South Carolina whitewater - Catawba River, Chester Lancaster County

Chester Lancaster county, Great Falls section whitewater kayaking, rafting, and paddling information.

 

CLASS III     2 miles
 
This is the currently dewatered stretch of Great Falls, about 2 miles long. The bottom 1.5 miles is drowned by Cedar Creek Reservoir, whose dam is just upstream of Lake Wateree. The average gradient is about 30 feet per mile, and the rapids fairly continuous when there's enough water. Unlike the nearby stretches of the Catawba, this stretch is choked with boulders & contains several islands & multiple channels. Scenery is spectacular, the river coursing through a mini-canyon with granite walls & no development visible from the water. Right now it can
    be run only when the Catawba is very high, after extended periods of heavy rain. A good indicator is the Catawba USGS gauge at Rock Hill (basically the discharge from Lake Wylie Dam). If it's running well over 10,000 c.f.s., there's probably some flow spilling into the Great Falls
run. It needs about 3,000 or 4,000 c.f.s. spilling into the dewatered stretch to be worth running. At these levels it's low class 3. At 10,000 c.f.s. in G.F.(about 20,000 c.f.s. full flow) it's big water class 3-4 & alot of fun. Under the new Catawba/Wateree relicense agreement, there will be (I think) about 28 scheduled releases beginning next year. But it appears that the flows into G.F. will be about 3,000 c.f.s., kind of on the low side. This has great potential as a commercial raft run & play kayaking run if adequate flows can be available (at least  
8,000 c.f.s., preferably 10,000 c.f.s.). There are 2 separate runs, separated by Mountain Island--the 'Long Run' (the top of which is visible from SC 97/200 bridge) and the 'Short Run', which is around the right side of the island. Take-out is at the Stumpy Pond access on Cedar Creek Reservoir. Says Silly Willy

The starting point is not too far from Chester, there's a road map further down the page with more info on that. The Great Falls stretch of Catawba River in South Carolina is 2 miles long and it is classified as a class III section by American Whitewater. The beautiful scenery of Chester Lancaster County and the cool fresh water have people coming here. There aren’t any hotels right nearby but if you're willing to drive a short distance then no problem and if you make reservations in advance you're all set. This is a bit of a short stretch so better bring some good walking shoes. Whitewater rafting and kayaking in South Carolina is often easier than elsewhere, so you'd better keep in mind that many of the sections here are safe for beginners. Getting your paddling muscles activated and a chance to spend some time outdoors have people coming from far and near.

Briefly about the general area:
A visit to Catawba River wouldn't be complete without taking a look at Great Falls of Catawba. The warmest time of the year brings highs in the 80's to Catawba River with nighttime lows in the 60's. The winter comes with highs in the 50's with winter lows in the 30's overnight here at Catawba River. Much rainfall falls at Catawba River; the month with most of the rain is March; the driest of the months is April.

Catawba River, Great Falls road map
Printable road map with the put-in and take-out locations clearly marked.

QUICK STATS
AW Class: III
Length: 2 miles
  
Putin Location Coordinates:
Latitude: 34.59799
Longitude: -80.8919

Takeout Location Coordinates:
Latitude: 34.5418
Longitude: -80.8751

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Current weather conditions at Catawba River, South Carolina
WXPort

Local climate location: WINTHROP COLLEGE 9 miles away


RAFTING TRIP OUTFITTERS

There are no whitewater outfitters currently listed for this river.

Rodeway Inn & Suites, Richburg
9 miles away
All rooms offer refrigerators, coffee makers, irons, ironing boards, hair dryers, 25 inch televisions, HBO, ESPN, 63 cable channels, and free wireless/hard wired high-speed Internet access. Several re...

Best Western Of Lancaster, Lancaster
11 miles away
Located only 10 miles from Andrew Jackson State Park, visitors to this Lancaster, SC hotel can enjoy numerous area attractions while lodging in comfort. Ideally located near many historic interest ar...

Jameson Inn Lancaster, Lancaster
11 miles away
Featuring true Southern Hospitality, Legendary Service, white colonial design, Deluxe Breakfast, clean comfortable rooms, fitness center & sparkling pool. Close to area attractions, you will enjoy the...



OTHER_INFO
  All South Carolina Whitewater
Complete list of all the whitewater paddling spots in South Carolina.
Books about whitewater paddling on Catawba River, South Carolina
List of books from Amazon.com that cover whitewater paddling on Catawba River, South Carolina.
Find a whitewater outfitter in South Carolina

Whitewater Basics
If you're new to whitewater paddling please take a look at this basic whitewater info.
Outdoors Recreation Near Chester, South Carolina
Very comprehensive list of a variety of outdoors recreation in the vicinity of Chester, South Carolina, the metro area neareast to Catawba River. Find info on campgrounds, hiking trails, ski resorts, lakes, beaches, parks, whitewater and more.
 

   

OUTDOORS
These outdoors activities are available near Catawba River.
 Ski Areas Near Catawba River:
Appalachian Mountain, North Carolina , 106 miles away, 365 vertical feet
Hawksnest, North Carolina , 111 miles away, 619 vertical feet
Sugar Mountain, North Carolina , 111 miles away, 1200 vertical feet
Ski Beech, North Carolina , 115 miles away, 830 vertical feet
Wolf Laurel, North Carolina , 137 miles away, 700 vertical feet
Cataloochee, North Carolina , 163 miles away, 740 vertical feet
Scaly Mountain, North Carolina , 170 miles away, 225 vertical feet
Sky Valley, Georgia , 172 miles away, 210 vertical feet
Winterplace, West Virginia , 173 miles away, 603 vertical feet
Ober Gatlinburg, Tennessee , 196 miles away, 600 vertical feet
 Hotels Near Catawba River:
Rodeway Inn & Suites, Richburg , 9 miles away
Best Western Of Lancaster, Lancaster , 11 miles away
Jameson Inn Lancaster, Lancaster , 11 miles away
Travelodge Lancaster, Lancaster , 12 miles away
Richburg-Days Inn, Richburg , 14 miles away
 Camp Grounds Near Catawba River:
Chester State Park, Chester, 1 miles away
Nosoca Pines Ranch, Liberty Hill, 8 miles away
Wateree Lake Campground, Liberty Hill, 8 miles away
 National Parks Near Catawba River:
Congaree Swamp National Monument, Hopkins - SC , 37 miles away
 Lakes Near Catawba River

Outdoors related information copyright © Stratus-Pikpuk, Inc. - Detailed hotel information copyright © Interactive Hotel Solutions
Some content, including Reach Name, Class, and Length, comes from American Whitewater