Experience the finest among North Carolina Vacation Rentals in Highlands NC at The Lakehouse on Lake Glenville in Cashiers

No need to travel to the tropics to fly through the treetops. The first canopy zip line tour in the North Carolina Smokies is located on the southern edge of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in the Nantahala National Forest northwest of our mountain retreat. No experience is needed. Canopy Rangers provide all the necessary instruction and assistance and use state-of-the-art equipment, including helmets, full body harnesses, trolley, gloves, and tether safety lines. There are two canopy Rangers per group.

The 3-hour zip line flight is powered by gravity and a gradual 3 percent elevation change. The 1/2 mile air time Nantahala Gorge Canopy Tour takes you through multiple ecosystems, past hemlocks, into hardwoods, and through a deciduous forest packed with native flowering plants such as mountain laurel, dogwood, rhododendron, giant Frazier magnolia, rare umbrella magnolia, silver bells and many more. Your canopy Ranger will point out these natural features and will also share with you some of the cultural history of the gorge.

The zip line course is located 12 miles west of Bryson City, (approximately 48 miles from our mountain lake home) at the Falling Waters Adventure Resort in the Nantahala River Gorge. Age and weight minimum is 10 years and 70 pounds with a weight maximum of 250 pounds. $69 per person. Nantahala Gorge Canopy Tours, 866-319-8870.

Ride an open-air train and raft a river all in one day! An easy drive from our Lake Glenville rental home is the Bryson City Depot, home to the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad. Climb aboard the Nantahala excursion train and ride the rails for 22 miles along the foothills of the Smokies and up the Nantahala River Gorge. At the end-of-the-line join a professional team of rafting guides from Wildwater Rafting for a two-hour whitewater trip down the Nantahala River. Raft with a guide or on your own with guide assistance through 8 miles of rapids and swift currents. Excursion includes lunch and a hot shower at the end of the river run.

This is a great day trip for families wanting to experience a whitewater mountain adventure. Children must be at least 7 years old and weigh 60 pounds. Online reservations are available through Wildwater Rafting and the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad.