Hartford Travel Guides (Updated September 2026)

Awesome time, guide was really informative, the river was level 3 to 4.Great place to spend with friends and family I would definitely say one of the best experiences.

We had a blast, was a bit scary initially but our guide (Miranda) was the best, would definitely go back, highly recommend this place.

Hadley was great. Very confident and chill. We had fun!

Outstanding! The entire team did an outstanding job and worked together to make the experience enjoyable and fun. We had Sarah as our guide and she did a great job of keeping us entertained, informed and safe. Two other staff members, Justin and Thomas, joined us for the trip and did a great job of adding to the commentary and enjoyment. Highly recommend adding this adventure to your vacation plans!

We went rafting with SMO on the Upper Pigeon river this past weekend and the experience was amazing! We had a great time thanks to our guide Brady! He kept us safe but made sure we had a fun time. I would definitely go rafting with SMO again and recommend this experience to anyone visiting the area!!

Our family had an amazing time rafting with Big Creek Expeditions! Their communications was clear and the check in process was smooth and effortless. Our guide, Sam, was incredible - very knowledgeable about the river and the history of the area, he's funny, and kept us feeling completely safe. I would highly recommend this rafting company!

We had a fantastic ride! We did the Lower Pigeon River rafting ride which was more gentle, with just a few class 2 and one class 3 rapid. In hindsight, we probably could have done the Upper Pigeon but we will do that next time!! I was a little chicken!! Our raft guide Jono was very cool and nice as can be. He taught us all “green horns” the ropes so when we do the bigger rapids we’ll be ready! The Lower Pigeon ride is BEAUTIFUL so we aren’t sorry we went that route at all. So much fun!! Smoky Mountain Outdoor Rafting Company is a 1st Class operation and the BEST choice by far for river rafting in the area.

We did the lower river with Reagan as our guide and she was great with our group! She kept the smaller kids engaged and everyone had a great time.

We got there in the middle of a storm and things were still very organized and set. It was a group of 9 - half family and friends and we were split.The guides were all enthusiastic and professional. Our guide for the rafting was Will and he was great. I felt comfortable that he was more than competent and we had an amazing time. With the rain - we got a lot more water and rapid action than expected.Would recommend to anyone! The pictures were great too!

This was a huge highlight of our big summer vacation to the Smokies! We did a bunch of research this past spring on which outfitter we wanted to go with to raft. We wanted a fun ride with some rapids that would get us wet but not throw us out of the boat as we have kids ranging in ages 10-18 plus two parents. This trip did NOT disappoint! It was awesome. It was about two hours or so in time. It was class 4 and under so we had about 3 awesome rapids and a handful of smaller ones. Our guides were amazing and we felt safe and had a lot of fun! They have a very nice gift shop and a snack booth. Highly recommend!

We had the best time! Our youngest family members were 3 and 4. The experience was just wild enough to be exciting but very safe for the little ones. Our guide, Noah, was so knowledgeable about the river, the wildlife, the general area, the fishing, and of course guiding. We definitely recommend these folks!

Our guide, Noah, was super attentive to my children and made the experience extra fun! We had a blast!!!

Absolutely a WOW experience! Reservations online were quick, easy, clear. Staff were organized, professional, extremely friendly, very knowledgeable. Katelyn was a spectacular guide, warm and friendly, and made it a point to learn all of our names. The staff worked well together and made us feel safe. They used humor and fun strategies to prepare/educate us for the rafting experience. The rafting was a true adventure with several intense rapids that were incredibly fun and challenging. We were able to get in the water at the end to float for a bit before landing on shore. One of my best and most favorite rafting experiences! Pigeon River was fun and fantastic!

Fantastic time and a great experience, our guide B ( for the Best) was knowledgeable and funny, she made sure we all understood the rules and took great care of us. We highly recommend this adventure.

I’m late writing this review but really wanted to give Big Creek, and especially our guide, Sam, their flowers.Whitewater rafting was one of our family’s favorite activities this trip. Between this and our drive through the Smokies, our kids may finally be converted from “waterparks/amusement parks or nothing” to “wow, nature could be our amusement park”.It was my husband and kids’s first time rafting and we had so much fun. It was the perfect mix of beautiful scenery and thrills. Both kids ranked jumping into the river, holding onto the raft, and being pulled back in among their top three moments of the entire trip. Their only regret was not sitting in the front to get wetter, but there’s always next time!Sam turned a great experience into a truly amazing one He tailored the trip perfectly to our family, sharing nature and history with the adults while delighting the kids with spooky stories. He was also a great judge of how much excitement our family could handle and rowed tirelessly to give us a maximum splash effect despite the lower level of the river that day.We hope to be back in pigeon forge and will make sure to come visit again.

Fun, family friendly, first time for kids age 11 and 14, everyone had a blast. Experience not needed. You definitely get wet which was perfect was a hot weather we had.