Planned a weekend wade trip for my dad's retirement gift and we couldn't have asked for a better experience. We learned a lot and had a great time fly fishing for the first time. Ty and Jeremy were terrific guides. Headwaters came recommended to me and I can now confirm the recommendation held up and then some. Truly a great experience. We can't wait to come back. read more

Good service, prompt, laid back. Location was close to Brevard, it was an easy trip both driving and paddling down "up" (b/c the French Broad flows northbound) the river. read more

Very well organized operation. Staff was very friendly and helpful. They got you on and off the river very efficiently. It is also a beautiful stretch of the river that is great for any beginner. read more

Good outing until we got about an hour and a half into the paddle. Approximately 100 rounds of gunfire going off very near the edge of the river. we never saw anyone but could smell gun powder. We paddled over to the side of the river and called the office twice because of our concern. They said most of the property is privately owned and people can practice shooting on their own property. Great place to paddle and the staff is excellent! However doubt we will ever return especially with children. read more

For a relaxing, uncrowded, and zen like trip, this is the best tubing adventure in WNC. The staff and equipment are excellent. The river has both smooth water and rapids in a lovely, peaceful, and picturesque setting. Perfect for youngsters, oldsters, and anyone in between. We tubed here for several years and have never been disappointed. read more

I used Headwaters for two half-day, public waters fly fishing trips and one tubing outing. They were all excellent. The fly fishing was at the novice level, so the second trip built on what was taught on the first. Our guide Gavin was outstanding, and a tad colorful (he would enjoy my use of that descriptive). But all kidding aside, he was knowledgeable, patient, and did all he could to make our time productive and enjoyable. We caught a great afternoon for tubing. So much better at Headwaters than trying to negotiate the Davidson. It also was excellent. Quality outfitter. read more

We just moved to Western NC and did a short kayak trip on the French Broad River. Great experience. Perfect weather. Too short. The best part is a flick of Canada Geese escorted us along the way. read more

My daughter and I had a fabulous time with a full-day guided trout fishing expedition with Ryan. Although we were both trout fishing rookies, Ryan had us in waders and flycasting within 15 minutes of arriving streamside. We caught trout within 30 minutes, and we kept catching trout all day. And we caught big trout, including one large brown trout. YMMV, but we were super successful on our day out. Ryan was very communicative and encouraging, and maintained a zen-like state regardless of how many times I set the hook without cause and ended up with 2 hooks wrapped around a hemlock branch. And the trout fishing was just one element of the day. We saw 7 or 8 great blue heron flying together over the meadow, an osprey, and dragonflies of all sorts. And while Ryan is a trout-whisperer, he spooked about a dozen Tiger Swallowtail butterflies from a rock in the middle of the stream, and what a sight that was! A single butterfly is glorious in flight, but have you ever seen a dozen take flight at once? Absolutely beautiful. Life is too short, and trout fishing gear and tackle too expensive: just hire Ryan to give you the best chance and the best locations to catch trout, without all the hassles and drudgery that novice trout fisherpeople would otherwise have to deal with on a do-it-yourself day on the water. I cannot recommend Ryan more highly. read more

My son and I had a great 1/2 day trip with Gavin. We are both beginners. Our guide, Gavin was extremely patient, informative and friendly. We will be back for another trip this Fall! read more

We had a great time on the 3 hour self guided paddle on kayaks. It was very serene and a nice ride. The staff were very helpful and the food from the food truck was delicious. read more

Headwaters Outfitters - Kayaking on the French Broad River at #headwatersoutfitters - Outdoor Gear Near Me - Rosman, North Carolina

My son and I had a great time with a half-day trip. Very friendly staff. I highly recommend Jeremy. Very patient, knowledgeable, and extremely friendly. He didn't even get mad when I was losing his fly's in the trees. We were immediately put on fish with almost constant action. read more

Just spent an amazing time paddling down the French Broad river with a canoe rental from Headwater Outfitters. They are diligent with COVID-19 precautions, helpful and very informative. It was a great escape and I highly recommend them for all your getting on the water needs. read more

Headwaters Outfitters - Another great day on the water! - Outdoor Gear Near Me - Rosman, North Carolina

I've done several tubing trips with Headwater Outfitters 5 or so years ago, which were a lot of fun. Last weekend my 19 year old daughter and I were looking for an adventure and I found their overnight canoeing/camping trip. We did it and had a blast, even though we had some rain. I especially like being able to drop off our camping gear at the campsite so that we didn't have to bring it in the canoe with us. The campground is remote and quiet, and the sites have a picnic table, fire ring, and lantern post. There's a port a john and the gate is locked at night. The staff is really friendly, upbeat, and helpful. They talked through all of the options for trip length and timing. We brought our own canoe and one of the employees even helped clean it off after we were done. It was a wonderful trip for us, one that we will always remember. read more

Headwaters Outfitters - Canoeing on the French Broad river. - Outdoor Gear Near Me - Rosman, North Carolina

Excellent knowledge shared by the team for fly selection. Thanks for the help! Hope to try their guide services.

This is the second time we have booked with Headwaters and second time we have had Hanna as our guide. Top notch outfitters company! Both my husband and I had such a great time with Hanna the first time we visited we were so happy she was available when bringing our daughter and her friends back up for their first time fly fishing! Chris also came for the second trip. Both guides were not only extremely helpful and knowledgeable, they were just so attentive to our every need and made both trips so memorable. If I could give them 10 stars I would! read more

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What a great little place! My daughter and I went tubing for the first time and had a blast! You launch right off the store and tube for an hour where a bus was waiting to take us back to the car. Super safe, they were spraying the tubes and wearings masks, really a great place, with friendly staff, can't wait to come back! read more

We were a party of 9 five kids between the ages of 6-10 and four adults. This was the best experience ever, so much fun super convenient, we didn't have to worry about bringing all of the tubes or life vests everything was provided and the price was very economical! Thanks for a great time! read more

Headwaters Outfitters - Outdoor Gear Near Me - Rosman, North Carolina

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Great trip down the French Broad River yesterday...beautiful clear water, cloudy day that was cool to warm but not hot. Jason with Headwaters Outfitters does a nice job doing the safety review. Staff inside are always great! This is probably my 6th kayaking trip down the river - this time we saw a Kingfisher, Otters, an Egret, several Hawks and an Osprey. Always a great way to spend the day and don't forget to leave a generous tip and enjoy the FoodTruck too! read more

Kids and I had an excellent time tubing - purchasing tickets was super easy, check-in was a breeze and we were in the water in no time. The water was clear and cool and we weren't crowded around other people. Everyone was super nice and helpful and we enjoyed the whole thing. Highly recommend! read more

We did the 3 hr paddle with canoes and kayaks. It was easy. Mild water with a few "rapids", not even class 1. Beautiful scenery, very relaxing. Perfect outing for a family who wants some time on the water with little risk. It only took us 2 1/2 hours on the water. read more

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We signed up for a private guided fly fishing/lesson for a half day session. Wow it was fun and educational. Jeremy did a great job and my wife who has done very little fishing caught three really impressive trout. We'll worth the time we spent doing this. We want to do another but some additional new learning skills. Great outing!! read more

Wonderful people and experience- could not have asked for a better day on the river kayaking... Absolutely recommend Headwaters Outfitters; will be back for sure. read more

We just moved to Greenville, SC and decided to take the 1:20 ride up to Rosman, NC for the Hannah 3 Hour Paddle down the French Broad River. My wife & I selected the 2 person kayak and the trip was fabulous. It so happened thy we were the only reservation for the 11am Trip, so it was so peaceful and beautiful. The water is a little low due to lack of rain currently, but that did not dampen the experience. The staff are super friendly & helpful. This is a must do for those within a reasonable distance, or, make it a weekend and book a room in Brevard or Lake Toxaway. Once we finished we immediately booked another paddle excursion when the foliage should be grand. Don't miss this one! read more

Let me tell you that the hospitality at this place is off the charts. I adventure all over the south east for photography, kayak fishing, backpacking, fishing, and mountain biking. The folks that operate this outfitter are bar none the biggest class act I have encountered in 20 years. Yes it's off season while I visited this week but the lady running the desk was exceptional. read more

Headwaters Outfitters - I was so happy to get REAL information from and outfitters that related to my experience I felt compelled to support them. - Outdoor Gear Near Me - Rosman, North Carolina

Excellent service with an obvious love of the river. The Headwaters' family shares a knowledge and love of the river as well educating their customer base to ensure their safety. We've floated with others in the Rosman/Brevard/Asheville area and have found everything about Headwaters Outfitters to be top notch in comparison to other float trips. read more

Difficult review to do. Most of the people were great and service was very good. Just don't bother asking fly guides for regular fishing advice. Was a small mix up in our itinerary but was quickly resolved. No problems booking on the phone, website is informative but I didn't use to book trip. The kayaks we had for our self guided float were very good. As was all equipment and the shuttle service. Downside was the river and can't blame Headwaters Outfitter for that. Had rained heavily which made it muddy. Fishing was bad and you couldn't see into the water. I like clear water for the views. This section of the French Broad is very boring, in current, flow and views. My bad for faulty research. Will go back again but further downstream and perhaps earlier in the season. My kid was also a bit bored by the end, I used it as a first kayak trip for her. Still, the day ended nicely because our shuttle driver gave me permission to fish off their property and I did catch 2 brookies, so the river didn't skunk me. read more

I had a great outing. Everything went according to plan from booking my 3 hour kayak trip to being picked up at the agreed upon stop. Danielle did a wonderful job and made sure that I would enjoy myself. I was a group of one and had the 8 mile stretch all to my self. I recommend this trip highly and hope to take some friends on the trip this weekend. read more

Solid biz! We took our kids tubing so we could have a relaxed morning before doing some hiking later that day. The staff were super helpful. They were no-nonsense about safety (both water safety & COVID)--professional but still very friendly. The location is great--it's a more rural portion of the river up near Asheville (ie, quieter and shadier). If we weren't trying to get in a hike before the rain came in that afternoon, we would have gone downstream again. The whole food truck & beer garden thing they have looks like it could be a great way to wind down at the end of the day, but we didn't get a chance to enjoy. read more

Best fly fishing trip ever. My son caught 17 fish and had3 slams (brown, rainbow and a brook) 3x in one day. My good friend and I caught a few fish but we missed at least 12 each. I guess we are old and slower than my son. Hannah Meyers and Chris are great guides. Taught me and my son a lot about fly fishing. read more

I went up to Western NC on a last minute trip to do some exploring and fly fishing and contacted Headwaters for some advice. After talking to them I decided to book a half day private water fly fishing trip and was paired up with their guide Jeremy. The entire experience was great from the booking process, advice on fishing on my own and of course the guided fishing day. Jeremy was more than willing to share his knowledge and was patient and positive in working with me to sharpen my skills. Actual fishing on a small river with lots of trees and overhanging branches is quite different than practicing your casting in an open field. He helped me better understand how to read water and use various flies and techniques to present the fly. And great advice on fighting and landing as we caught a number of nice fish but with one very feisty big rainbow trout. The day was beautiful and the fishing and companionship awesome; all capped off with a cold beer back at the on-site brewpub. I highly recommend Headwaters and Jeremy and would go back tomorrow if time permitted. read more

Headwaters Outfitters - Big daddy rainbow - Outdoor Gear Near Me - Rosman, North Carolina

We had a blast! Beautiful scenery and great river! Jason was informative and fun! The tap room was a nice perk at the end! Will be back next year for a longer trip! read more

Great outfitter and store for all your river fun needs. Planned excursions on the area rapids and backwaters! Clean restrooms!

Great time on the French Broad. Kayaking fun family activity. These guys run a well oiled machine.

Headwaters is a great operation. Professional all the way. From the original reservation with on-line waivers, great staff, who love their jobs, to well-cared for equipment (kayaks). They have a big store, a pub and a yummy bbq food truck on site. What more could you want? Oh, and beautiful July weather! read more

My 14 year old and I tubed down the river. We enjoyed it. It was picturesque and mostly relaxing. Just three others in our group made it a very very peaceful way to spend a few hours. I recommend you bring your own water shoes. The day we visited the Blue Smoke Food Truck was serving lunch. Their food may have been some of the THE BEST BBQ we have EVER eaten. We had the brisket and pulled pork. YUM read more

This was the first time canoeing for my husband and I and we can't wait to go again. We did the 3-hour trip and it was the perfect amount of time. The staff was very helpful and friendly, they explained everything that we needed to know. If you have never been, pay close attention to the video, especially about getting in and out - we had some very shallow areas that required us to get out and adjust the canoe. The water and scenery were beautiful, we got to see deer and hawk. Very relaxing and I highly recommend it. read more

Great experience! My friend and I (both in our 50's) rode kayaks for the 3 hour trip. Very relaxing, and beautiful scenery. Headwaters is a class operation, and their store has anything that you might need! read more

Our 3 hour canoe trip was perfect! Headwaters provided all equipment needed and gave good instructions for those not familiar with canoeing and how to navigate the French Broad river. In this section of the river the water moves at a good pace with some fun faster moving sections. Highly recommend this company for a fun day on the water! read more

Just got back from an amazing day kayaking on Lake Jocassie with Headwater Outfitters. I cannot stress strongly enough David, Debbie and Chris' attention to detail. The equipment was great. Plenty of water throughout the day and a good lunch. The trip's scenery and waterfall exceeded expectations. When the wind picked up during the return paddle they were there with the motor boat in case 4 hours of kayaking was enough. Couldn't ask more than that. Headwater Outfitters also run what I am told a fine fly fishing program and canoe outings. read more

Didn't float the river, but this was the perfect stop for our motorcycle ride from the Blue Ridge Parkway. The "Something Fun" food truck was there and the Slap-yo-Momma sandwich was well worth the name (sorry mom!). The only employee/bartender on the inside was friendly, patient, helpful, and knowledgeable. There were a few locals there too, just for the food and the atmosphere. Simple, quaint, down home and delicious. As amazing as our ride was, I'd love to go back to float the river, it looked so beautiful and refreshing! read more