Site near Bryson City voted top 10 in two outdoor adventure categories: Why it's special

Western North Carolina has made appearances on summer-related USA TODAY 10Best readers choice awards yet again, earning spots on three lists of best 2024 adventure tours.

Results released June 5 include Best Adventure Tour Operator, Best Aerial Adventure Park, Best White Water Rafting Tour and more. Candidates for 10Best lists are chosen by expert panels and voted on by readers to determine the final top 10 for each list.

Here are the WNC choices this time around, information on each winner and more.

More: Will northern lights be visible in NC this week? Conditions favorable for auroa borealis: What to know

Best Adventure Tour Operator

Nantahala Outdoor Center in Bryson City ranked eighth in this voting. The 10Best story detailed NOC's opening in 1972 as a rafting tour company, and expansion beyond the rivers of N.C. including tours from southern Iceland to the Zambezi river. Adventure tour operators offering outdoor activities like hiking, biking, rafting, kayaking and more were chosen for voter consideration.

Though the company now operates internationally, 10Best praised its domestic adventures for showcasing rafting opportunities across the Southern U.S. Apart from rafting, the company offers a variety of adventurous options such as zip lining, mountain biking, tubing and more.

10Best Readers' Choice Awards for Adventure Tour Operator

1. Wild Women Expeditions (Corner Brook, Newfoundland)

2. WHOA Travel (New York, New York)

3. Explorer Chick Adventure Co. (Cincinnati, Ohio)

4. Adventure Canada (Mississauga, Ontario)

5. Stubborn Mule Travel (Ipswich, United Kingdom)

6. Bindlestiff Tours (Las Vegas, Nevada)

7. MT Sobek (Emeryville, California)

8. Nantahala Outdoor Center (Bryson City, North Carolina)

9. Thomson Safaris (Watertown, Massachusetts)

10. Intrepid Travel (Toronto, Ontario)

More: Charlotte the stingray is no longer pregnant: Team ECCO issues statement

Best Aerial Adventure Park

The Gorge Zipline in Saluda ranked eighth on this list. It earned the spot for living up to its self-billed descriptors: steep, fast and beautiful. Aerial parks with zip lines, rope bridges and climbing elements were chosen by experts for voting.

The Gorge Zipline is actually comprised of 11 zip lines in total, over a mile of aerial fun with a total descent of over 1,100 vertical feet. For good measure, the course in Saluda also features a sky bridge and three rappels.

10Best Aerial Adventure Parks

1. Botanical World Adventures (Hakalau, Hawaii)

2. The Adventure Park at Sandy Spring (Sandy Spring, Maryland)

3. RYZE Adventure Park (Maryland Heights, Missouri)

4. Lake Geneva Ziplines & Adventures (Lake Geneva, Wisconsin)

5. Aerie's Resort (Grafton, Illinois)

6. Cocoa Beach Aerial Adventures (Cape Canaveral, Florida)

7. Flying Rabbit Adventures (Greenville, South Carolina)

8. The Gorge Zipline (Saluda, North Carolina)

9. TreeUmph! Adventure Course (Bradenton, Florida)

10. ZipZone Outdoor Adventures (Columbus, Ohio)

More: Hidden gems: How many WNC towns are among an 'underappreciated' 10 in North Carolina?

Best White Water Rafting Tour

Nantahala Outdoor Center placed slightly higher for its white water rafting options in particular, coming in at seventh in this voting. Experts submitted choices for voters with "exciting itineraries, variety of options, and well-trained guides." Appalachia was praised for its variety of options, with NOC chosen as one of the best.

The 10Best entry on NOC's rafting opportunities praised the company for its variety of options. Though Bryson City's Nantahala River hosts the company's main headquarters, the list also mentioned added bases on the Pigeon River, French Broad River and other locations, allowing for thrilling excursions all across the Southeast.

10Best White Water Rafting Tours

1. Mild to Wild Rafting & Jeep Tours (Durango, Colorado)

2. Northwest Rafting Company (Hood River, Oregon)

3. Pocono Whitewater Rafting (Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania)

4. Downstream Adventures Rafting (Empire, Colorado)

5. Rivers & Oceans (Flagstaff, Arizona)

6. Glacier Guides and Montana Raft (West Glacier, Montana)

7. Nantahala Outdoor Center (Bryson City, North Carolina)

8. ACE Adventure Resort (Oak Hill, West Virginia)

9. Wilderness Voyageurs (Ohiopyle, Pennsylavnia)

10. Hells Canyon Raft (McCall, Idaho)

More: Best waterfalls in Western NC: See the tallest, falls with short hikes, swimming holes

Iris Seaton is the trending news reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Nantahala Outdoor Center, Gorge Zipline among best outdoor adventures