Summer saturdays in South Carolina are pretty swell. And sweltering. So naturally we wanted to do something fun, refreshing, and cheap. Anytime my dog can come along on an adventure I also have more fun so my pomeranian, Abby, came along for a float down the Catawba River, about 25 miles south of Charlotte, NC.
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This river is named after one of the local Native American tribes in this part of the country and it's a popular tubing and kayaking spot. The river starts where Lake Wylie ends - at the dam. And this is also where most people launch their kayaks, tubes, and other flotation devices.
The river access has limited parking so be prepared to parallel park one of your cars on the side of the narrow road. Your second vehicle (yes, you need two cars unless you want to hitch hike back up the river to get your car after you've floated down) will have an easier time parking at the Riverwalk launching area but it is still congested during peak days and times.
Leave an empty vehicle at Riverwalk in Rock Hill, SC and then pile into your other car with your floatables and head to the Fort Mill River Access at the Lake Wylie Dam, about a 10 minute drive up the river. Don't forget your sunglasses, sun hat, radio, refreshments, sunscreen, and water shoes (there are a lot of rocks and mud). Park the car, load up your kayak, inner tube, raft, and cooler, and hop in the water! You'll most likely be amongst friends as you all calmly float down about 3.5 miles of the Catawba river. Expect the float to take about 3 hours and enjoy the water!
Osprey and blue herons are prevalent and if you bring your fishing rod with some nightcrawlers you'll probably catch a catfish.
There isn't much shade on the river so I brought a beach umbrella and propped it up in my raft so Abby didn't get heat stroke. She was a popular pup on the river and enjoyed being queen of the Catawba for an afternoon.
Once you approach the Pump House restaurant (which has some great local food!) be prepared to paddle to the right bank and get out of the water to retrieve the vehicle you left there. Then you can head back up to the dam parking to get your other car.
There's no fee to park, no fee to get in the river, and you can use anything you have that floats to enjoy this river for the afternoon. And if you're still looking for something to do after you've floated down to Riverwalk, take a walk on their paved trail beside the river, grab a beverage or a small plate snack at the Grapevine (I'll take one iced mint mocha, please!) which is at the start of the trail, or if it's a Friday night, take in a free bike race at the Giordana Velodrome in Riverwalk just up the hill and past the roundabout next to the YMCA!
.The river access has limited parking so be prepared to parallel park one of your cars on the side of the narrow road. Your second vehicle (yes, you need two cars unless you want to hitch hike back up the river to get your car after you've floated down) will have an easier time parking at the Riverwalk launching area but it is still congested during peak days and times.
Leave an empty vehicle at Riverwalk in Rock Hill, SC and then pile into your other car with your floatables and head to the Fort Mill River Access at the Lake Wylie Dam, about a 10 minute drive up the river. Don't forget your sunglasses, sun hat, radio, refreshments, sunscreen, and water shoes (there are a lot of rocks and mud). Park the car, load up your kayak, inner tube, raft, and cooler, and hop in the water! You'll most likely be amongst friends as you all calmly float down about 3.5 miles of the Catawba river. Expect the float to take about 3 hours and enjoy the water!
Once you approach the Pump House restaurant (which has some great local food!) be prepared to paddle to the right bank and get out of the water to retrieve the vehicle you left there. Then you can head back up to the dam parking to get your other car.
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