Paddling

Find paddling gear, river guides, and stories from the water here. Kayaking, canoeing, rafting, and stand-up paddleboarding all have a home in the Blue Ridge, in both whitewater and flatwater settings. We’ve got your best river destinations and plans ready, from the Youghiogheny in Pennsylvania and West Virginia’s New River Gorge to the Green in North Carolina and the Chattooga of Georgia – plus everything in between.

Outdoor Updates: Evy Leibfarth of Bryson City, NC earns the U.S. two spots in the 2020 Olympics

Kim Dinan07 Oct 19

Leibfarth runs the Sava River during the World Cup in Tacen, Slovenia. / Photo by Jean Folger.Paddling sensation Evy Leibfarth of Bryson City, NC earns the...

Go OutsideNewswirePaddling

Paying it Forward

Wally Smith27 Sep 19

Customers embark on a float trip down the Powell River in southwest Virginia with Stone Mountain Adventures.Guides and Outfitters Take Education Outside...

excludeGo OutsideOctober 2019Paddling

Southside Project

Lindsey Brown13 Sep 19

National forests are managed by the U.S. Forest Service and are designed to be prosperous for all American citizens, under the protection rights to conserve an...

EnvironmentGo OutsidePaddling

Outdoor Updates: UCI Mountain Bike World Cup at Snowshoe + Gauley Season is Here

BRO Admin12 Sep 19

Photo by Kurtis Schachner at Snowshoe Mountain ResortUCI Mountain Bike World Cup Finals at SnowshoeSnowshoe Mountain's bike park will reopen tomorrow, ...

Biking in the Blue RidgeGo OutsideNewswirePaddling

All In a Day’s Work

Ellen Kanzinger11 Sep 19

Nakiesha Bridgers leads a trip on the river.How did outdoor professionals get their start?As more people are headed outside, outdoor recreation is incr...

ClimbingEnvironmentFly FishingGo OutsideHikingPaddlingSeptember 2019

Women’s Canoe Slalom: Making Waves

Addie Oldham + Ellie Bowen29 Aug 19

photo by Jean FolgerNRC Paddler Evy Leibfarth Eyes Olympic goldAs a teenager competing against mostly adult athletes, Evy Leibfarth is making waves in ...

excludeNewswirePaddlingSeptember 2019

Your Beatering is Not Cool

Golder Goldstein22 Aug 19

The rise of beatering - frankly some of y'all are starting to sketch me out. Whitewater is enjoyed best by doing it well....

August 2019Go OutsidePaddling

How to Build a State Park

Ellen Kanzinger01 Aug 19

Photo: Blue Spring is the largest spring at Gilchrist Blue Springs State Park, putting out 44 million gallons of water a day. / photo by Quin SchrockThe pe...

August 2019Biking in the Blue RidgeEnvironmentexcludeHikingPaddling

Okefenokee Threatened by Mining (Again)

Will Harlan26 Jul 19

The Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge is the largest wilderness area in the East, and it's the largest blackwater swamp in North America. With thousands of a...

HikingPaddling

Affordable Adventure

Ellen Kanzinger18 Jul 19

You don't need a ton of money or expertise to explore the outdoors—especially in Chattanooga Growing up, Bailey O’Sullivan’s family moved about every ...

July 2019Paddling

Lanier Lap: 100-Hour Paddle

Will Harlan26 Jun 19

Josh Forester is attempting a record-setting 400-mile, 100-hour paddle around Georgia’s largest lakeHave there ever been similar lake circumnavigations?...

June 2019Paddling

Happy Birthday West Virginia!

BRO Admin20 Jun 19

Every year on June 20th, the Mountain State celebrates a very special day – its birthday! This year West Virginia is turning 156 years old. How much do you kno...

Biking in the Blue RidgeCampingClimbingFly FishingGo OutsideHikingPaddlingRunningSnowsports

Bad Boys of Whitewater

Jessica Wiegandt19 Jun 19

Meet the Long Creek GangstersA thick mist hung over the Chattooga River as the sun rose, bringing the home known as Thugz Mansion to life. A familiar quest...

Go OutsideJune 2019Paddling

Outdoor Updates: Three men to cross Lake Erie on paddle boards

Kim Dinan19 Jun 19

Three men to cross Lake Erie on paddle boardsYesterday morning three men set out to paddleboard across Lake Erie to raise money for the Cooperative Institu...

NewswirePaddling

Summer Camp for kids who are blind

Melissa Stanz13 Jun 19

Zip, hike, raft, wadeSummer vacation—it’s something almost every school-age kid eagerly anticipates. But that wasn’t the case for Sam Chandler at age 11. S...

CampingGo OutsidePaddling

Magazine

October 2019: Mountain Getaways

September 2019: Best Bike Parks

August 2019: The Parks Issue