Big Smokey Falls Rafting

We joined some friends who have been rafting the same section of the Wolf River for years now. They’ve done the trip so often, it’s planned out like a well-​oiled machine. In that respect, we had very little to do other than show up and raft.
Basically, it works like this:
1) Drive to BSFR, pay for your raft, sign your waiver and get a life preserver
2) Board a bus and ride to the put in point
3) Grab a raft, don’t be afraid to hold out for one with handles
4) Ride the rapids
5) Get an Indian Taco when you’re done (the meat eaters in our group went crazy for these).
Here are some tips to get the most out of your trip:
1) BRING CASH and carry it on your person, plastic will get you nowhere. Bring enough for your rafting fee and the food/​beverage stops along the river.
2) Two people per raft is best
3) Bring a dry bag for water, snacks, sunscreen, bug spray, etc. and a rope and carabiner to affix them to your raft*
4) Stay away from the brush on the banks of the river — lots of spiders!
5) Don’t rush down the river, take some time between the rapids to enjoy the outdoors and free entertainment
6) Bring helmets — they probably rent them, so you may want to call ahead and ask. It’s a long way to the nearest Walmart, etc. and you can get hurt.
We had a blast, I would definitely do it again next year (but with helmets).
* If you are a picky eater or vegetarian, bring some food in your dry bag for lunch. I expected as much and was thankful I planned accordingly.
TIP: Coming from the north, the entrance is a little hard to find, you can easily miss it.

Based on the recommendation of some good friends we took a trip down the Wolf River using Big Smokey Falls Rafting and we were not disappointed. We took the full day trip. They have us park our vehicles at their location and they transport you and your equipment to where their rafts are waiting. You get to raft down the river back to their location. It’s just that easy. The equipment they provided was in good condition and we had a great time.
Let me give you some tips before you go!
1) Bring Cash! I can’t stress this enough. They don’t take credit cards. This almost caused a hitch in our game plan because I didn’t realize that. Fortunately a friend was able to loan me the difference I needed. Also on our trip there were two locations where you can pull out of the river, grab a beer and food (Burgers, brats, chips, etc).
2) Before you get to the first rapids, take time learning how to handle the raft. I’m a canoeist. I’ve never used a raft like these before. They don’t handle the same. It made for some interesting times on the first rapids.
3) Don’t go look at the Big Smokey Falls before you go down the river. It will scare you into pulling out before you go down that drop. If you take this trip, you need to do the falls! I took my wife, our 9 year old and myself in one raft down it while groups of teenagers and twenty somethings pulled out. After they watched us go down they said they wished they had gone. The only problem we had was I was flipped out of the raft because I bumped heads with my son sitting right in front of me.
4) If you can, limit it to two people per raft. Head butting the person in front of you when the raft folds over the rapids is not fun! And accidently hitting the middle person with a paddle on the rapids doesn’t make them happy either!
Great time, definitely worth the trip!
The reason they only get four stars is because they don’t take credit cards in this modern era.