South Carolina Kayaking
Charleston Family Vacations and Attractions
BLACKWATER AND SALTWATER
TOURS
South Carolina offers a wonderful variety of attractions including environments that are perfect for kayaking. The area around Charleston has blackwater swamps and rivers as well as tidal inland waterways. Kayak rentals are available for those who want to explore on their own while tours are just right for a memorable family vacation.
Blackwater Tours:
Wambaw Kayak and Canoe Trail
Quenby Rice Plantation and Church Tour
Hampton Island Rice Plantation and the Mighty Santee River
The Combination Tour
Wadboo Creek and Swamp
Edisto River
Saltwater Tours:
Sewee Indian Shell Mounds and Coastal Barrier Islands
Shem Creek and Crab Bank Preserve
Capers Island
Awendaw Creek
McClellanville Harbor
Folly River Marshes and Bird Island
BLACKWATER TOURS
"WAMBAW KAYAK AND CANOE TRAIL"- Our Most Popular Tour
This is a "Nationally Recognized and Designated Trail" located in the heart of a Wilderness area in the Francis Marion National Forest. This Beautiful Blackwater Creek is a tributary to the Santee River and was once paddled by the Santee Indians. Giant 1000 year old Bald Cypress trees, Water Oak, Water Ash, Red Maple and Swamp Dogwood shade the black waters. Traveling 9 miles (one way), it offers spectacular birding and wildlife viewing. Banks of the river reflect geological precedence of the Rice era. Historical earthen dikes give way to a flooded subtropical forest of abandoned rice fields once owned by prosperous Rice Plantations.
Ages 9 and up for single boats. 2 Hour, 3 - 3 1/2 Hour and 5-6 Hour tours.
*McClellanville area (37 miles from Charleston, or 20 miles from Georgetown)
Beautiful Blackwater Swamps — Wambaw Creek Wilderness Area
White Ibis,
Wambaw Swamp (Courtesy of wrennphoto.com)
Old Growth Bald Cypress trees in Wambaw Swamp
(Courtesy of Mimi Morrison Touch the Earth Adventures)
Wambaw Swamp
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QUENBY RICE PLANTATION AND CHURCH
TOUR
This blackwater tour starts on Quenby Creek and twists along the historic banks of Quenby Plantation. Journeying through abandoned rice fields of wildflowers, we paddle on to the East Branch of the Cooper River where wooden barges once floated rice, cotton and indigo out to the Charleston Harbor. Halfway through our tour we explore an English church called Pompion Hill Chapel attended by French Huguenots and European Settlers hundreds of years old. Here we view bald eagles, hawks and wetland shorebirds for miles overlooking the abandoned rice fields while we stop and have lunch. Often accompanied by the nostalgic American Alligator, this tour is truly, one of our paddlers favorites.
Ages 11 and up for single boats. 2 Hour ( Quenby to Huger Creek), 3 - 3 1/2 Hour or 5-6 Hour tours available.
*2 mile Extension through Huger Creek available.
Huger area (23 miles from Downtown Charleston)
Quenby Creek
Pompion Hill Chapel
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"HAMPTON ISLAND RICE PLANTATION & THE MIGHTY SANTEE RIVER"
A historical paddle lined with wild rice, golden club and pickerel weed. Meandering around Hampton Plantation and Hampton Island, this wonderful blackwater paddle has historical rice canals diverging off of its banks for you to explore at high tide! Timbers from Rice gates can be found and paddlers often tell of the "gullah" songs that can be heard from 100 years of singing by the slaves that once lived on this 1,000 acre island! Paddlers often stop at Hampton Plantation State park and tour the Antebellum house, home of the famous author Archibald Rutledge or hike the woodland trails. A wonderful experience for both natural and cultural history seekers!
Ages 13 and up for single boats. 2 Hour, 3 - 3 1/2 hour Tours available. McClellanville area (40+ miles from Charleston or 18 miles from Georgetown)
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* THE COMBINATION TOUR
Take on all 3 tours above (5-6 Hours)...Spend all day meandering down the blackwater of the Wambaw , paddling "downriver" on the Mighty Santee and circling Hampton Island on Hampton Creek! This all day tour encompasses the 3 tours above within 10 - 12 miles of easy paddling. Lunch included... Have lunch on Hampton island overlooking the Santee River!
Ages 13 and up for single boats.
Shy and Elusive
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WADBOO CREEK & SWAMP
This is a unique paddle that journeys both "up the creek" and "down the creek" from our landing. Up the creek we paddle past a 25 ft. high limestone cliff with caves and twist and turn through the tributaries of Wadboo Swamp, a flooded forest with subtropical vegetation. Down the creek we paddle through thousands of acres of abandoned rice fields, up a rice canal and view fish and aquatic life through a crystal clear aquarium view just feet below our boats. The creek eludes a white sandy bottom and is surrounded by several Osprey and Bald Eagle nests. Egret, Herons, Cormorants, Anhingas and Alligators are commonly seen feeding and wading in the shallow, clear waters.
2 Hour, 3 - 3 1/2 Hour or 5-6 Hour tours available. Ages 9 and up for single boats. (40 miles from Charleston)
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(Courtesy of wrennphoto.com)
EDISTO RIVER
A Blackwater river that is freeflowing through 12 counties in South Caroina. Paddle amongst tall forested banks of Water Oak, Water Hickory, Tupelo Gum and Cypress! Stop on a "sandbar" for lunch and reflect on the surroundings the Edisto Indians once called home. This beautiful river is not to be missed by local paddlers and offers a diverstiy of scenery and water levels for every paddler. Tours are conducted "one way" with transportatin provided for drivers back to your vehicles! Cabin Rentals and camping available along the river.... call for details!
3- 3 1/2 Hour or 5-6 Hour tours available. Ages 9 and up for single boats. (40 -60 miles from Charleston)
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SALTWATER TOURS
SEWEE INDIAN SHELL MOUNDS AND COASTAL
BARRIER ISLANDS
This is a wonderful tour that meanders through the saltwater marshes and barrier islands surrounded by the Cape Romain Wildlife Refuge and along the Intracoastal waterway of the South Carolina Coast. Learn all about Barrier Islands and paddle to the mysterious Indian Shell mounds in the Francis Marion National Forest once occupied by the Sewee and Coastal Plain Indians. On our 3 - 3 1/2 Hour and 5-6 Hour tours we journey out into Bulls Bay to view the Islands and Commercial Oyster Beds. Paddlers often see Dolphins and numerous wetland shore birds as they paddle through the waters and once in a while are greeted by Loggerhead Seaturtles.
Ages 14 and up for single boats. 2 Hour, 3 - 3 1/2 Hour and 5-6 Hour Tours available. Awendaw area ( 24 miles from Charleston)
Indian
Shellmounds Salt Water Marsh Tour
Indian
Ruins
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SHEM CREEK & CRAB BANK PRESERVE
A historical paddle in the Mt. Pleasant area among shrimp boats and mariculture. We paddle through a saltwater marsh creek and journey out to a 22 Acre Island Preserve called Crab Bank, which is home to thousands of nesting shorebirds. From here you can collect shells November - March and view historic Charleston Harbor, Ft. Sumter, the Sullivans Island Lighthouse and Patriots Point.
2 Hour, 3 – 3 ½ Hour and 5-6 Hour Tours available. Mt. Pleasant – ( 3 miles from Downtown Charleston)
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CAPERS ISLAND
Capers Island is a Coastal Barrier Island that is a State Heritage Preserve, unspoiled by developement. Beautiful ocean front views, shelling and overnight camping make this a popular destination. Dolphins, Egrets, Herons, Ibis, Cormorants and even endangered swallow-tailed kites can be seen while paddling through the Saltmarshes and bay. Daily Tours or overnight expeditions available. (Mt. Pleasant – (12 miles) OR Awendaw (20 miles fron downtown Chas.) Departure Areas)
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AWENDAW CREEK
If you like saltwater marshes, then this is the tour for you. Even at low tide this is a fun filled tidal creek lined with Spartina Cord Grass and Juncus Black Needle Rush. Indian shell rings are also found here and it is the last known area of a village established by the Sewee Indians. Paddlers often see dolphin, river otter, alligators and numerous waterfowl as they meander through its twisting and turning bends. At high tide you can explore the Francis Marion National Forest along side. Great for families and kids.
Ages 12 and up for single boats. 2 Hour, 3 - 3 1/2 Hour, and 5-6 Hour Tours available. $5.00 parking fee extra per car. Awendaw area (25 miles from Charleston)
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McCLELLANVILLE HARBOR
We begin our paddle on Jeremy creek, located in the Historic Shrimping Village of McClellanville. As we kayak past historical coastal homes and shrimp boats we head out into the harbor. Islands of spartina, bull rush and wild rice line the banks of our journey as we paddle through saltwater creeks to see remaining rice trunk gates, still functioning and left from the rice era of the 1700's and 1800's. The area is bordered by 43,000 acres of the Cape Romain Wildlife Refuge and another 11,000 acres of the Santee Coastal Reserve. This pristine wilderness is famous for it's "Bulls Bay Oysters" and delicious "Shrimp". As we explore the creeks we usually see dolphin, alligator, and several species of coastal birds. You can rent a home right on the water or camp in the National Forest only minutes away. It's a favorite place to paddle for the locals! 2 Hour, 3 - 3 1/2 Hour and 5-6 Hour Tours available.
McClellanville are ( 35 miles from Charleston)
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FOLLY RIVER MARSHES & BIRD ISLAND
Explore saltwater marshes and hummock islands through a maze of saltwater creeks or simply ride the tides out and back down the Folly River. This tour gives us a good chance to see dolphins and nesting shorebirds and the elusive loggerhead seaturtle once in a while!
2 Hr., 3 - 3 1/2 Hour and 5-6 Hour tours.
Dolphin and
Birdwatching
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