Join us for Nantahala Kids Club!

Nantahala Kids Club (NKC) is a program designed to get kids who live in Western North Carolina active and engaged in the outdoors through introduction to paddle sports. The focus is on learning basic whitewater safety skills, and building a supportive community of strong, confident, healthy kids. Participants are encouraged to advance at their own pace, while coaches provide individualized instruction and lead group games and exercises.

NKC is sponsored by Need More Outdoors, the Nantahala Racing Club, the Nantahala Outdoor Center, Endless River Adventures and the Dillsboro River Company.  The program is made possible through the help of volunteers and parents.

Dates: 4 Mondays and a Sunday each Fall and Spring

Time: 4 pm-6 pm for the Monday Sessions, 10AM-4PM for the Sunday Session

Cost: $50 for new members, multiple-child discounts available.$25 off for each additional child

Age: 7 to 14 (Kids 7 and under must contact us before signing up at needmoreoutdoors.wnc@gmail.com)

Registration: Online Registration Form

Program Details

Nantahala Kids Club is about being part of the 828 community.  If you are new to NKC, you will find yourself surrounded by fellow paddlers here in WNC!  Make new friends, learn to kayak, work on your skills, and for our advanced boaters, learn more on-the-river leadership skills. 
Skills: We divide up into groups from beginners to advanced and work with each group individually. 
Tadpoles: is our group for new participants. We will start introducing you to basic kayak skills, beginning with learning how to get out of the boat, forward and turning strokes, and build familiarity with maneuvering a kayak in flat and moving water. 
Otters: Our group for repeat NKC participants who have not had a lot of opportunity to be in a kayak since last NKC.  Time to start gaining confidence in your river skills, and learning the roll this session.
Eagles: For our experienced young paddlers.  You have a coach to work with you on advanced river running moves and learning to navigate the slalom gates to be a better boater. 
Prerequisites: No experience is necessary, beginner through advanced ability levels are welcome.
Equipment: Equipment is included in the program, but feel free to bring your own if you have it
Discounts: $25 off for each additional child

Equipment

NKC has a full array of gear available for use by participants at no additional charge.
Equipment includes:

• Boat
• Paddle
• PFD (commonly called a life jacket)
• Helmet
• Spray skirt
• Paddle Jacket (warmth layer)

Participants are responsible for providing their own swimming clothes, shoes, and thermal gear.

**Location is subject to change based on water levels and weather.  If there is a last-minute change, we will email and post on the Need More Outdoors Facebook page** Photos are also posted there!

**If a session is canceled due to extreme weather, it may not be rescheduled

Testimonials

“I love having the opportunity to send my students outside with Need More Outdoors. Here’s how I look at it. Almost anything that is of any value takes a lot of work. Sometimes it’s a little painful. It may be scary. But it’s worth it, right? The reward, in the end, is worth your pain and suffering. But how to teach this to kids who haven’t had the chance to try many fun, hard things?

Why not take them kayaking? The boats are heavy and hard to carry. The kids complain that they’re uncomfortable. Their feet fall asleep. They are afraid of tipping over. They are afraid of looking dumb if they mess up.

On the first day of an NMO activity, there are a lot of complaints. The kids don’t yet understand how much fun they can have doing this strange, difficult, uncomfortable thing. Some kids flip over and claim they almost died. Others get mad. We hear lots of, “I can’t do this.” “I suck at this.” “I quit.”

On the second day, something magical happens. The kids wake up and their skills have marinated overnight. As they run the river, they surprise themselves by being more competent than they expected the day before. When they look around them, they see green, green, green. They forget to think about how they look and begin to focus on where they are, and what they’re doing. They fall into the present.

Oftentimes, at this point, the kids begin to work as a team. They help each other when they swim. They begin to look out for one another. Of course, we still hear some “I can’t do this,” but much less so. By the end of the second day, kids are asking when they can go kayaking again. They carry their boats to the van without complaining. They are hooked on this difficult, uncomfortable thing. They have experienced trying hard, and they have found it rewarding.”

-Zuzana Montagne, Teacher, Swain Middle School

Directions to Locations

Finger Lake – Take Hwy 74W leaving Bryson City, until you reach the junction of 28N, bearing right onto 28N. Once on 28N make a U turn at Watia Road (just across the Nantahala river bridge), Cross back over the Nantahala River and the finger lake will be on your right with the parking area just beyond it. (Can be found on Google Maps as: Fingerlake Day Use Area)

Little Tennessee Takeout – From the Hwy 74/28/ Needmore Rd Junction, turn onto Needmore Rd. After approximately one mile, take a left following a sharp curve just as the road meets the river for the first time. Drive down a steep dirt drive to the parking area.

Courthouse, Bryson City – Take Bryson City exit 67 and turn into town on Veteran’s Blvd. Stay straight at the first light, then left across the bridge onto Slope St. Take the first right onto Mitchell St., and a right into the courthouse parking lot.