Outdoors outlet Rafting, zip-lining, biking and other pursuits all offered at one spot in Charlotte
Rafters get ready for a ride at the U.S. National Whitewater Center.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Imagine an amusement park where all the “rides” are authentic outdoor adventures.
The U.S. National Whitewater Center in Charlotte is such a place — where outdoor-loving visitors go to raft challenging rapids, climb vertical walls, bike or hike lovely wooded trails or zip-line through a verdant riparian canopy along the Catawba River.
The heart of the center is the world’s largest manmade whitewater “river.”
I couldn’t imagine how an artificial waterway could provide the kind of rafting thrills of natural whitewater rivers. After a 90-minute water- and adrenaline-soaked rafting trip, though, I was a believer.
The waterway contains 12 million gallons of water coursing through Class
II to IV rapids on two separate runs, each with a 21-foot total drop, and is challenging enough to be a U.S. Olympic training center for whitewater slalom-kayak racing.
After a short briefing and safety session, my fellow rafters and I donned our gear and loaded up in the raft with our experienced guide. We quickly reached our first rapids as our guide shouted paddling instructions and steered us through the cataracts.
Each set of rapids approached, well, rapidly, without the long A skilled kayaker practices at the center.