Upper/Middle comparison

Comparison of the Upper and Middle Ocoee river sections

Ocoee River Rafting – Both the Upper and Middle Ocoee sections are roughly five miles long and take a similar amount of time to raft (about 2 hours each).  Each section has numerous class three and class four rapids. Both are fun and exhilarating and you can’t miss selecting either section.  The Upper Ocoee goes back in a remote canyon well away from the highway. The first mile and a half of the Upper Ocoee starts relatively easier with mostly class two rapids and a few class three.  There are a couple of nice spots to get the raft into a small hydraulic and surf the wave while staying in one spot. After that you start getting closer to the section where the Olympics were held and the rapids start to really pick up.  Once you are in the Olympic Course area there are numerous back to back rapids some of which are the largest anywhere on the Ocoee River—Upper or Middle. After you leave the Olympic sections there are a couple more large class four rapids and then the last mile slows back down until you reach the lunch spot between the Upper and Middle Ocoee.   

Ocoee Rafting

The Middle Ocoee is the “traditional” Ocoee and has more rapids than the Upper has though none quite as large as the biggest ones on the Upper section.  As opposed to starting off gentler like the Upper, the Middle has a major class four rapid immediately after you put your raft in the river. The class three and four rapids come one right after the other with only one good sized break about half way down the Middle section.  The Middle is one of the most continuous stretches of whitewater anywhere and you are constantly getting splashed …pure excitement!