The Watauga River is a magical place.
It starts as a spring near Grandfather Mountain in Avery County, N.C.
At different spots, the Watauga River is peaceful and turbulent. In between Valle Crucis and Sugar Grove, for example, the river seems to meander at a slumbering pace – reminiscent of the nearby New River. This is great water for tubing with the kids after some rain has fallen.
But downstream of the U.S. 321 Bridge in the western portion of Watauga County, giant house-sized boulders and whitewater emerge. These rapids are only suitable for expert kayakers, which usually paddle to the North Carolina-Tennessee state line. Everywhere in between, people are fishing, scrambling on rocks, bathing in the sun and swimming in the pools formed by Mother Nature.
The same and more is true beyond the state line.
Once in Tennessee, the TVA dam forms the Watauga Lake after the confluence of the Watauga and Elk rivers. Out the other side, the Watauga River flows into the South Fork of the Holston River on the border of Washington and Sullivan counties.
The river, occasionally treacherous and unforgiving, is always beautiful.
I’ve been hanging out on the banks of the river since I was a freshman at App State in 2000. My wife and I married along the river several years back. And now we live just a couple miles away and take our kids on river adventures regularly. I think they’ve been having as much fun on the river as I have over the years.
I hope you all do to after reading this website.
If you have any feedback or comments, I’d love to hear from you. Please comment below.
Take care,
Jesse Wood