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Ocoee River

World class whitewater, mountain biking trail systems, environmental education programs, highly developed camping, and scenic byways are a few activities featured in the Ocoee River area.  

Local outfitters offer rafting excursions in the Ocoee River’s world-class whitewater. The Ocoee Whitewater Center is a hub for outdoor adventure and offers trails and picnic sites. Bike the 30-mile Tanasi Trail complex and trails at Chilhowee Recreation Area or take a scenic drive along the Ocoee Scenic Byway (US 64 and Forest Road 77). Popular camping areas include Parksville and Thunder Rock Campgrounds, as well as Chilhowee Recreation Area.

General Information

Local outfitters offer rafting excursions in Ocoee River’s world class whitewater. Ocoee Whitewater Center is a hub for outdoor adventure and offers trails and picnic sites. Bike the 30-mile Tanasi Trail complex and trails at Chilhowee Recreation Area or take a drive along the Ocoee Scenic Byway (US 64 and Forest Road 77). Camp at Parksville and Thunder Rock Campgrounds or the Chilhowee Recreation Area. In contrast to the activity along Ocoee River is more than 5,600 acres of Little Frog Mountain Wilderness. The 220-acre Rock Creek Scenic Area, situated between Parksville Campground and Chilhowee Recreation Area, is a rugged backcountry known for a remarkable series of waterfalls and cascades.

 

Get in the Water! 

Your chance to experience the whitewater thrills of an Olympic river! Outfitters offer guided raft trips down two sections of Ocoee River. The upper section flows through the Olympic course past Ocoee Whitewater Center. The middle section offers a thrill a minute class III and IV whitewater rapids. If you’d just like to watch the action, several pull-offs along US 64 offer viewing vantage points. Visit the Ocoee Whitewater Center to wade in shallow pools, have a picnic, hike, and take in the sights.

Follow the Trail! 

Experience the cool spray of Benton Falls, an easy 1.5 mile one-way hike from Chilhowee Recreation Area on Trail #131. Chilhowee’s trail complex offers about 20 miles of hike/bike trails. Check out the 30-mile Tanasi Trail Complex at the Ocoee Whitewater Center, probably the best biking trails in the Southeast. Learn about the area’s rich cultural heritage along Old Copper Road Trail #306, a 2.3-mile section of a historic wagon road that linked the copper mines at Copperhill to the rail yard in Cleveland, TN.

Go Sightseeing!

The nation’s first National Forest Scenic Byway, US 64, winds through the Ocoee Gorge along Parksville Lake and Ocoee River and leads to Chilhowee Recreation Area on Forest Road 77. The 26-mile Ocoee Scenic Byway offers motorists the opportunity to view scenic vistas of mountains as well as up-close views of the Ocoee River and TVA’s power-generating system.

Sleep under the Stars! 

For a destination campground, try Chilhowee Recreation Area, where 83 sites are located near a 7-acre mountain lake with 20+ miles of hike/bike trails. Parksville Campground, just off US 64 on TN 30, with 41 sites, offers RV sites alongside Rock Creek and group sites with access to the headwaters of Parksville Lake. Thunder Rock Campground, off US 64 on the banks of Ocoee River, offers 42 sites with direct access to the Tanasi Trail System and OWC. All three campgrounds offer tables, fire rings, lantern posts, flush toilets and showers.

Recreation Sites

Showing: 1 - 10 of 15 results

Benton Falls Hike

Site Open
Hiking Biking
The Benton Falls Trail is an easy 1.5 mile (each way) hike to the 65 foot high waterfall.  

Chilhowee Recreation Area

Site Open
Biking Hunting, Fishing and Shooting Picnicking Water Activities Hiking
 Located in the Chilhowee Recreation Area, Chilhowee Campground offers more than 70 campsites, electric hookups, RV sites, tent-only sites and multiple bathhouses. The campground is usually open…

Clemmer Trailhead

The Clemmer Trailhead is a primary access point to the Chilhowee Trails System, and is easily accessed off of Highway 64. 

East Parksville Boat Launch

Site Open
Hunting, Fishing and Shooting Water Activities
East Parksville Boat Launch provides access to the northeastern portion of Parksville Lake. It is a longer ramp, suitable for larger craft. A vault toilet, boat trailer parking, and a dock are…

Kings Slough Boat Launch

Site Open
Hunting, Fishing and Shooting Water Activities
Kings Slough is a fairly shallow boat launch providing access to the western side of Parksville Lake. It has ample parking for boat trailers and individual vehicles, a vault toilet, and a boating…

Mac Point Beach

Site Open
Picnicking Water Activities
 Bring a picnic and spend the day! A white sand beach and shady picnic area with tables and grills occupy a small peninsula jutting out into Lake Ocoee. Restroom/changing facilities are nearby.…

McKamy Lake

Hunting, Fishing and Shooting Water Activities
Visitors to Chilhowee Recreation Area are drawn to McKamy Lake for swimming, fishing picnicking, sunbathing and canoeing. The seven-acre lake was built in the late 1930s to early 1940s by the…

Ocoee River

Water Activities
A thrill a minute Class III-IV rapids make the Ocoee one of the best whitewater rivers in the south. With two distinct sections available for rafting/canoe/kayaking, you can spend anywhere from 3…

Ocoee Scenic Byway

Scenic Drives
 The first designated national forest scenic byway in the nation includes 26 miles of US 64 and Forest Road 77.The two-lane route winds past Parksville Lake, through the scenic rocky bluffs of Ocoee…

Ocoee Whitewater Center

Site Open
Outdoor Science and Learning Picnicking Hiking Water Activities Biking
 On April 26, 2022, the Ocoee Whitewater Center caught fire and was destroyed. No one was injured in the fire.The Cherokee National Forest, along with Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), have reopened…

Last updated March 24th, 2025