Wrong Way River Lodge & Cabins, the Asheville, N.C., cabin campground opened by two former whitewater raft guides, and Uproar Concept have announced the return of RISE: A Fly Fishing Festival, taking place Saturday, September 26. The one-day festival celebrates the resiliency of the French Broad River community and its stewards: guides, outfitters, anglers, paddlers, and conservation advocates. A portion of proceeds will benefit RiverLink, a local nonprofit celebrating 40 years promoting the environmental and economic vitality of the French Broad River and its watershed.
The festival was born in 2025, gathering 300 attendees and raising $7,000 to celebrate the community’s resiliency one year after Hurricane Helene. In year two, organizers are planning around the theme of “RISE Together,” building on the awareness, advocacy, and connection that were catalyzed by the disaster.
Wrong Way Campground (9 Midnight Drive on Amboy Road), an outdoor A-frame hotel in the river corridor, hosts RISE from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the event is free and open to the public. The property takes its name from the French Broad itself, one of the few rivers in the country that flows from south to north.
Activities for novices and experts alike include casting and fly-tying competitions, kid-friendly programming, raffles, an artist market, and gear pop-ups from outfitter partners Davidson River Outfitters, Hunter Banks, and Headwaters Outfitters. Attendees will find live music in the Wrong Way Meadow along with food and drinks from the Chop Shop Butchery and featured local breweries.
The festival’s signature is the Fish Flash Tattoo Studio, set up in Wrong Way’s River Lodge, where multiple local tattoo artists will offer river-centric flash designs in varying artistic styles.
“RISE continues to celebrate the Asheville fly fishing community,” says Shelton Steele, RISE co-founder and Wrong Way Campground co-owner. “In Year Two of this festival, we’re focusing on the regenerative growth of the French Broad watershed as we continue to revitalize, heal, and improve this river ecosystem. Our fishing community will raise a glass to this river that brings so much joy.”
Confirmed sponsors as of June include the NC Outdoor Economy Office, Explore Asheville and the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority, Free Fly, Blue Ridge Boatworks, Land O Sky Trout Unlimited, artist Greg Vaeth, Food for Adventures, and Fixed Line Appalachia.
September in Asheville is proof of the city’s revival. After RISE, the Outdoor Media Summit will bring hundreds of outdoor media and marketers to town September 28–30.
Announcements about tattoo artists, programming, exhibitors, and sponsors will be made @risefishfest, and you can join the RISE email list at risefishfest.com. 
Stay and Play: Wrong Way River Lodge & Cabins
The host property is Asheville’s only outdoor-centered hotel, an urban cabin campground on the French Broad River Greenway in West Asheville, opened in September 2022 by Steele and co-owner Joe Balcken. The former raft guides came up with the idea after career paths in healthcare and the brewing industry, over a shared desire to get back on the river and encourage others to connect with the outdoors. Sixteen A-frame cabins built into the landscape give guests a basecamp for Asheville at the intersection of urban and the outdoors, and the communal two-story River Lodge anchors the property as a place to eat, drink, gather, and shop.
The Wrong Way name also reflects the owners’ unconventional approach to traditional concepts, and the property pulls the best qualities from several traditional lodging types: the simplicity and nostalgia of campgrounds, the comfort and professionalism of hotels, the efficiency and originality of Airbnbs, and the curated experiences of resorts.
The most loved amenities are the simplest ones. Instead of TVs, guests find communal campfires, record players, hammocks, books, board games, kettles, and “cabin coffee.” Inside the River Lodge, the Canteen, named after the nostalgic summer camp outpost for supplies, stocks a curated selection of coffee, snacks, pastries, beverages, local craft beer, outdoor gear, and souvenirs, and is open to both guests and the public. For groups, a 1,200-square-foot event space called The Eddy accommodates a seated dinner of 36 or a standing party of 50 with a dedicated patio, and an eight-person conference room, The Boardroom, is available for smaller meetings. The property’s experience program offers owner-curated local activities, including outdoor adventures and opportunities to volunteer.
The design approach combines Scandinavian minimalism with Appalachian warmth, a style the owners call “Scappalachian.” Per the BCA Architecture design team, the interiors integrate “rustic, worn, handed-down elements of Appalachian craftsmanship” with “simplistic, clean, and minimal lines found in Nordic design,” creating “a place of solace between adventures.” Local craftsmen finished the space, including iconic animal sculptures by woodworker Ben Grant and reclaimed wood countertops by Julian Harris of JF Kraftworks.
Wrong Way sits in the Amboy Adventure Corridor, an unofficial activity district along Amboy Road with the highest density of outdoor-centered businesses and amenities in Asheville, including the French Broad River and Greenway, Karen Cragnolin Park, and Amboy River Park. The property is within easy biking or rideshare distance of the shops, studios, restaurants, and pubs of Haywood Road, the River Arts District, and downtown, closer to the Biltmore Estate entrance than the Biltmore Mansion is, and six miles from the Blue Ridge Parkway and Pisgah National Forest. Wrong Way is also a sustainable development actively contributing to the city’s river corridor revitalization, alongside other new businesses that have replaced big polluters in this historically industrial part of town.
Rates depend on the season, ranging from $150–$350 per night for standard A-frame cabins and $175–$375 for deluxe cabins. Wrong Way accommodates one-night stays except on weekends, which require a two-night minimum, and a selection of cabins is pet-friendly with a non-refundable $30-per-night fee per pet.