Smoky Mountains, North Carolina

Registration opens February 2025. The First Descents community will be notified via email. To join the FD community and receive updates when Programs are open for registration, sign up here!

Nestled in the heart of the Great Smoky Mountains, Bryson City offers some of the best whitewater kayaking in the American Southeast. With a rich history in the kayaking world and one of the greatest kayak learning centers in the country, this is an unbeatable place for your First Descents kayaking adventure!

During the day, the beloved instructors at Nantahala Outdoor Center will teach you new kayaking skills and guide you through one of the only temperate rainforests in the entire continental United States. Then, after a day of paddling down turquoise rivers, you’ll kick back at the Watershed Cabins, enjoying chef-made meals, stories over the campfire and new FD friends! This program is a First Descents classic, and you won’t want to miss it!

There will be four separate weeks of Oncology Smoky Mountains Kayaking programs in 2025.

WHERE: Bryson City, NC

WHAT: Whitewater Kayaking

WHEN: May 11 – 16, 2025 | May 18 – 23, 2025 | May 25 – 30, 2025 | June 1 – 6, 2025

COST: Free!

FOOD: Professional chef-prepared meals

AIRPORT: Asheville, NC (AVL)

TRAVEL: Participants are responsible for getting to/from the program. Travel scholarships are available through the registration form.

HEALTH & SAFETY: All Participants are required to fill out a registration form. FD will select participants based on available space on the program. Once selected, participants may be required to get a medical form from their Doctor. FD strongly recommends that all Participants are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Read more here.