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A Season to Remember: Crazy Horse Celebrates Wayne County’s 2026 Tourist Destination of the Year Award
We had no idea it was coming prior to our arrival. On October 15, at the Wayne County Chamber of Commerce’s Wings Over Wayne County Annual Awards Dinner & Celebration in Clifton City Park, my husband Jesse and I were surprised to hear Crazy Horse Recreational Park named the chamber’s 2026 Tourist Destination of the Year. The award recognizes the most visited place in the county, and it’s a humbling way to close out the 2026 season.
The plaque thanks us for being the community’s front-runner outdoor recreational destination, “welcoming thousands of visitors through your doors.” We take that literally. Every one of those visitors walks through the door of our office, and every one of them is the reason we’re here. Thank you to the Wayne County Chamber of Commerce for the honor, to our staff for the work they put in every season, and most of all to the paddlers, campers, and families who keep choosing to come back to the Buffalo River year after year.
A special thank-you to Martha Skelton Kelly, Wayne County Chamber Director. Martha grew up on her family’s farm on the Buffalo River just down the road, and she’s been a lifelong fan of it ever since. Having someone who loves this river leading the chamber means a lot to those of us who make our living on it.
Crazy Horse has been family-owned for more than 35 years. My parents invested their lives into it, and today Jesse and I run it alongside my brother and sister-in-law, with Mom and Dad still coming and going when they want to. For most of those years, the business has grown the same way: one happy paddler telling the next.
The stretch of the Buffalo River we're located on is what is commonly referred to as "the sweet spot". It has towering limestone bluffs to float beneath, rope swings, caves, a waterfall, bald eagles overhead, prize small mouth bass, and an abundance of other wildlife. The river keeps a steady flow with it's east to west movement, making it an ideal float rather than a flat-water drift like it can be when the river shifts north and loses much of it's natural current. We keep 600+ canoes and 900+ kayaks ready, and there’s no reservation needed to float or camp. Show up and we’ll get you on the water. If you’d rather stay awhile, we have 9 cabins, 9 lodge rooms, and two large campgrounds equipped with 3 separate shower and restroom facilities, plus a camp store for anything you forgot.
An asset like this gives back to an entire community. When visitors float with us, they also eat in Waynesboro, Clifton, and Collinwood. They shop for groceries, buy gas, visit the boutiques, and explore everything else Wayne County and neighboring counties have to offer. We’re proud to be one stop of the bigger story that helps contribute to the greatness of our community and state, and we’re glad to see it get more attention.
This year also marked a milestone for the river itself. We were honored to attend the land dedication for the new Buffalo River State Park. It was a beautiful day with a great turnout, including state employees who have been working diligently on the project, local officials, and neighbors from both Wayne and Perry Counties, all of whom are looking forward to what the park will mean for their communities. The park is located just a short 5-mile drive away from our office and approximately 7 miles downstream from us. It is not currently open to the public, but it is expected to open in the coming months. The state park will give more people a reason to discover this part of Tennessee, and we couldn’t be happier. For 35 years, our family has watched people fall in love with this river one float at a time, and we’re looking forward to welcoming even more of them. Whether you’re visiting the Buffalo River State Park or just paddling the river, we’ll be here to help get you on the water.
Our regular 2026 season wraps up at the end of October, and after that we’re available by appointment only. We’ll be back daily beginning April 1. In the meantime, you can begin planning your 2027 float, camping trip, or cabin stay at crazyhorsecanoe.com, and come see everything the Buffalo River has to offer for yourself.
