Nantahala Township ()
, from the North Carolina Collection's website at the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...

. Retrieved 2013-02-05. is located in North Carolina, United States in the part of Macon County which is west of Wayah Gap. It has a population of 1,711. "Nantahala" is a

Cherokee The Cherokee (; chr, ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯᎢ, translit=Aniyvwiyaʔi or Anigiduwagi, or chr, ᏣᎳᎩ, links=no, translit=Tsalagi) are one of the indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, t ...

word which means "Land of the Noonday Sun." The area fits its name because in a few spots, the sun's rays only reaches the floors of the

Nantahala National Forest The Nantahala National Forest ( /ˌnæntəˈheɪlə/), is the largest of the four national forests in North Carolina, lying in the mountains and valleys of western North Carolina. The Nantahala is the second wettest region in the country, after the ...

when it is directly overhead during the middle of the day. The Cherokee Indians are credited for finding this region in

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

. They called their "town" Aquone. This area is now covered with water and known as Nantahala Lake. There is plenty of evidence to prove that other people lived in this area long before the Cherokee Indians were here. There are many Indian villages in the Aquone area, and other similar evidence of other villages throughout the entire Nantahala community. The town of Aquone vanished and was rediscovered by a Spanish Conquistador Hernando de Soto in 1540 and then again by William Bartram in the 18th century. Nantahala receives a majority of its revenue from

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism mor ...

Nantahala National Forest

The Nantahala National Forest was established in 1920 under the authority of the 1911

Weeks Act The Weeks Act is a federal law (36 Stat. 961) enacted by the United States Congress on March 1, 1911. Introduced by Massachusetts Congressman John W. Weeks and signed into law by President William Howard Taft, the law authorized the United States ...

and is now an assorted collection of noncontiguous protected land. The 1911 Weeks Act provided authority to acquire lands for national forests to protect watersheds, to provide timber, and to regulate the flow of maneuverable streams. It is the largest of four forests in North Carolina. This forest consists of 100 different species of trees. The forest covers 531,148 acres with elevations ranging from 5,800 feet in Jackson County to 1,200 feet in

Cherokee County Cherokee County is the name of eight counties in the United States: * Cherokee County, Alabama * Cherokee County, Georgia * Cherokee County, Iowa * Cherokee County, Kansas * Cherokee County, North Carolina * Cherokee County, Oklahoma * Cherokee Co ...

covering much of the western tip of the state. The Nantahala forest is divided into three districts: Cheoah in Robbinsville, Tusquitee in Murphy, and the Nantahala in Franklin. A part of the

Appalachian Trail The Appalachian Trail (also called the A.T.), is a hiking trail in the Eastern United States, extending almost between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine, and passing through 14 states.Gailey, Chris (2006)"Appalachian ...

is in this forest where many people hike.

Nantahala River

The

Nantahala River The Nantahala River ()
, from the North Carolina Collection's website at the

U.S. Route 19 U.S. Route 19 (US 19) is a north–south U.S. Highway in the Eastern United States. Despite encroaching Interstate Highways, the route has remained a long-haul road, connecting the Gulf of Mexico with Lake Erie. The highway's southern ...

runs alongside the river's course. People use the river for many outdoor activities, including

whitewater rafting Rafting and whitewater rafting are recreational outdoor activities which use an inflatable raft to navigate a river or other body of water. This is often done on whitewater or different degrees of rough water. Dealing with risk is often a ...

, kayaking, and fishing.

Whitewater rafting and kayaking

The white water rafting here consists of class I, II and III rapids at different parts of the river. Class I is considered easy and smooth, with occasional sand banks, and has gentle curves. The most difficult problems might arise when paddling around bridges and other obvious obstructions. Class II is considered moderate. It has medium-quick water and rapids, regular waves, and open passages between rocks. Knowledge of how to maneuver a raft is required and tour guides are recommended for beginners. Class III is moderately difficult. It has numerous high and uneven waves with rocks and whirls. The passages are clear but narrow and require experience to raft down. Visual inspection is required if rapids are not well known. The class III rapids are located at the end of river for 30 seconds. The

Nantahala River The Nantahala River ()
, from the North Carolina Collection's website at the

Nantahala Lake is found in the Nantahala National Forest at 3000 feet above sea level. It was created in 1942 by Nantahala Power to provide electricity for the war efforts. The historic Indian village, Aquone was located where the lake is now. Nantahala Lake is controlled and maintained by Duke Power Company. Some of the shoreline is owned by the general public and run by the Nantahala National Forest and NCWRC. The NCWRC also maintains the public boating access area. Of the 6,000 plus fish there are

walleye The walleye (''Sander vitreus'', synonym ''Stizostedion vitreum''), also called the yellow pike or yellow pickerel, is a freshwater perciform fish native to most of Canada and to the Northern United States. It is a North American close relat ...

lake trout The lake trout (''Salvelinus namaycush'') is a freshwater char living mainly in lakes in northern North America. Other names for it include mackinaw, namaycush, lake char (or charr), touladi, togue, and grey trout. In Lake Superior, it can also ...

, brown trout, bluegill, crappie, small mouth and

large mouth bass The largemouth bass (''Micropterus salmoides'') is a carnivorous freshwater gamefish in the Centrarchidae ( sunfish) family, a species of black bass native to the eastern and central United States, southeastern Canada and northern Mexico, but ...

Nantahala Gorge

The Nantahala Gorge divides Graham County to the northwest and Macon County and Swain County to the southeast. The Gorge consists of nine miles of the Nantahala River and ending at

Fontana Lake Fontana Lake is a reservoir impounded by Fontana Dam on the Little Tennessee River, and is located in Graham and Swain counties in North Carolina. The lake forms part of the southern border of Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the northern b ...

. The gorge is also the only part of the Nantahala River and the only trout water in North Carolina that permits night fishing. The Nantahala Gorge provides the state of North Carolina with its first canopy tour. The Nantahala Gorge Canopy Tours opened July, 2009 and is the first zipline/canopy tour facility in the area. The attraction is a three-hour or half a mile (20 acres) experience that simulates flying and is naturally fueled by gravity with a gradual 3 percent elevation change. A canopy ranger will point out the forest's natural features and will also inform people with the cultural and history of the gorge.

Nantahala Outdoor Center

The Nantahala Outdoor Center was founded in 1972 in

Bryson City Bryson City is a town in Swain County, North Carolina in the United States. The population was 1558 as of the 2020 Census. It is the county seat of Swain County. Located in what was historically the land of the Cherokee, Bryson City was founded a ...

, North Carolina. The center is known for offering guided trips of kayaking, canoeing, and rafting trips. A man named John Burton started working at the Nantahala Outdoor Center when it first opened and soon became president of the center. He also competed in the 1972 Summer Olympic games in

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...

when whitewater slalom became a sport. It is now a part of a facility where the U.S. Olympic athletes in kayak and canoe events train. Other than kayaking, canoeing, and whitewater rafting, the Nantahala Outdoor Center offers a variety of other fully guided things such as:

fly-fishing Fly fishing is an angling method that uses a light-weight lure—called an artificial fly—to catch fish. The fly is cast using a fly rod, reel, and specialized weighted line. The light weight requires casting techniques significantly differ ...

, hiking,

nature photography Nature photography is a wide range of photography taken outdoors and devoted to displaying natural elements such as landscapes, wildlife, plants, and close-ups of natural scenes and textures. Nature photography tends to put a stronger emphasis o ...

, train rides, and mountain biking. The center also has a clothing store, lodging, and three restaurants.

References

{{Cherokee Geography of Macon County, North Carolina Tourist attractions in Macon County, North Carolina