not doing what it's supposed to do. Luckily people were around and helped. Some suggestions for this company.. life jackets for all sizes. Children of their allowed tubing age generally weigh between 50-90 lbs. this is a drowning disaster waiting to happen. Signs of deep areas. Obviously a lot of rain would make the whole river deeper, but there hadn't been rain. We got stuck on a lot of rocks. So this deep area is deep no matter what. People were standing not even 10 ft away so it got deep within those 10 ft. People need warning before potentially getting out. My daughter's tube also deflated. The plug was still plugged so checking the tubes before handing them out would be great. Signs for deep areas is a good idea. Safety protocol should be given not just what you'll charge people. Maybe some staff all the River just in case of an incident. There is NO cell phone reception if you have T-Mobile. You're screwed if an emergency happens. There was fun while tubing so giving 2 stars on that. Definitely need to work on safety requirements that so many other tubing companies offer in other states. read more

We had a blast tubing with Cherokee Rapids! Friendly, knowledgeable staff Reasonable pricing Fun experience for the entire family! Highly recommended read more

Great Excursion on our trip to Cherokee. My husband , my 2 kids, & I had a great time. This is a very calm float with a few exciting rapids. Perfect way to spend a couple of rapids. You can take you time and float at your own pace. We even got out and carried our tubes upstream to go through and exciting section of rapids s second time. read more

Amazing customer service and a great trip. Definitely worth the $12 spent on the rental. I appreciate that they have water shoes you can purchase and a waterproof case so you can take your phone with you. The shoes are $12 and the waterproof case is $8. read more

Arrived at end of day and they said we already had last run but they happily let us go! $12 for tube and about 2 mile ride in their bus up to the drop off point. Nice 90 minute ride and some great rapids and relaxing areas. Highly recommend! We liked it a lot better then Bryson City! read more

We signed in yesterday and were told it would be 1/2 an hour as we were behind a church group. No prob. More than 2 hours later we were finally loaded onto an overloaded HOT bus, where we waited...and waited...and waited... finally we were taken to the water entry point. We all piled out eager to float, but found we didn't have enough tubes. So here again, we waited -on the side of the road. They went back and loaded more tubes and brought them back to us. (They checked the trailer several times so I'm not sure how they missed the count of several tubes.) I will say the young guy driving the bus was very apologetic and pleasant. Alas, we were able to finally get into the water. When we returned to the business and exited, I approached the young girl to discuss some sort of refund or credit. She was quickly extremely defensive and refused to discuss anything "bc we did float the river". She also threatened to call the police bc she was a minor? Not sure why that was necessary but ok? We were also informed that the business belongs to her mother. Her boyfriend also showed up ready to defend her, as if we were trying to be anything other than unhappy customers. Apparently you're not allowed to voice feeling like you're being ripped off bc that is seen as attacking the child? Had this young one not been so horribly rude I would have likely skipped thIs review all together. There are MANY other places to spend your money and tube the rivers here. I am a native, and this was 2 trips in one for our group. Our first and our last. I am a business owner, and I do not like negativity. However I could never, nor would I ever, treat my customers the way we were treated yesterday. There are other places that genuinely appreciate your business. Go anywhere but here! read more

They hardly gave us any information before letting us tube and definitely didn't give us any safety precautions. There are some areas with extremely dangerous trees and rapids. If you are going with children make sure they are strong swimmers and make sure one adult supervised one child at all times!! Although I don't recommend this for anyone 18 and younger. We were so hopeful for this adventure but please be aware of the extreme dangers! read more

The tubing experience was a blast. Shallow and rocky in some areas and some tame rapids in others. It was definitely an adventure! Knocking some stars off for staffing and communication. The girl working the kiosk seemed bothered every time I asked a question. She gave no direction regarding where or when to meet or how anything worked. Aside from the lack of customer service, the experience was enjoyable. read more

Cherokee Rapids is great. One of the best experiences I have ever had in the mountains, and I spend most of my summers here every year. When you are there ask to have Colby as your guide, or just sit and talk to him. He is personable, knowledgeable about the Cherokee, and made the trip great. The only reason I give it four stars and not five is because of the lack of changing space and, and the one there was smelly. read more

our family has been tubing with cherokee rapids for years, we love it, a great way to cool off in the summer. we'll be there again in July