French Broad Rafting and Ziplines

Had a great time rafting! Our guide, molly was awesome! I’ll def go back again. Unfortunately their printer was down so we couldn’t get our picture printed like we wanted. Other than that it was a great experience.

What a blast we all had! We just spent Memorial Day weekend in Asheville. It was a first time visit for our family and we wanted to give our kids the experience of whitewater rafting. Researching the different outfitters, I just didn’t know how to choose so I went with French Broad because they had a lot of good reviews. And I am SO glad I did! They were super organized, very efficient, very safe, and conscientious to ensure all the guests had a great time. There were a lot of people there for the rafting but everything ran smoothly. My kids are on the young side (8, 9, 11) and I am admittedly a somewhat neurotic Mama Bear when it comes to my kids. But our guide, Justin, was FANTASTIC! He was respectful of the fact that I was a bit anxious about my little guy going down the river and if he thought I was totally crazy… he didn’t show it at all. Justin was an expert at navigating the rapids safety and managing the raft. Plus he is a super cool guy. In fact, all of the guides seemed like they were experts. I have to say… there were two other outfitters on the river at the same time as us and it was very obvious that those guides were not nearly as experienced. They got stuck on rocks a number of times and the guides seemed to be on the novice side. Midway through the rafting trip, we stopped for lunch. The guides grilled burgers and hot dogs and having a hot lunch really hit the spot. Happy to give this group a five star rating. I can not imagine having a better experience than what we had with French Broad!

We had a blast rafting today. Jim and Robert were great guides and the experience was an overall awesome experience. We will definitely return!

A few of us were nervous at first but we were pretty confident in our guide Jim. He was extremely knowledgable and personable. The whole experience was extremely fun and definitely worth it. We bought our tickets with lunch along the French Broad and it was better than we anticipated. They grilled burgers and hot dogs for lunch along with plenty of condiments and additional snacks. We will be returning!

Jim was an amazing guide! He was so friendly and knowledgeable. He also made us feel comfortable and at ease and is very skilled at what he does! Highly recommend this company and Jim! =)

Got the chance to raft this trip while on business in NC last week. Great beginners trip! Awesome scenery on this river. The guy giving us the rules was hilarious, so the trip doubled as a comedy show on the bus ride. Our guide Andy was very knowledge about rafting, the local area/​history & real estate. Great trip! Would recommend to anyone.

Great experience with French Broad Rafting — the river was low and it was pretty calm (didn’t stop me from falling out though), but TJ, our guide, made it so interesting and fun. You can tell that he loves what he does and the river, as he shared with us stories about the history of the area, tidbits about the flora and fauna, local ‘gossip’, and his favorite places to visit on the river. Highly recommend and I’ll be coming back when the water is higher!

We did the 5 mile trip with lunch the website says it’s about 5 hours it’s only took 3 hours.
We did have a lot of fun the only think that sucked was the pictures there was only one spot they took pictures of us coming down the river. About 10 pictures which they charge $ 42 dollars and tax for them on a flash drive. Very disappointed there were more then one Rapid on the river they could have took pictures in more spots on the river. Also some of the photos on the flash drive were duplicates so definitely not worth the $ 42 dollars pulse tax for the flash drive with the photos. Also one of the photos were of a bird not of us rafting. Next year when we come we will definitely try another company. But we must say thank you to TJ are rafting guide he was great very personal and full of information of the area and the surroundings the river.

Andy was an awesome river guide. Very personable and entertaining. My mother and I were on our virgin white water rafting trip and we felt well guided & instructed. Lunch was included– burgers & dogs (w/​vegetarian options if requested in advance). I can’t wait to go again!

Updated: we returned this morning for zip lining after it was canceled due to weather on Monday and it was an even better experience than rafting! I HIGHLY recommend it and you should definitely request Peter and Dickie as your guides. They were awesome!

Richard was an excellent river guide. While the water was low, making the rapids quite calm, we enjoyed our rafting very much. We felt safe at all times while still having fun. I highly recommend Richard as a raft guide; he clearly knows what he is doing. I could have done without other rafters splashing us in the face with water from their paddles.
Ziplining wasn’t quite as spectacular of an experience. They do have 10 ziplines in a variety of lengths. The equipment used was quality, but we could have used a little more instruction (especially in regards to hand breaking) before going on the long zips. On one of the longest lines, my hand slipped off the line while breaking, causing me to spin wildly on the line, hit the padded tree back-​first, and ricocheting into the ends of the cable at significant speed and. Of course, this isn’t their fault, but I would have appreciated a little more instruction of what to do in this type of situation in advance. I continued to finish the ziplines after getting a bit more instruction on controlling my speed throughout the lines and how to maintain a front-​facing position without losing grip of the line.
I came home very bruised and sore from the ziplining, but it was still a good time. Make sure you are completely confident and in control of your speed, steering/​directionality, and breaking before starting a long zip. The rafting was the highlight of the experience.

We rafted here twice and both times had great experiences. The river itself is scenic, beautiful, and lives up to its reputation as a class 2 — class 3 adventure.
The equipment is well-​maintained and the facilities are clean.
The guides did a great job of being helpful and organized, without over managing the trip. They were characters, with plenty of Carolina humor, plenty of lame jokes, and interesting tidbits of history along the way.
My only minor complaints are that the mid-​journey snack consisted of a single granola bar per person and that they charged $ 20 for a 5×7 photo, which seems to be typical with any rafting outfit.
But overall, it was a great trip for beginner to intermediate rafters who want to catch a glimpse of the beautiful North Carolina outdoors.

Surveying the rafting companies on the French Broad, we were attracted by FBRZ’s web site. We *completely* lucked up with our assigned guide when the family of 4 gals and I got into the boat. Jim H. was clearly an expert with the paddle and the craft. He was also very personable, entertaining, and knowledgeable about the river, history, and stories of the area.
As for the River, in July it’s downright warm, there is a jump rock, and a couple/​few Class III rapids. We did the «snack» trip (but wished we did the lunch trip) but it was all good after a big breakfast. I recommend you figure out a way to bring your own water (with a carbiner) to lash to the boat.
Lastly, I received some good information from Jim about my next trip where we’ll visit yet another jewel of the Smokies.

We had a party of 12 and called ahead to reserve. The reservation process was straightforward and quick, and the girl on the phone was very helpful when I had to modify our reservation. Arriving at French Broad Rafting, we were informed on safety procedures before embarking on our 5-​mile rafting adventure.
Six passengers ride to a boat, and my boat guide was Chance. He was very knowledgeable of the river and area, very clear in terms of verbal commands and directions, and he joked around and had a lot of fun with us.
The 5-​mile rafting trip is EASY. You will get wet, and you will physically exert yourself, but you will not get hurt, nor will you submerge yourself under or tip the raft as long as you follow your guide’s instructions.
I can not recommend enough!

We went on a rafting trip down the French Broad River with TJ as our guide. We had an amazing time. He was very informative and easy to talk to. He shared lots of personal stories and you could see that he loves what he does.
The lunch we were served was very good as well. We had a choice of burgers or hotdogs, chips and local homemade humus, cookies, and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

What an awesome adventure! I booked the zip lining and white water rafting your and couldn’t be happier! The trip started with a slow drive up slightly washed out country mountain roads to the zip line starting point. After a thorough explanation and demonstration, the group proceeded to zip line several times, before learning to rappel. The guides were funny and knowledgable and made sure everyone was comfortable and was having a good time. I am planning a night time zip lining tour here next. Great experience and great overall trip. Thanks French Broad River!

We had a group of seven and Shawn (Shaun?) for our guide! He was amazing! He knew so much about the river and the animals! He’s great with adults and kids and so experienced! He makes jokes and makes you feel right at home! Will definitely go back and ask for him!

Showed up with eight people and were split into two groups (perfect for us).
Went rafting first… the water was a little slow, but they made it fun by taking us down the more challenging parts of the river. Our guide, Richard, was awesome. Lunch was great.
Ziplining next. Bryan and Amber were fun and helpful. Sort of terrifying, in a good way.
Fair warning: they all tell the same jokes. Ask them what you call a deer without eyes.

This is the best place to go!!! Everyone is so nice. We had a great time.
We did the whole day program, 5 miles water rafting and an afternoon ziplining.
It was fun, they have a nice break for lunch. We had burger and hotdog:)

Absolute blast. Ask for Richard!
I love rafting and look forward to doing the 9 mile trip the next time I’m there. The drive from Asheville is absolutely beautiful (and quick!).
Just had a great time with the family on mom’s first river trip thanks to these guys. Hilarious and super professional. They know what they’re doing!