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Blueway Trails of the North Carolina SmokiesFour rivers, Little Tennessee, Nantahala, Oconaluftee and Tuckaseegee, flowthrough the NC Smokies and into Fontana Lake at the edge of the GreatSmoky Mountains creating a spectacular “Blueways Trail” throughout theregion. Those rivers and their watersheds encompass the Nantahala NationalForest and the two most visited units of the national park system, the GreatSmoky Mountains National Park and the Blue Ridge Parkway, which createthe “infrastructure” for the largest and most visited outdoor recreation areasin the Southeastern United States.The Oconaluftee, considered “sacred waters” by the Cherokee, and known as the“Luftee,” is a beautiful, freestone river that drops 2,000 feet over 10 miles and flowsthrough Cherokee before joining the Little Tennessee on the way to Lake Fontana.Wading, tubing and canoeing are all popular here. However, the Luftee is most famousfor its abundant healthy Rainbow, Brook and Brown Trout. In fact it holds the NorthCarolina Record Brown Trout weighing in at 15.9 pounds!10Action So Hot, The WaterIsn’t Just White. It’s Boiling.Bryson City, NCFreestyleKayaking2013.comKayak.VisitSmokies.orgThe ultimate whitewater competition is comingto the Nantahala River on September 2–8, 2013— the International Canoe Federation’s (ICF)Canoe Freestyle World Championships. Thispremier freestyle kayak event is slated to drawover 300 top freestyle paddlers from aroundthe world, as well as thousands of spectatorshere, to the Nantahala Gorge, in the heart ofthe North Carolina Smokies.B Free live music in downtown Bryson Cityand by the Nantahala River B Fun games andraces for athletes and spectators alike, includinga spectacular “big air” ramp competitionB Outdoor activities, such as whitewater andflatwater paddling, zip lining, hiking andmountain biking B Authentic mountain musicand crafts in the Blue Ridge National HeritageArea vendor marketplace B Meet vendor repsfrom the biggest names in outdoor recreation inan on-site outdoor gear exhibition.All photo by Steven McBrideThe Nantahala offers river raftingand kayaking through familyfriendlyrapids and is a popularspot for the amateur as well as theOlympic padder. It features eightmiles of Class II rapids beforesplashing through the excitingClass III whitewater of NantahalaFalls. This is one of America’s mostpopular whitewater runs! It is alsorecognized as one of the area’spremier trout streams. So good infact, that Trout Unlimited includedit on their list of the top 100 TroutStreams in the US.The Little Tennesseeand its immediate watershedcomprise one of the richestarchaeological areas in theSoutheastern US. Knownto the avid fisherman forits Small Mouth Bass, thisriver is a popular spot forcanoeing, fishing and floating.Travelers and locals alikeenjoy the town of Franklin’sLittle Tennessee Greenwayas it winds along the river.The Tuckasegee, known as the “Tuck,”originates around Cashiers and runs throughCullowhee, Sylva, Dillsboro and Bryson Cityon its way to Fontana Lake. A float trip onthe Tuck is an exhilarating way to experiencefly-fishing in the southern Appalachians.The river has areas that are as wide as manywestern rivers, offering plenty of room forback casting. The Tuck is also a popular riverfor tubing, floating and canoeing.11