Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2015 - 45

asheville, north
carolina
The scenic French Broad River,
which runs right through
Asheville, is the city's most popular place to SUP, according to
Anna Levesque, an ACA-certified
SUP instructor, registered yoga
teacher and the owner of Mind
Body Paddle and Girls at Play.
Levesque's favorite route involves
paddling upstream on the French
Broad from Hominy Creek Park up
to the Biltmore Estate and then
doing yoga on the way back
downriver.

"It's a great workout and a beautiful
stretch of river," she says. Levesque leads
SUP yoga classes, guided tours, and
whitewater workshops on the French
Broad River.
Mind Body Paddle: mindbodypaddle.com; 828-333-4482
Girls at Play: watergirlsatplay.
com; 828-333-4482
Asheville Convention and Visitors
Bureau: exploreasheville.com;
828-258-6129

Fayetteville, West Virginia
Fayetteville has long been a destination for whitewater rafters, and
there's plenty of action for paddle
boarders in the area as well. While
nearby Summersville Lake is a flatwater paddling paradise, more
experienced paddlers can hone
their SUP skills by surfing worldclass rapids and "river waves" on
the New and Gauley rivers. River
waves are created when water pours
over something like a large boulder,
creating a dip, explains Melanie
Seiler, an American Canoe
Association-certified SUP instructor
and the ACA's state director for
West Virginia.

"You can surf back and forth across
that dip, that wave, until you fall off,"
she says.
Adventures on the Gorge:
adventuresonthegorge.com;
855-379-8738
Fayetteville Convention and
Visitors Bureau: visitfayettevillewv.
com; 304-574-1500

Georgia: Indulge your inner explorer with an
excursion on Lake Blue Ridge or the Toccoa River.

spencer cooke/girls at play

Asheville: Flatwater pools on the French
Broad River are an ideal place for beginners.

annette mcauley

Just outside the city of Blue Ridge,
crystal-clear waters and lush scenery draw paddlers to Lake Blue
Ridge, where 65 miles of shoreline
- 80 percent of which are in the
Chattahoochee National Forest -
await exploration.
"You get a completely unhampered mountain view," says Chris
Tilghman, owner of Surf Blue
Ridge. "And we have absolutely
gorgeous sunsets." Besides offering
SUP rentals, Tilghman leads lessons and excursions including
guided fishing trips, botanical
hikes, and sunset sessions on Lake
Blue Ridge and the Toccoa River
that feeds it.
Surf Blue Ridge: surfblueridge-sup.
com; 706-889-8747
Fannin County Chamber of
Commerce and Welcome Center:
blueridgemountains.com;
1-800-899-6867

courtesy of fannin county chamber of commerce

lake blue ridge, Georgia

Smith Mountain Lake: Explore quiet coves
nestled along Smith Mountain Lake's shoreline.

smith Mountain lake,
Virginia
Known as the "Jewel of the Blue
Ridge," Smith Mountain Lake features more than 500 miles of
shoreline and covers more than
20,000 acres that are prime for
paddling.
"It's not like a giant lake where
you can barely see the other side
either," says Tim McAuley, an ACAcertified SUP instructor and owner
of the Soul Surfer School. "It's
shaped almost like fingers, so there
are a lot of different areas and coves
to explore." McAuley offers SUP
rentals and lessons on the lake.
Soul Surfer School: facebook.com/
soulsurferschool; 949-510-5937
Smith Mountain Lake Boat
Rentals: smlboatrentals.com;
540-484-3980
Roanoke Valley Convention and
Visitors Bureau: visitroanokeva.com;
540-342-6025 
July/August 2015 45

http://www.surfblueridge-sup.com http://www.surfblueridge-sup.com http://www.blueridgemountains.com http://www.facebook.com/soulsurferschool http://www.facebook.com/soulsurferschool http://www.mindbodypaddle.com http://www.mindbodypaddle.com http://www.smlboatrentals.com http://www.adventuresonthegorge.com http://www.watergirlsatplay.com http://www.watergirlsatplay.com http://www.exploreasheville.com http://www.visitroanokeva.com http://www.visitfayettevillewv.com http://www.visitfayettevillewv.com

Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2015

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