The Pisgah and Cherokee National Forests are inviting outfitter and guide companies to apply for permits to operate on the Nolichucky River. The Forest Service has released a prospectus for new permits covering rafting, kayaking and other whitewater activities along the section of river shared by North Carolina and Tennessee, open from mid-May to late October. 

Adults and youth ages 10 and up are welcome to kayak Wolf Lake with Jackson County Recreation.

The day will begin at 9 a.m. Aug. 7 by meeting up at the Cullowhee Recreation Center. 

People can get their Lake Junaluska Summer Activity Passes now. Enjoy admission to the lakeside pool all summer long as well as discounts on recreation, shopping and dining at Lake Junaluska. Passes are valid from May 24 through Sept. 1, 2025, and are now available online at bit.ly/LJSummerPasses. 

Officials at the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) report there are still areas that are unsafe to participate in water activities due to remaining debris from Hurricane Helene. Some locations are inaccessible to emergency responders in the event an incident occurs. 

Come out to the Ralph J. Andrews Campground on Lake Glenville for a family camping event. 

The National Park Service (NPS), in partnership with Catalyst Sports, Knox County, Kampgrounds of America Foundation and Friends of the Smokies, announced the expansion of adaptive ranger-led programs in 2024. 

A decades-long debate over paddling rules on the Upper Chattooga River has come to a close after the appearance of a final ruling in November 2023 took some stakeholders by surprise. 

Start off the year with an early-season slalom race Saturday, Feb. 17, on the Nantahala River at the Nantahala Outdoor Center. 

In 1971, Payson and Aurelia Kennedy were living a successful, stable life in Atlanta. Payson was a librarian at Georgia Tech, Aurelia a schoolteacher. They had four kids, retirement funds, and the deed to their house.

Bryson City Olympian Evy Leibfarth will leave Tokyo without a medal, but the 17-year-old is already setting her sights on the 2024 games in Paris.