Mountain Adventures

Located in Western North Carolina, the Blue Ridge Expedition is designed for both experienced adventurers and those without any prior backcountry experience. Surrounded by over a million acres of rolling mountains, on this trip you will enjoy cascading waterfalls, tumbling rivers, and challenging trails in the "big woods" of these southern mountains.

Backpacking & Rock Climbing -- Pisgah National Forest

Blue Ridge Expedition begins with a backpacking section through the densely forested slopes of Pisgah National Forest. After becoming acquainted with one another and familiar with your gear, your group spends the next 4 days hiking in one of the wildest and most spectacular regions in the Southeast. You hike through rhododendron tunnels and canopied forests, along mossy mountain streams and up to hidden waterfalls, and atop remote John Rock for a magnificent panoramic view of the surrounding mountains.

Rock Climbing Looking Glass Rock

Your group then joins professional rock climbing instructors who introduce you to the thrill of high places in a spectacular setting. You'll spend two days of rock climbing at Looking Glass Rock, a massive outcrop that is considered one of the finest climbing areas in the East. Your guides teach fundamentals such as top-roping, belaying, and rappelling with a continuing emphasis on proper safety procedures. Looking Glass offers a broad variety of climbing appropriate for all abilities, and your instructors will help you select routes with the right degree of challenge as your abilities improve.

Backpacking -- Nantahala National Forest

Next, you hike a section of the Appalachian Trail -- a trail that runs more than 2,000 miles from Georgia to Maine. For three days you will traverse a remote range, winding along narrow ridgelines and through diverse Appalachian forests. As this stretch of the AT wanders across the lonely rooftop of the region, you cross three mountaintop balds which provide 360 degree views of wave after wave of peaks. With growing confidence, you'll find that the wilderness feels like home.

Ropes Course and Inflatable Kayaking

Ready for new adventures, your group heads to the Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC) where you spend a day on the ropes/challenge course. The ropes course offers a fun and exciting way to challenge you to reach beyond preconceived limits. You and your friends will be talking for days about the final element: a sensational leap from above to the "giant swing" experience you'll treasure for years to come.
Your group will set afloat down the Nantahala River in inflatable kayaks, also known as "duckies." This day full of excitement not only allows you to have fun getting wet, but also provides hands-on experience of navigating through Class II and III rapids. Be careful though: running Appalachian whitewater can be habit forming! After this taste of kayaking, you'll be eager to jump in your raft for the larger whitewater soon to come.

WhiteWater Rafting - Ocoee River

The final section of your trip takes you to the Ocoee River, site of the 1996 Olympic whitewater competition. Led by professional river guides, you experience the roller-coaster ride of nearly continuous Class III and IV whitewater through a rugged mountain gorge --a fitting finale to an extraordinary trip! Afterwards, you return to base camp for a final banquet and closing ceremony.

Located in Western North Carolina, the Blue Ridge Expedition is designed for both experienced adventurers and those without any prior backcountry experience. Surrounded by over a million acres of rolling mountains, on this trip you will enjoy cascading waterfalls, tumbling rivers, and challenging trails in the "big woods" of these southern mountains.