Blue Heron Whitewater

My two friends and I had such a good time thanks to Blue Heron. The facilities are beyond they had free water and sunscreen and encouraged everyone to drink up and lather up. Also a very clean bathroom and shower area. The guides were so friendly and made you feel safe and confident.

We had such a great time. This company is wonderful. Extremely well ran, professional and so kind and nice. They really take care of everyone and make sure people have a great time. We did not know what to expect and were so pleasantly surprised. We will come back for sure. Thanks you Sandy and team!

Fantastic rafting outfit thanks to the crew. They know every inch of that river, and are alot of fun! We took Kim’s suggestion and rented duckies, and were very thankful we did. It was a blast!

I had a great day. Liked the guides, but too many people were telling me what to do at once.

We were lucky to find out about Blue Heron Whitewater! What a great outfit. From the get-​go, they were funny, helpful and comforting. I’ve been rafting before, but this was my wife’s first time. They made her feel at ease from the moment we arrived. They sold water shoes for $ 10 and was great since we both forgot «junk» shoes. They offered offered a free pair that others left. But these $ 10 shoes were a great deal. They’re all about fun while all about safety. Our guide was Sandy and she was fantastic. She was funny and had some great/​fun things for us to do on the river. Highly recommend jumping from the boulder and doing the «budget rafting». Again, Sandy was such a great guide. Highly recommend Sandy and Blur Heron. The French Broad is definitely a great whitewater river for a first timer. We did the afternoon trip. — Scott

Honestly, I was beyond impressed with our experience at Blue Heron. We arrived on a pretty blustery morning (48 degrees!) and were worried about how it was going to go due to the sudden change in temperature. We parked and were immediately welcomed by Wags, who told us not to worry because they had tons of clothing we could borrow, including wetsuits. We (four girls) felt much better about the situation and suited up. After a quick informational/​safety video and rundown of the whole rafting process, we were on our way.
Both Wags and Ari were excellent guides. Two of us had never been rafting before and the other two had only been once, but they made us feel so comfortable! We had an absolute blast and learned a lot as well. Wags is super informative and taught us a ton about the area and its history.
Everyone was so professional and kind. We were the only ones there and felt like we had the ultimate VIP treatment! When we had finished our five-​mile trip, we were even given water and cookies on the van ride back to the building. Sweet people who made our trip incredibly fun!

My first whitewater rafting experience.
It was a blast. Cool instructors/​guides.
Beautiful river & scenery.
It was a really cool experience. I would like to do again & do the class 4 rapids.
I would have on this one, but I was limited in time.
The meal they provided was simple yet tasty. We made our own sandwiches & they had hummus and carrots too. Yum.
Everybody there was very friendly.
I picked this place based on their reviews and I’m very happy with my experience.

TL/​DR: It was fun, great for beginners, Blue Heron was professional and fun.
Blue Heron was absolutely a great white water rafting adventure. We were crazy and decided to go in the middle of winter (¹²⁄₁₉) but they made sure to make our experience as awesome as possible. Despite us not getting reception, they showed up at the cabin on time to greet us. Considering the temperature (~35 degrees at the time), they also made sure before we paid that we knew what we were getting into and that we were sure that we wanted to try. Did not pressure us at all to go despite the possibility of us getting cold feet (pun intended).
We were definitely worried about the cold but decided to go on with it. To keep us warm, they provided wetsuits, base layers, fleeces, windbreakers, gloves, socks/​shoes, and hats. It definitely help as none of us were cold at all and felt great throughout the whole trip. Our guide Wags was extremely professional and fun. He directed the boat well and kept us paddling on point. He was entertaining with his anecdotes and also very informative about the history of the river.
The river itself was fairly tame, although it maybe because I sat in the middle of the boat. It was a solid ²⁄₃ class river with some short drops. We definitely all got splashed but we never felt like we were going to get thrown out. The 2 in the front did get a more exciting ride and were thrown about a bit more. Overall everyone thought it was fun coming from people who have done a few of these amateur whitewater rides and one who went for her first time.

The people were great and quite helpful. I’m an Eagle Scout and the safety video they had ahead of time was more than enough. If you have someone who has never done any whitewatering this is just a great place to start. They even took pictures and were priced for all the photos your in quite well. There was two of us in our group so it was $ 25 for every photo we were in. If you want a picture that’s great, but if you want a story this is the place to go.

I was beyond impressed with Blue Heron. This being my first time white water rafting I really didn’t know what to expect and to be honest a little nervous. Our guide, Drew, was awesome. He was just a cool dude and a pleasure to spend the day on the river with. He dropped a lot of knowledge on us about the river and the towns history.
We had an eight person raft but they have four person rafts or kayaks that they can actually bring along for a little extra fun. We went against it at first but halfway through the trip we wished we would’ve brought one along. The photographer had a kayak. She was just zipping along the river. Looked fun! The photographer snapped pics all throughout the trip. At the end of the trip they offer the pics on a flash drive for a steep price.
We booked the half day trip with lunch. About an hour and a half in we stopped for lunch. They provided delicious multigrain bread, turkey, ham, provolone, Swiss, Oreos, carrots, hummus, water, condiments and chips. It was a nice relaxing lunch surrounded by nothing but nature and the sounds of the river.
We went in early September, so the river was much lower than it would be in the summertime, which means the Rapids are less intense. We went on a couple of class three Rapids and a few class two. It was pretty mild. After this experience I definitely want to go back in the summertime when the class fours are available!

The reviews don’t lie, 5 stars for Blue Heron! Our family had an amazing afternoon on the river and our only regret is we should have done a full day. It was so much fun and Sandy adds awesome stories of the area and historical accounts that really bring the river to life. The facility is great with showers and changing rooms and restrooms are very clean. We have a special needs child and the staff were great to accommodate her and make sure she had a great experience within her abilities. Highly recommend Blue Heron.

I wanted to take my family Whitewater Rafting for the first time, and looked at the reviews of several different companies in the Asheville area before deciding to book a trip with Blue Heron. My family had a wonderful experience for our first trip, and I highly recommend Blue Heron. We booked the half day with lunch and lunch was delicious. Josh was are guide, and he did an excellent job. They have the option of Duckies which is an inflatable kayak. My husband and son had Duckies, and my daughter and I rode a raft. Next time, we will all ride Duckies. We had so much fun and hope to go again soon!

We went on the calm water trip with guide Sandy. Our 3 boys, ages 10,7 and 4 had a blast! She taught them how to splash with their paddle and soak us and overall was very patient and answered all of our kids many questions. We saw lots of wildlife and loved every minute of it. Highly recommend!

By far one of the greatest experiences I’ve ever had! I had never been white water rafting before, so I (obviously) read the reviews on here before I went. And the reviews don’t lie!
The crew that took us out were incredibly enthusiastic and knew how to have a good time. They were the one’s who really made this a 5 star experience!
Impeccably clean facility, especially since the entire center is outside. I was pleasantly surprised. The bathrooms have showers, changing stalls, etc. for you to use before/​after you get done rafting. The shop also has water shoes for you to buy, or if you’re more adventurous, you can check out their lost & found of shoes they found over the years.
I would reccommend this place to anyone who was looking for a whitewater adventure! The prices are incredibly reasonable for what you’re getting out of it.

I’ve done them all with several rafting companies — Blue Heron is at the top of the list. What matters on a raft trip in random order besides the river itself: your personal raft guide, the facilities, how far or close they are to the put in location, the food, and the keepsake pictures they take. Blue Heron excels in all facets… fair pricing on the trip and love the way they handle pictures, they also don’t smack you over the head to tip your guide every 10 seconds… love them!

I can’t say enough good things about my day with Blue Heron. We showed up not anticipating how cold it was going to be they let us borrow wetsuits and fleece basically everything we wore for the river. The rapids were excellent, the views breath taking and the crew knowledgable and friendly. I would recommend this company for anyone wanting to raft from beginners to more experienced. My group was small and i was glad we had some more experienced rafters in our group.

We had a great time with our two girls, ages 4 and 6, on the river float trip. We had a great guide, Sandy, too. The kids got to experience some mild currents and even take a couple dips in the river. I highly recommend this to other families and nervous moms who may be reluctant to take kids on a raft trip. Very short drive from Asheville.

So glad my first white water rafting experience was with Blue Heron. Even with the forecasts predicting cold weather, I couldn’t pass up the chance of white water rafting. My girl and I were the only people who booked March 2^nd, 2015 so we got a private tour of the French Broad!
We got there and met our guide, Sandy, who was so friendly and hospitable. The great thing about Blue Heron is that they truly care about giving people a great time. The first sign of this, I noticed, was their reluctance to place a price on gear such as wet suits, fleece, water shoes, and plenty other key layering items. I knew they offered wet suits from their website, but everything else they offered was going above and beyond. My girl and I came dressed and prepared in what we were wearing, which was not many layers at all considering the cold weather. Blue Heron invests their money in stocking plenty of gear for their riders which I’m truly grateful for.
Sandy does a great job of letting you know everything you need to know about the river along with the tutorial video you watch prior. She also includes fun facts about the area and cool stories while on the river. The sights to see leave you in awe and there’s just something about being in the mountains that gives you peace, even despite the cold. And when you’re not admiring all around you, you’re paddling with fast currents into plunging, raging waters which is fun in its own unique way!
The full day trip offers a lunch break as well as photo opportunities from another staff member throughout the trip. For more details, Google their name and check out their website.
I would definitely come back again, in warmer weather for sure!

We had an amazing time on the French Broad River. We did the full day trip and I would recommend it over the half day anytime. Our guide was Kim and she was excellent. She was knowledgeable and entertaining. We look forward to our next trip. A plus… We saw a Bald Eagle perched in a tree and then it took flight… Stunning!

On the recommendation of a friend, my son and I took the half day trip which began in the morning and included lunch. We could not have been more satisfied. Wags and his guides went above what I would have expected to make the day memorable for the 25 or so that made the trip down river. My only regret is that we didn’t do the full day trip. We won’t make that mistake again.
The cost was reasonable at $ 52 per person, and for $ 25 we got some incredible pictures to take home — about 30 in all. We can’t wait to come back.