Tumbleback River Co.Ocoee, Tennessee (423) 555-0147

Five miles of the Ocoee. Hold on to the boat.

We've been putting rafts on the Middle Ocoee since 1989, out of the same tin-roof barn on Highway 64. Guided trips April through October. Three rivers, one family, no gift shop.

Request a trip date Compare the three trips
Summer release window

In peak season TVA runs water on the Middle Ocoee most days from late morning to late afternoon, and on the Upper on scheduled weekend dates. We launch to match the water, so your start time is set when you book.

MIDDLE

Pick a river

Three trips. Same barn, different water.

Minimum ages are ours, not the state's, and we don't bend them. If you're not sure which trip fits your crew, call the barn and talk to whoever picks up. It'll be one of us.

Middle Ocoee

The trip most people mean when they say "the Ocoee." Starts with Grumpy's and doesn't let up much.

Length
5 milesDam No. 2 to the powerhouse
Class
III to IVAbout 20 named rapids
Minimum age
12Under 16 rides with a parent
Time on water
About 2 hrsPlan on 3½ door to door
Per person
$54Weekends $62. Tax and the river-use fee included.

What to wear on the Middle Ocoee

Wear:

  • Swimsuit or quick-dry shorts. Nothing cotton you care about.
  • Shoes that strap on. Old sneakers or river sandals with a heel strap. We will turn you away in flip-flops, kindly.
  • April, May and October: we hand out splash jackets at the barn. Take one.
River difficulty gauge A staff gauge marked Class I through V. The highlighted band shows the difficulty range of the selected trip. V IV III II I expert only big drops steady rapids riffles, ledges flat water Middle International Scale of River Difficulty

The Middle sits squarely in III to IV. Expect to get thrown around, not flipped, if everybody paddles when the guide says paddle.

The Middle Ocoee, top to bottom

Where you'll get wet, in order.

Drawn from memory by our head guide, who has run this stretch something north of four thousand times. Not to scale. The river bends more than this. So does he.

Hand-drawn map of the Middle Ocoee rafting run The river runs from the put-in below Ocoee Dam Number 2 on the left to the powerhouse take-out on the right. Named rapids in order: Grumpy's, Gonzo Shoals, Broken Nose, Slice and Dice, Moon Chute, Double Suck, Double Trouble, Flipper, Tablesaw, Diamond Splitter, Cat's Pajamas, Hell Hole and Powerhouse. Highway 64 follows the river along the bottom. US 64 (the road rides the river the whole way) DAM NO. 2 put-in Grumpy's Gonzo Shoals Broken Nose Slice & Dice Moon Chute Double Suck Double Trouble Flipper Tablesaw Diamond Splitter Cat's Pajamas Hell Hole Powerhouse take-out N-ish
  • Class IV, hold on and listen
  • Class III, big splash, good photos
  • Road runs alongside; your shuttle is never far
  • Grumpy'sIV First rapid, 200 feet from the put-in. No warm-up.
  • Broken NoseIV Three ledges in a row. Named honestly.
  • Double SuckIV Two holes. The second one is the one that gets you.
  • TablesawIV The longest wave train on the river. Everybody's favorite.
  • Diamond SplitterIII A rock the size of a pickup in the middle of the channel. Go left.
  • Hell HoleIV Right under the Highway 64 bridge. The crowd on the bridge wants you to surf it.
  • PowerhouseIV Last drop, then the take-out eddy. Don't relax early.

Straight from the barn whiteboard

What to bring. What to leave in the truck.

Bring

  • A signed waiver for everybody, kids included. You can sign it at the barn but the line moves faster if you don't.
  • Shoes with a heel strap. We've said it three times on this page on purpose.
  • A full change of clothes for after. You will be soaked to the skin, not damp.
  • A towel, left in your car.
  • Water bottle for the drive. We have a hose and a cooler at the take-out.
  • Cash or card for the shuttle driver if you feel like it. Nobody checks.

Leave behind

  • Your phone, unless it's in a case you'd bet $800 on. We have a lockbox at the barn.
  • Car keys. Clip them to the guide's board or leave them in our key bucket.
  • Flip-flops, Crocs in sport mode, slides, anything that floats away.
  • Jewelry, watches, wedding rings that aren't welded on.
  • Coolers and alcohol. Not on our boats, not at our put-in. There's a swimming hole after.
  • Anyone with a dislocating shoulder, a recent surgery, or a doctor who said no.

Nuts and bolts

How a trip day goes.

Show up 45 minutes before your water time. We fit life jackets and helmets, run a safety talk that is not optional and not boring, then load the bus. You come back to the barn wet and loud.

Season

April through October. The Middle runs most days June through August and weekends in the shoulder months. The Upper runs on posted release dates only, mostly summer weekends.

Where we are

The green barn on US 64, about four miles east of the town of Ocoee, before the first dam. If you hit the Thunder Rock campground sign you've gone past us.

From Chattanooga it's about an hour. From Atlanta, two and a bit.

Groups

Rafts hold six paddlers plus a guide. Bigger groups get split across boats that run together. Eight or more paddlers on a weekday knock $6 a head off the Middle.

Weather and water

We run in rain. We don't run in lightning, and we don't run if TVA cancels a release. If the river cancels your trip, you get every dollar back or a new date, your pick.

Cancellations

Call 48 hours ahead for a full refund. Inside 48 hours we'll reschedule you once, no charge. No-shows pay. Weather is the river's fault, not yours, and it's covered above.

Photos

Our photographer sits on a rock at Tablesaw. Shots are up on the barn screen when you get back and go for $25 for your whole boat, digital, all of them.

Request a date

Tell us when and how many.

This isn't a checkout. Send us the request and a person will call or email you back, usually the same day, with your water time and a link to sign waivers. Nothing's charged until then.

Rather talk? (423) 555-0147, 8 to 6, April through October. Or trips@tumblebackriver.co.

Pick a date between April and October.

Choose a trip.

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Date
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Somebody from the barn will reply with your water time. If you don't hear from us by tomorrow afternoon, call the number up top; it means the barn cat sat on the keyboard again.