4 Visiting The Smokies Summer 2020
Photos Submitted Thousands of rafters head down the Pigeon River from Waterville to Hartford every year. Tourism is the state’s second largest industry and Hartford is one of the crown jewels of Cocke County’s tourism offerings.
Whitewater Rafting Attracts Thousands To Cocke County
Tucked away in the mountains of Cocke County, Hartford sits along I-40 East at exit 447, serving as the next to last exit before the North Carolina state line. This small town is home to numerous whitewater rafting companies, gas stations, a post office, and unique restaurants. Settled along the Pigeon River, Hartford is a quiet town filled with outdoor enthusiasts and curious tourists. For one who wants to be away from the hustle and bustle of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, yet still within reasonable driving distance, Fox Fire Campground and Shauan’s RV Park provide riverside campsites. The Downtown Hartford Citgo and the BP serve as the only gas stations along I-40 between Newport and Maggie Valley, NC. The Pigeon River Smokehouse, located at the BP, serves up the best-known BBQ in the area. Across the street sits The Bean Trees Café — a unique dining experience with riverside dining and live music
on Friday and Saturday nights. The Bean Trees features a vegetarian and kid friendly menu and serves specialty coffee drinks, beer, and wine. Each whitewater rafting company utilizes the public put-in, located at I-40 East, exit 451-Waterville. This access point is used for the upper Pigeon River trip, which consists of 12 class III rapids and three class IV rapids. Rapids in the Southeast are rated on a class scale of I to VI, with I being slow moving flat water and VI being deemed experts only or closed for commercial and recreational use. The public put-in lies on the North Carolina state line in Haywood County. Each rafting company uses a different put-in, most are located on the company’s property, for the lower Pigeon River trip, consisting of class I and II rapids with a mild class III at the end of the trip before taking out at the public take-out in Denton. Continue to page 5
