Good Vibes Rafting & Camping

Nestled along the ancient banks of the French Broad River in eastern Tennessee is a 1900 Greek Revival farmhouse on what was once a property of over 1500 acres. Today this site offers exciting rafting and tubing trips on 6 miles of river. Now we want to share this primitive campsite and a raw, unfiltered slice of Southern Appalachian wilderness. A narrow, untouched sand-and-gravel bar juts into the slow-moving current, framed by dense hardwood forest climbing the steep ridges on either side. Morning mist rises like woodsmoke from the river’s surface, curling through the branches of sycamore, river birch, and tulip poplar just beginning to turn gold and crimson with autumn.

There are no facilities here: no picnic tables, no fire rings, no restrooms; just a flat, grassy clearing large enough for a few tents, bordered by wild grapevines and the faint scent of damp earth and decaying leaves. At night, the Milky Way spills overhead unimpeded, and the river’s steady murmur lulls you to sleep under a canopy of stars reflected perfectly in the dark water.

This is dispersed camping at its purest: leave-no-trace, pack-it-in-pack-it-out, river-access-only solitude on one of the oldest rivers in the world. Perfect for kayakers, canoeists, and those who measure luxury by how far they are from the nearest road.

Nearby conveniences and comforts are available and can be found in Newport.