Things to Do › Outdoors and Hiking › Paddling and Kayaking
8 South Carolina paddling routes and launches, with put-ins, lengths and permits as the managing agency states them.
- Routes8rivers, lakes, creeks
- CheckedOct 262026
- Sources8agency pages
- RentalsSee pageask the operator
Routes
Edisto River Canoe and Kayak Trail (ERCK)
Lowcountry; Colleton State Park to Givhans Ferry State Park source
- Length
- SC State Parks: 23 miles of slow-moving river connecting Givhans Ferry and Colleton state parks; Colleton page says 23 miles of water. Whole trail: SC State Parks 'Three canoe trails' story says up to 62 miles; the ERCK Trail Commission site says 62-mile; SC State Parks rivers page says a 56-mile stretch. Figures differ by source.
- Put-ins
- Colleton State Park and Givhans Ferry State Park; trail commission site lists access sites (list not read).
- Permits and fees
- Colleton State Park: free admission; no separate river or trail fees listed.
- Notes
- Colleton is headquarters for the trail; 25 full-service campsites and one camper cabin; park open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. Trail Commission phone 843-538-8206.
Cedar Creek Canoe Trail (Congaree National Park)
Midlands, Richland County area source
- Length
- NPS: approximately 15 miles from Bannister's Bridge to the Congaree River. Trip ideas page: Bannister's Bridge to Cedar Creek Landing approximately 6.2 miles, 4-6 hours; Cedar Creek to Route 601 Landing approximately 20 miles, 12-14 hours, best as an overnight trip needing a backcountry camping permit.
- Put-ins
- Bannister's Bridge Landing, South Cedar Creek Landing, Route 601 Landing
- Permits and fees
- Park entrance free. Page mentions no permit for day paddlers; overnight needs a backcountry camping permit.
- Notes
- Park does not rent canoes or kayaks. Guided ~3-hour tours through outfitters meeting at South Cedar Creek Landing (Palmetto Outdoor, J.K. Adventure Guides, Carolina Outdoor Adventures). Flood stage on Cedar Creek is 8 feet; levels can fluctuate as much as 10 feet; downed trees and log jams common; markers may not be visible depending on water level.
Lake Jocassee (Devils Fork State Park)
Upstate, Oconee/Pickens source
- Length
- Not applicable (lake)
- Put-ins
- Devils Fork State Park boat ramps (things-to-do page says four ramps; main park page says three)
- Permits and fees
- Daily park admission applies to launch: $8 adults; $5 SC seniors; $4 children 6-15; 5 and under free; free on Tuesdays. Valid SC fishing license required for fishing.
- Notes
- Canoe, kayak, pontoon and SUP rentals on site by Eclectic Sun (prices not published on the page). No boat docked more than one hour. Lake levels change often. No roped swimming area or lifeguards.
Lower Saluda Scenic River
Midlands, Lexington and Richland counties source
- Length
- About 10 miles of the Saluda River from below Lake Murray Dam to the Broad River confluence; designated State Scenic River in 1991
- Put-ins
- Hope Ferry Landing (public boat ramp, via Corley Mill Road); Saluda Shoals Park (two boat ramps and a canoe launch; admission fees apply); Gardendale (carry-in boats only, about 3.5 miles downstream of Hope Ferry)
- Permits and fees
- Saluda Shoals Park admission fees apply; others not stated
- Notes
- SCDNR says Mill Race Rapids should be portaged; major rapids up to Class IV downstream of the we-26 bridge; water about 60 F; flows can change within a couple of hours due to Lake Murray dam releases (400 to 20,000 cubic feet per second); wear life jackets. Public access from Riverbanks Zoo parking lots is no longer provided.
Southeast Coast Saltwater Paddling Trail, Section 6: Georgetown to Socastee (lower Pee Dee and Waccamaw)
Pee Dee / Grand Strand source
- Put-ins
- Not labeled as put-ins. The page lists places of interest with coordinates, including Waccamaw River Blueway, Samworth WMA, Waccamaw National Refuge, Brookgreen Gardens, Huntington Beach State Park, Murrells Inlet, Sandy Island, Garden City and Socastee.
- Permits and fees
- None listed
- Notes
- Route includes a portion of the Waccamaw River Blue Trail and enters the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway canal at Socastee. SCDNR publishes a PDF map for the section.
Southeast Coast Saltwater Paddling Trail, Section 2: Beaufort to Edisto Island (ACE Basin)
Lowcountry source
- Put-ins
- Not labeled as put-ins. Places of interest listed with coordinates: St. Helena Sound, ACE Basin NERR, Bear Island WMA, Ernest F. Hollings ACE Basin NWR, Edisto Beach, Edisto Island, Edisto Beach State Park.
- Permits and fees
- None listed
- Notes
- Trail passes through St. Helena Sound and the Ashepoo, Edisto and Combahee (ACE) rivers and enters the ACE Basin National Estuarine Research Reserve. Full route is on a PDF map.
Hunting Island State Park (Harbor River / Fripp Inlet Ramp)
Lowcountry, Beaufort area source
- Length
- Not applicable
- Put-ins
- Public boat ramp at the south end of the park, giving access to Harbor River and Fripp Inlet
- Permits and fees
- Park admission $8 adults; $5 SC seniors; $4 children 6-15; 5 and under free
- Notes
- Page lists paddling as available but gives no kayak rules; fishing in Johnson Creek, the lagoon or surf. Swimming at own risk, no lifeguards. A 950-foot pier extends into Fripp Inlet.
Small state park canoe trails (South Fork Edisto at Aiken State Park; N.R. Goodale Canoe Trail)
Aiken County; Kershaw County area (Goodale State Park) source
- Length
- South Fork Edisto River Trail 1.7 miles point-to-point between two canoe landings (Aiken State Park); N.R. Goodale Canoe Trail 3 miles out-and-back starting on Adams Mill Pond
- Put-ins
- Two canoe landings (Aiken); Adams Mill Pond (Goodale)
- Notes
- Rentals available at some parks; check each park. SC State Parks paddling page also lists the Little River Blueway Adventure Area (50 miles of paddling trails including Hickory Knob, Baker Creek, Hamilton Branch and Calhoun Falls state parks) and notes 'Not all parks allow private boats'.
What We Could Not Confirm
Not confirmed: we looked for these on official pages and did not find them. Check with the town or operator before you rely on them.
- Falls Park on the Reedy (Greenville): hours, fees, parking and dog rules not found on any official page (greenvillesc.gov pages had no usable text; visitgreenvillesc.com listing gave only visitor-center hours). The 7 a.m.-9 p.m. figure and free 2-hour street parking appeared only in unofficial summary of third-party sites and were not used.
- Twin Falls (Pickens County / Eastatoe), Falls Creek Falls, Big Bradley Falls, Poinsett Bridge, Long Creek Falls, Wildcat Branch trail beyond Visit Greenville: no read official page; left out.
- Waterfall county names were included only where a page states them (Wildcat Wayside, Reedy River Falls, Issaqueena, Chau Ram); the rest are null.
- Coordinates: only Whitewater Falls (Forest Service page) prints coordinates; SC State Parks pages give street addresses only.
- Jones Gap Trail length not printed on the park page; Jones Gap trails sub-page did not load for us. Caesars Head trails page lists no per-trail lengths. Table Rock page lists trail lengths on /table-rock/trails only.
- Lake Keowee and Lake Murray paddling access: DNR Keowee regulations page covers fishing rules only; no official access list read.
- Hunting Island lagoon kayaking: page says only that paddling is available and fishing in the lagoon is allowed; no lagoon paddling rules.
- Spanish Moss Trail total length and dog rules: not on pages read (Beaufort County news release and spanishmosstrail.com). unofficial summary quoted about 10 built miles / 16 planned, from a county plan not read.
- Swamp Rabbit Trail: county page says 32 miles; City of Greenville page returned no length. Other sources quoted 25-28 miles; not used.
- Cowpens National Battlefield trails: NPS hiking URL did not load for us; left out.
- Free fishing days: no statement found on dnr.sc.gov licensing, general license or purchase pages.
- Hunting note: the WMA regulation page does not say whether it applies to hikers on all WMA lands, only to 'all users' during deer season on WMA land; check the specific WMA page.
- Sea turtle penalty amounts: the SCDNR page lists none; the May 1-Oct 31 exact dates and $25,000 penalty appeared only in an unofficial summary and were not used.
- Fall color: no official page states a peak window for the Upstate specifically; the only timing statements are statewide (mid-October to early November) and 'mountains in mid to late October'.
- Conflicts left visible: Edisto trail length (23 / 56 / 62 miles by source and portion), Raven Cliff Falls hike length (2 mi one way / 4 mi / 4.4 mi / 6.6 mi), Rainbow Falls (2.2 vs 2.3 miles one way vs 5 mi round trip), Whitewater Falls parking fee ($3 Forest Service vs $2 Foothills Trail Conference), Devils Fork boat ramps (three vs four).
- Palmetto Trail: number of passages not stated; home page says 416 miles completed while the about page gives no completed mileage; palmettotrail.org/trails list did not load.
Sources
- Edisto River Canoe and Kayak Trail (ERCK)
- Cedar Creek Canoe Trail (Congaree National Park)
- Lake Jocassee (Devils Fork State Park)
- Lower Saluda Scenic River
- Southeast Coast Saltwater Paddling Trail, Section 6: Georgetown to Socastee (lower Pee Dee and Waccamaw)
- Southeast Coast Saltwater Paddling Trail, Section 2: Beaufort to Edisto Island (ACE Basin)
- Hunting Island State Park (Harbor River / Fripp Inlet ramp)
- Small state park canoe trails (South Fork Edisto at Aiken State Park; N.R. Goodale Canoe Trail)
Read on October 26, 2026. How we check: editorial standards; spot a mistake? Tell us.
Cite this page: It's South Carolina, “Paddling and Kayaking in South Carolina”, itssouthcarolina.com/things-to-do/outdoors-and-hiking/paddling-and-kayaking-in-south-carolina/ (updated ). By the It's South Carolina editorial team. Free to quote with attribution and a link to this page; data and tables are licensed CC BY 4.0.