Smoky Mountain Outdoors, Hartford, TN -

Smoky Mountain Outdoors can be found in the quaint town of Hartford, Tennessee, right outside the Smoky Mountain National Park. Our rafting company, and riverside staff housing, stretch along one mile of the Pigeon River. We are centrally located 45mins to an hour from Asheville, NC, Knoxville, TN and Gatlinburg, TN.

Smoky Mountain Outdoors (SMO)has a long-standing record of training great raft guides. Over the past 25 years we have trained hundreds of guides, many of whom have continued to guide on other rivers both nationally and internationally.

Our Raft Guide School is a free program paid for by SMO. As someone who is interested in becoming a whitewater river guide you may have noticed that some companies offer their own programs, but at a high cost. Our Raft Guide School is designed to be affordable, with a full-time guide positioned offered to those who excel and pass the course.

The only cost SMO requests is the price of your river equipment, which we sell to you. Once you buy the equipment, it is yours to keep. We do our best to make it extremely affordable and we recommend shopping around online to compare cost.

We have a diverse, fun-loving staff of 80 rafts guides and growing. Most guides are in their early twenties, others bring years of river experience to the staff. SMO guides are a tight-knit group, who not only live and work together but spend their time off together as well.

Benefits & Activities:

Several free employee exchange programs with tourism companies in the area including mountain biking, zip-lining and amusement parks.
Organized rafting trips to other rivers in the area.
Activities such as kayaking, canoeing, rafting and more.

Meals: Meals plans are not provided, however there is a weekly staff dinner organized.
Housing: We provide on-site, riverside housing, to all guides. Our accommodations vary and are comfortable.
Staff size: 80
Seasons: Spring, Summer and Fall
Positions: