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 This section of Catawba River in South Carolina is 2 miles long and it is classified as a class III section by American Whitewater. Whitewater rafting and kayaking spots in this state tend to be more forgiving than the national average, so keep in mind that quite a few of the sections here are pretty easy. The wonderful South Carolina scenery and the water flowing gracefully down Catawba River make the trip here worthwhile. The Great Falls stretch is the only paddling stretch along Catawba River. Not too many hotels nearby, you'll have to drive a bit to get to one, but you'd better reserve in advance because these hotels fill up quick. There are campgrounds quite near the river where you can camp. The starting point is not too far from Chester, as you can see on the road map further down. Getting some good exercise and a chance to spend some time outdoors are great reasons to come. This section is quite short so better bring some good walking shoes. Briefly about the general area: Great Falls of Catawba is a picturesque location to go to while you're at Catawba River. Throughout the summer here at Catawba River, high temperatures commonly get into the 80's; during summer nights temperatures are in the 60's. All through the winter highs are in the 50's, and overnight lows at Catawba River throughout the wintertime generally fall into the 30's. The high level of precipitation makes Catawba River a pretty wet spot; March is when you get the most rain here, and the driest month 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 Paddler input for Catawba River, South Carolina: Submit Input: Your Name: Write or Paste Input here: Upload picture:      Input Submission Guidelines Current weather conditions at Catawba River, South Carolina 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... 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... Travelodge Lancaster, Lancaster 12 miles away #NAME?...   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.       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 Jameson Inn Lancaster, Lancaster , 11 miles away Travelodge Lancaster, Lancaster , 12 miles away Super 8 Lancaster, Lancaster , 13 miles away Richburg-Days Inn, Richburg , 14 miles away   Camp Grounds Near Catawba River: Chester State Park, Chester, 1 miles away Wateree Lake Campground, Liberty Hill, 8 miles away Landsford Canal State Park, Catawba, 12 miles away   National Parks Near Catawba River: Congaree Swamp National Monument, Hopkins - SC , 37 miles away   Lakes Near Catawba River