We love to hear what our visitors thought of their adventure, and we hope you do, too!
Want to share your experience? Let us know how we did.
Britton Glenn & Family
“This was the perfect experience for our family's first outing white water rafting. Even the little boys enjoyed it. Despite the rain during our last mile or two it was an absolute pleasant experience. Be sure to tip your guide if you have one go with you down the river. If not for our guide, we would have been in the water several times. Thanks so much for the beautiful day!”
Stephanie Reynolds
“Loved this place. The owners are great people and the guides were a lot of fun. This is now one of my favorite campgrounds. There were 23 of us and we all agreed this place was awesome.”
Zachary Neal
“The perfect quiet little campground. The owners were very nice and accommodating towards every one of their guests. The rates are very reasonable and the facilities are well up-kept. Check out our neighbor the weekend we stayed!”
Mo Fran
“The couple that own the campground couldn't have been nicer! Loaned us a hose to use since we forgot ours, gave great instructions for the rafting trip, and delivered wood to the site. Bathrooms and showers were clean and stocked with soft tp. They provide bins for recyclables and garbages with bags at each site. We have friends renting a site there next weekend and we are making it our go to campground for future trips.”
Issac Lewis
“This is a great place for those who want to raft with a large or small group, as they will work with you to keep your group together, rather than herding people into rafts just to fill a boat. They are very open and clear about their pricing, which is some of the best on the river, and I was happy to find out that Brookside is one of the oldest companies on the river!
If you are looking for a great spot to camp, raft, or both, this is a great place to do just that. The owners are well-versed about what is available in the area so if you are looking for more to do when you have finished rafting, they can give you options.
Also, I really like how they appreciate good and loyal campers and rafters. It's not every business that sends out Christmas cards to patrons every year!!”
Essay from a guest
One of our 10-year-old guests wrote this wonderful essay for us about their stay over the summer! We hope you enjoy it as much as we have.
“Ahhh,” I moaned as I exited the backseat of my mom's car and finally stretched my legs after the three hour drive. This trip is my favorite of our family vacations, and we come every year. There are always lots of people and even more fun.
After a few minutes of small talk to all our friends, it was time to get to work. My brothers and I have the job of setting up our tents. Luckily I brought a friend to help, so it was only half the work. Once the tents were set up, we had to drag all our bags from the car and organize them in the cramped tent. All this work made me sweat, so as I was unpacking I grabbed my swim suit and threw it on. Brookside Campground, luckily, has a stream running right up the middle. The water was shallow but cold. “Come on!” I yelled to my friend Eden as I headed for the water. “I’ll race you!” Eden replied as she ran past me and jumped into the icy cold water. I stopped just shy of the water’s edge and asked “How does it feel?”
“Well I can’t feel my feet.” She replied as her body began to shake. I laughed and jumpedin behind her. “Just wait until tommarow” I said, as I knew what was coming. The next morning we woke up to a big breakfast of waffels, bacon, eggs, and fruit. My mom and step dad told us to fill up, because we had a long day ahead of us. After breakfast, we headed to the tent to put on our swimsuits, and then made our way up the hill to get fitted for lifejackets, and to hear the famous safety speech of Whitewater rafting on the Nantahala River, from Bob, the owner. We had a large group, so we had to take two separate vans to the dropoff location. From that point, there was no turning back. The drop off is usually crowded on warm days, and today is no exeption. We unloaded our rafts from the back of the van and carried them in the water.
The river is a constant 52o because it is located in a gorge, and only gets sun for a small portion of the day which is what Nantahala means, Land of the Noon Day Sun. Sinking our feet into the water instantly shocks me and makes me feel alive and ready for this adventure. Me and my friend Eden sit at the front of our 5 person raft, and immediately start paddling to get a good position on the fast flowing river.
The water was calm around the first turn, but there are several larger rocks that cause the water to bounce right into our raft. Eden and I look at each other and laugh, we continue paddling along the misty waters enjoying the beautiful green mountain view, and seeing turtles basking on rocks found along the water.
I take weight lifting in school, but that is no match for the work out you can get from paddling a raft. It is finally around lunch time, and the sun is baking us from above. Along this point in the river is what Bob refers to as “The Rock.” We have to paddle especially hard to turn the boat abruptly against the fast flow of the river to park and enjoy a break.
“The Rock” is basically the play ground of the Nantahala River for all ages. Simple but entertaining, it is a big jump off to do tricks as basic as a toothpick and as difficult as a gainer, and also allows the jumper to splash the rafts flowing by. After jumping multiple times, we decided it was time to continue to our next stop.
Breakfast had worn off by this time, and we needed to refill our energy. There is no better place to do this than the famous PBR. Pizza By the River is a local paddle up restaurant that serves some of the best pizza around. While we are enjoying a delicious cheese pizza, we gather around their fire pit to warm our bones.The warm pizza and warm fire are enough to spoil me, but the journey is not over.
We bid the PBR a goodbye as we have to put back on our freezing, now stinky, lifejackets to tackle the upcoming rapids. The rapids are class III’s and so much fun! Although they can be dangerous, working with your group to ensure you have a good position on the river is critical. My hearts pounds as the rolling white water comes into view. The rushing of the water is almost louder than by step-dad who is screaming “PADDLE!” We glide through without a problem, which some would call “text-book” and steer to the take out area.
I have been coming to this river for a long time,and I hope to continue to come every year for the rest of my life. The green mountains and white waters bring a sense of adventure that I couldn’t image feeling anywhere else. As I close the door to the van, I whisper to the river “I’ll see you next year” and the river roars back,”See you then.”
Join countless other happy rafters and campers and come adventure with us!