South Carolina whitewater, Catawba River 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 Whitewater rafting and kayaking in South Carolina is often easier than elsewhere, so keep in mind that many of the rivers in this state are not very demanding. Catawba River, Great Falls road map Printable road map with the put-in and take-out locations clearly marked.     Map Detailed Map Stats Stats for this river stretch Weather Local weather forecast These outdoors activities are available near Catawba River.   Whitewater Near Catawba River: Catawba River, Chester Lancaster County, 2 miles away       Class III - 2 miles long (Great Falls)   Marinas Near Catawba River: Sutton's Landing, Winnsboro , 7 miles away Dutchman Creek Marina, Winnsboro , 8 miles away   Hotels Near Catawba River: Quality Inn Lancaster, Lancaster , 11 miles away Super 8 Lancaster, Lancaster , 11 miles away Days Inn Lancaster, Lancaster , 12 miles away Days Inn Richburg, Richburg , 14 miles away Econo Lodge Richburg, Richburg , 14 miles away   Campgrounds Near Catawba River: Chester State Park, Chester, 1 miles away Wateree Lake Campground, Liberty Hill, 8 miles away Lake Wateree State Recreation Area, Winnsboro, 8 miles away   Public Lands Near Catawba River: Congaree Swamp National Monument, Hopkins - SC , 37 miles away Lake Wateree State Park, South Carolina , 8 miles away Landsford Canal State Park, South Carolina , 12 miles away Andrew Jackson State Park, South Carolina , 16 miles away   Golf Courses Near Catawba River: Lancaster Golf Club, Lancaster , 9 miles away Pinetuck Golf Club, Rock Hill , 17 miles away Chester Golf Club, Chester , 20 miles away   Lakes Near Catawba River Fishing Creek Lake, Chester , 1 miles away Lake Wateree, Kershaw , 18 miles away