About Whitewater

Whitewater is an outdoor lifestyle brand centered on the promotion, protection, and management of resources supporting access to recreational experiences. Whitewater’s mission is to facilitate access to this lifestyle by lowering barriers and inspiring people to engage.  This mission is rooted in the belief that all human beings share a genetic code that compels us to play outside.

The U.S. National Whitewater Center, Inc., a North Carolina 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, began promoting access to the outdoors through the Whitewater brand and the Whitewater Center facility beginning in 2001. Whitewater currently programs and operates the following locations:

  • Whitewater Center, a 1,300-acre outdoor center on the Catawba River outside Charlotte, NC.
  • Whitewater Pisgah, located in the Pisgah National Forest of the North Carolina mountains.
  • Whitewater Santee, located in the Francis Marion National Forest region of South Carolina between the Cooper and Santee Rivers.
  • Whitewater Grayson, located in southwest Virginia’s Grayson Highlands.

This network of locations provides accessibility to a variety of the best recreational activities within the southeastern United States, including whitewater and flatwater paddling, climbing, running, cycling, hiking, fishing, and more.  Whitewater offers accommodations, instruction, guiding services, equipment, and various hospitality services to support engagement in each region. Furthermore, Whitewater programs numerous festivals, events, and competitions on a recurring basis centered around these active pursuits.

Whitewater’s goal of facilitation also includes the delivery of inspirational content through films, online resources, and articles to extend engagement opportunities beyond physical locations. Included in these resources is the mapping website Gravelmap, an online resource featuring hundreds of thousands of miles of gravel routes across six continents. Gravelmap communicates access opportunities in the gravel cycling space at Whitewater locations and beyond. These various forms of content allow the public to identify with the outdoors and maintain a constant connection with the benefits of active pursuits, including in-person opportunities at Whitewater locations and beyond to bring people together outside.