Great Falls Whitewater Park

Great Falls Whitewater Park in South Carolina is a dream coming true. For over 20 years, the American Whitewater Association and its partners have been designing a plan to restore sections of the Catawba river. The first part is complete with a bypass river channel and the Nitrolee Access boat ramp. The boat ramp is a new facility with bathrooms and spots for about 100 cars. It’s almost a mile up river in Fisherman’s Creek. (A fair bit of flatwater paddling to get to the whitewater.) The Long Bypass River Channel (LBR) now is in place giving access to a section of river that has not been available for 100 years. The LBR replaces the former divergent dam that was here. The LBR has two passages including the “Paper Clip” with nine Class 2 drops and waves. This is considered the safe boater passage. This passage is marked by green pillars. Laps can be run here with a short hike back to the top via the concrete walk way. It’a a pretty perfect place to learn and train. The river-left side (main passage) has a few big and meaty waves. It is marked with red pillars. Signs advise not to run this part of the LBR. Sharp shallow rocks patrol the river here, and the central pour-over feature may have a retentive hole at the bottom of it. Note, as of March 2023, the runout for the LBR goes through ledgy rapids populated by trees. Strainer and sweeper hazards are significant. The Stumpy Cove boat ramp is the official take-out a few miles of flatwater past this area. As such, the Paper Clip is the destiation for now for most paddlers looking for laps. In the coming years, there will be a Short Passage closer to the town of Great Falls with more whitewater options. Take a look at American Whitewater’s site for more info: This videa highlights the Paperclip and the LBRC runout. Thanks for watching. Get a Hala Paddle Board: My site is Instagram: Twitter: FB Page: (but rarely on FB these days)