Skip to content

Random Connections

A collection of photography and exploration focusing on Upstate South Carolina and beyond.

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Photos
  • Resources
  • Other Voices
  • Post Archives
  • Podcast
  • Home
  • Paddling
  • From Buzzards Roost to Chappells

From Buzzards Roost to Chappells

Posted on May 31, 2011 By Tom 14 Comments on From Buzzards Roost to Chappells
Paddling

Saluda River Paddle-24

With the long weekend I felt the need to hit the water. The challenge was to find a paddling venue that was relatively close, doable without killing the entire day, and not over-run by Memorial Day crowds. We found the perfect location on the Saluda River, below the Lake Greenwood Dam.

Our plans were for an 8-mile stretch of the river from Buzzards Roost at Highway 34 to the Highway 39 bridge at Chappells. I was a bit concerned about river access. I knew there was parking and river access at Buzzard’s Roost, but I couldn’t find any info about Chappells. All my resources indicated that it would be a throw-in, at best. Fortunately, Dave was able to do some advanced scouting, and concluded that it would be a challenge, but doable. We decided to go for it.

Dave, Alan, and I rendezvoused at Alan’s house early Monday morning and we headed on down. Our first stop was at the take-out at Chappells. A steep, rutted dirt road lead down to the river, and it looked like there was adequate parking, assuming one had four-wheel drive and could get down the initial hill. The bank down to the river did look steep, but not insurmountable. We decided to put all of the kayaks in my truck and leave Dave’s Land Rover at the take-out.

The shuttle for the trip was only about 3 miles. While the road goes east-west, the river takes a deep dip southward. Before we knew it we had arrived at the Highway 34 bridge and the area known as Buzzards Roost. The dam forming Lake Greenwood was completed in 1940 and was referred to as the Buzzards Roost Project. The name has been around much longer than the lake, but I haven’t been able to find any history on it.

Buzzards Roost Gates

On the north side of Highway 34 there are two parking areas, one on either side of the river. Unfortunately, there is a 200-300 yard hike to get down to the river. However, we had connections. Dave works for Duke Power and one of his colleagues, George, was on call. He opened the gates onto Duke property, allowing us to drive right down to the river and offload the boats. Once unloaded, I drove the truck on back to the public parking area.

Saluda River PaddleSaluda River Paddle-3Saluda River Paddle-1Saluda River Paddle-2

By 10:30 we were under way. We paddled upstream toward the dam first. There were lots of fishermen in the area, and the eponymous buzzards were all over the place.

Saluda River Paddle-4Saluda River Paddle-7

Water levels were quite good. The dam has 3 power tubines, and according to George one was running today. Apparently this stretch can get quite rocky if the turbines aren’t running. Along with decent water levels there was a decent current – not too fast, but you could float along without paddling if you wanted. The river was fairly wide, and high tree-lined bluffs ran along the banks. Dave and I both figured that with more turbines running, less of the bluffs would be visible.

Saluda River Paddle-22Saluda River Paddle-23

In addition to the fisherman at the put-in, two more guys fishing in kayaks were hovering near the bridge. Another kayaking group launched about the same time we did with to men and three boys that looked to be between 10 and 13. The were taking a leisurely trip, as well, and were stopping to fish all along the way. We encountered them several times downstream, but other than that we had the river to ourselves.

Not far below Highway 34 Ninety-Six Creek enters on the right side of the river. I have jokingly referred to the Lowcountry Unfiltered group as ADD paddlers, but in truth Alan and I are just as bad. So, of course, we had to explore. We paddled past a large island in the middle of the Creek and continued until our path was blocked by deadfalls. At one point we looked up to see two bald eagles soaring overhead, one being chased by an osprey. Pretty amazing.

Saluda River Paddle-10Saluda River Paddle-12Saluda River Paddle-15

Back on the main river our next landmark was an old bridge abutment. At first I thought it must be an old highway. This area was historically known as Anderson’s Ferry, and I thought it might have something to do with that. However, in looking at topo maps when I got home I found out that it was an abandoned line of the Southern Railway Line that ran from Newberry to Greenwood and beyond.

Saluda River Paddle-20Saluda River Paddle-21

In addition to the eagles we had other wildlife keeping us company. Blue herons and kingfishers kept us company as we paddled along. Of course, there lots of turtles – yellow sliders of various sizes. And we saw a couple of snakes.

Saluda River Paddle-19

George had warned us about some shoals on the river, and said we might want to scout or portage them. I had seen a couple of photos on Panoramio, but they didn’t look like anything that should worry us. We encountered a couple of ripples, but nothing that would even qualify as a Class I rapid in my book.

Saluda River Paddle-46Saluda River Paddle-47

The minor rapids were fun little diversions. However, there was even more stuff to hold our interested. We soon encountered the remains of an old steel trestle bridge. On Google Earth and topo maps it looks like an old road approached from the west, but there was no indication as to where it went on the other side of the river. There was also no indication of the road’s name.

Saluda River Paddle-33Saluda River Paddle-32Saluda River Paddle-34

Just past the ruined bridge Lucy’s Point came into view. This is on the south side of Halfway Swamp Creek, which, as the name implies, marks the halfway point of our trip. This was the southernmost point of the deep bend that characterizes this stretch of river. From here, the river turns north-northeast toward Chappells.

Saluda River Paddle-36

Of course, since this was a major tributary, we had to explore it. We paddled back quite a ways, and could have continued further if we had wanted.

Saluda River Paddle-39Saluda River Paddle-41Saluda River Paddle-42

Back on the main part of the Saluda we came to a rock cairn on the middle-right of the river. As much as I’ve looked, I’ve not found any information about the cairn. I don’t know it’s age, why it’s there, or anything about it.

Saluda River Paddle-44Saluda River Paddle-45

Soon we reached the place I had marked on my GPS as “rapids” based on the Panoramio photos. There were some interesting ripples, but not much to it. We decided it would be as good a place as any for lunch, so we pulled our kayaks into the pool that had formed about the rocks on river right and took a break.

Saluda River Paddle-49Saluda River Paddle-51Saluda River Paddle-53Saluda River Paddle-54

Our fellow paddlers soon caught back up with us. I was pleased to see how well the boys were doing handling the kayaks. They made it through the rocks with no problem at all.

Saluda River Paddle-52

After lunch we continued on. We were still looking for the big rapid George had mentioned, but it never came. Before we knew it we were already at the Highway 39 bridge and the end of our trip.

Saluda River Paddle-59Alan under the Bridge

As we feared, the take-out was a challenge. We used a rope to pull the boats up the steep embankment and up to level land. Dave then went and retrieved his Rover and we loaded the boats on top for the journey back to retrieve my truck.

Dave at the Take OutSteep Take OutDave drives UNDER the Highway 39 bridgeKayaks on the Rover

Despite the tough river access, this section is definitely a keeper. The scenery was interesting, there was plenty of wildlife, and enough current to keep things interesting. Water quality was so-so, but there were still some potential swimming holes and places for rope swings along the rocky banks. It was a near-perfect day out on the water.

Paddle Route

Tags: Greenwood kayaking Lake Greenwood Paddling Photography Saluda River South Carolina

Post navigation

❮ Previous Post: Balloon Chasing
Next Post: Exploring Chappells ❯

14 thoughts on “From Buzzards Roost to Chappells”

  1. Ken cothran says:
    May 31, 2011 at 11:28 am

    It looked like there were rapids down through there (Google Earth), but i guess that either the water level was different in the photos v when you were there, or those “ripples” show up really well on satellite. Sounded like a cool trip and great stretch of wild river.

    Reply
  2. Alan says:
    June 1, 2011 at 5:04 pm

    I prefer to think us of as EDP–easily distracted paddlers. It was a really great trip, though.

    Reply
    1. Tom says:
      June 1, 2011 at 5:58 pm

      I like that term! I think I’ll suggest it to the group!

      Reply
  3. Jere says:
    June 12, 2011 at 3:18 pm

    Thanks for information that you provide on your paddling trips. My wife and I recently started kayaking and it is very helpful.

    Reply
  4. jason says:
    June 13, 2011 at 2:29 am

    I have paddled that stretch twice and I truly love it!! Last trip we saw 3 bald eagles. I was kayaking the other stretch the day y’all went. From chappels to 121. I belive I saw that land rover! Are you guys part of a local club? anyways glad to see more people kayaking up in this neck of the woods.

    Happy paddling

    Reply
  5. jason says:
    June 13, 2011 at 2:31 am

    I have paddled that stretch twice and I truly love it!! Last trip we saw 3 bald eagles. I was kayaking the other stretch the day y’all went. From chappels to 121. I belive I saw that land rover! Are you guys part of a local club? anyways glad to see more people kayaking up in this neck of the woods. Oh yea that is a steep hill under the bridge huh!!

    Happy paddling

    Reply
  6. Thomas Chappell says:
    May 9, 2013 at 3:54 pm

    Money was approved by state(SC) in late 2012 to construct a takeout area at the SC Hwy 39 bridge…Cannot wait to see construction begin, as it is certainly a challenge to get the kayaks out…Paddled it twice last year and hope to again when wx gets warmer…
    Get Wet and Paddle

    Reply
    1. Tom says:
      May 9, 2013 at 4:38 pm

      That’s great news!

      Reply
  7. Marc says:
    September 18, 2015 at 7:27 pm

    Tom, As Thomas above said, there is now a asphalt road, large paved parking area, and concrete boat ramp under Highway 39 bridge. This is as of September 2015 with entrance on southern or Saluda (town) side of 39. Very nice.

    Reply
  8. Chuck says:
    July 16, 2016 at 8:59 pm

    The ramp is now complete.

    Reply
  9. Laurie says:
    July 2, 2017 at 9:16 pm

    How long did trip take ?
    Thanks!

    Reply
    1. Tom says:
      July 2, 2017 at 9:19 pm

      We tend to paddle very leisurely. We got on the water by about 10:30 and were done by about 2:30, so 4 hours with side trips and a stop for lunch.

      Reply
  10. Gary (AKA Sought and Found) says:
    April 16, 2021 at 2:17 pm

    I will be part of a small group that will be geokayaching along this section of the river. We are going tomorrow, 4/17/21. We are looking forward to it. I sent a message to your geocaching account earlier this week, but I was not sure how often you check there.

    Reply
    1. Tom says:
      April 16, 2021 at 2:19 pm

      Oh, man! I missed that. I’ve already got a trip on the Edisto this weekend, otherwise I’d love to go.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Categories

  • EdTech (197)
  • Entertainment (201)
  • Family (123)
  • Gear (114)
  • General Technology (98)
  • Geocaching and Maps (208)
  • History and Genealogy (275)
  • Internet (141)
  • Local (458)
  • Miscellaneous (557)
  • Music (202)
  • Paddling (264)
  • Photography (781)
  • Podcast (15)
  • Rambling (233)
  • Rants (161)
  • Recipes (36)
  • Religion (48)
  • Restaurants (165)
  • Science (48)
  • Things Overheard (29)
  • Travel (413)
  • Uncategorized (142)
  • Washington Sabbatical (113)
  • Weirdness (59)

Recent Posts

  • Six Layer Bourbon Grits Bowl
  • How’s the House? Part 2
  • Carolina Ghost Towns – Merrittsville
  • Gimme Shelter
  • From Kingsbury to Stoneboro – Rambling in Lancaster County

Recent Comments

  • Curtis V Fink on Chasing the Swamp Rabbit – Part 3, Sievern and Edisto Academy
  • Bobby Stan Gillespie on Exploring Jacks Township
  • Richard Thornton on Paddling Up the Long Nose
  • John Guerrant on From Kingsbury to Stoneboro – Rambling in Lancaster County
  • John Guerrant on Gimme Shelter

Tags

blogging cemetery Christmas Columbia Edisto River edtech Entertainment family Flickr Florida Furman Furman University gear Georgia geotagging Ghost Town Ghost Towns Google Earth Google Maps GPS Greenville Greenville Chorale history Instructional Technology kayaking Lake Jocassee LCU Lowcountry Unfiltered maps Music North Carolina Paddling Photography rambling restaurant Restaurants review singing social networking South Carolina time-lapse Travel video Washington Washington State
May 2025
S M T W T F S
 123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
25262728293031
« Apr    

Copyright © 2025 Random Connections.

Theme: Oceanly by ScriptsTown