Ready to take on the waters that challenged Olympic athletes in 1996? It’s time to get on the Upper Ocoee…with rapids named Mikey’s, Let’s Make a Deal, Roach Motel, Godzilla and Humongous to name a few! This magnificent 5-mile section of whitewater starts you off in a remote gorge with panoramic scenery but shortly picks up with some intense class III & IV action. The main attraction of this section is the Olympic Whitewater Course, with spectacular rapids raging just feet away from the banks. Here you can either watch the action or be the action! The Upper Ocoee has fewer release dates than the middle section, so you don’t want to miss the great summer weekends this section has to offer.
Combine the upper section with the middle section (called a Full River trip) and you’ve created a full day of fun, excitement, and 10 miles of quality time with friends and family they’ll be talking about for years! Our Full River trips include an All-U-Can-Eat riverside lunch buffet and take about 5 hours to run, but plan to be with us for about 6.5 hours. Available on weekends only from mid May thru September.
*Another interesting fact: Near Ocoee Dam #1 (below the lake) stands a 1:10 scale concrete and wood model of the Olympic whitewater course. This model is one of the largest and most detailed ever built by the tva, comes complete with running water, stones, churning rapids, and standing waves.
Diagram of Upper Ocoee and its rapids
