Family Rafting North Carolina

Hey Folks!
We’re building a user friendly book-on-line reservation system, and getting our website up and running. The effort will be worth the wait.  In the meantime, here’s what we do at Blue Heron Whitewater!
 
Rafting trips on the French Broad River, near Asheville, NC
We provide all the stuff required for a fun trip for couples, family rafting, and group rafting:

• Capable, professional guides who delight in sharing their skills and knowledge,
• all the river related gear,
•  once you arrive at Blue Heron Whitewater meeting place, transportation to and from the river,
•  and if you choose a trip with lunch, a fresh deli-style lunch served riverside.

 
Half Day Trip
5 miles of delightful class II-III rapids
minimum age 8 years
$40 per person
 
Half Day Trip with Lunch
Same as above and add time for a delicious lunch served riverside
$48 per person
 
Full Day Trip
Take the Half Day Trip with Lunch, add three river miles and the classic class IV Frank Bell’s Rapid.
$62 per person
 
A bit about our philosophy
We love what we do!  And we have invested in a fleet of inflatable boats, rafts and single person kayaks (aka “ducks”) so you can choose the craft that suits you, and is appropriate for the changing water levels of the free flowing French Broad River.  Experience the mountains by way of the river, and see for yourself!
1-888-426-7238
 

So what do people who work guiding boats down the French Broad River for Blue Heron Whitewater do on their day off? Why, we go rafting, kayaking, canoeing, or ducking of course. On Saturday the crew of Blue Heron Whitewater took a day off the French Broad River and headed over to the Green River. Just east of Asheville, NC  the Green is home of the famous class V narrows. Not my cup of tea but fortunately just upstream of the narrows stretch of river there is a beautiful and fun stretch that is clear and narrow with a couple of attention getting class III+ rapids. And while the French Broad River is wide, free-flowing and ancient (predating the Smoky Mtns.), the Green is narrow and cool and damn controlled. Both rivers are great for family and group rafting trips. The fantastic variety of rivers available in the Asheville, NC area is one of the great things about rafting in North Carolina.
Our little adventure on the Green was great fun but we are excited to be back here on the French Broad River because after a summer of drought it has started to rain and the French Broad will be a different river tomorrow. Thank you tropical storm Faye.

Wow, do we have some talented, generous friends! Since the birth announcement of Blue Heron Whitewater our friends have rallied their support.  In an attempt to thank all well wishers and doers, we’ll be posting several separate blogs.  Kind of like mini chapters of progress.

Our friend Tom started helping us long before Blue Heron Whitewater was even a thought. By his compassionate approach to managing an outpost on the French Broad River in the 1980's, he was an early role model for training new guides and leading great rafting trips. His river intuition and intellect helped set standards that are still relevant for outfitters on the French Broad River today.

More currently Tom has shared his expertise and law degree in helping us with our business license and creating an uncluttered waiver. And all our questions he waded through. That alone could put him up for some kind of award.

 

Sandy guiding a family past Tom's Tunnel in Pit Stop Rapid on the French Broad River

Small is Good!
Here's why we (Fritz, Sandy, and Ciro, founders of Blue Heron Whitewater) believe this:

1. We (Fritz, Sandy, and Ciro) and our good friends (all highly skilled river guides, with collectively decades of experience) can give you exceptional personal attention and service.
2. We always remember who you are and value your patronage, whenever you call, email, or arrive for your trip. Whether you bring one person or 200. (You'll hear more of this from one of our customers next week.)
3. We take the time to understand what YOUR goals are for your family trip, group trip, or friends trip, and will facilitate achievement of your goals.
4. We focus on you, your trip, and not the "next sale". 
5. We don't have a big "infrastructure" (we shudder at the word!) to support, instead they have a flexible, nimble, eco-preneurial business adventure.
6. We do what we do because we love it. Period. Isn't that refreshing?

Visit our photo album of Blue Heron Whitewater's rafting center under construction. (Yes - we are having great fun!)

Join us for family rafting, group rafting, and major Quality Time on the beautiful French Broad River this summer, only minutes northwest of Asheville, NC.  Blue Heron Whitewater is located in Marshall, NC.

You can email us at blueheronwhitewater@gmail.com, or call us at 1-888-H2O-RAFT (1-888-426-7238).

Or, while our online reservation system is under website development, you can request information or reserve trip space here on our blog using the comments field at the bottom of every entry! How nimble is that?