Santee River 1 Blueway

# 10 - Santee River 1
Wilson's Landing to HWY 52

Rated: Very Strenuous

25 miles

Wilson's Landing is located on the tailrace of the Lake

Marion Dam. This is the longest paddle in the Berkeley

Blueways program. This 25-mile section of the Santee

River is best attempted by camping overnight and

making two days of the adventures. During most water

levels, there are many sandbars along the trip. There
-is an abundance of wildlife and very little sign of human
-habitation. Once on this trip, there no exit points until
-you reach HWY-52 twenty-five miles down river!

IMPORTANT!! PRINT Boat Ramp Parking Sign

Click Here for a Downloadable Santee River 1 Kayaking Guide

GPX Paddling Route for your GPS

Berkeley Blueways Map - ALL Trails

Difficulty: Very strenuous, due to distance and the potential of Class 1 riffles. Tenured paddlers only!

Distance: 25 miles. NOTE: once on the river from Wilson's Landing, there are no exit points until you reach HWY 52, twenty-five miles later!

Time: 9 - 12 hours of paddling.

Crowds: None. You'll be alone. Most of the water in this section is too shallow for boats for most of the year.

IMPORTANT: Requires staging 2 vehicles or arranging pickup.

Put In: Wilson’s Landing, 1541 Wilson Landing Road, Pineville, SC 29468.GPS: 33.448418, -80.158270 or 33°26’54.3”N, 80°09’29.8”W.

Take Out: HWY 52/Santee River Bridge, 15 US 52, Salters, SC 29590. GPS: 33.497546, -79.959332 or 33°29’50.8”N, 79°57’33.7”W.

Fees/Permits: None.

Current: Flows downriver in an east direction.

Tidal Influence: Extremely negligible this far up river.

Trees Down or Other Obstructions? If you come across downed trees, limbs or other obstructions while paddling

this blueway, please let us know. We can often facilitate removing it. Contact us at 843-433-0361 or 843-719-4146.

Precautions: While normally not a problem for paddlers, dam water releases could inundate campsites. Call 800-925-2537 for scheduled releases.

Water Level: For this Blueway paddle trail, the Lake Marion Tailrace gauge height should be less than 32.00 with a discharge rate of less than 2,000 cubic feet per second. For gauge height, click HERE. For discharge rate, click HERE.

Weather on the Trail: Click HERE

Paddling Through History: The river was named by early English settlers after the Santee tribe, which inhabited areas of the middle part of the river. The first European contact was by a Spanish part led by Lucas Vázquez Ayllón in 1526.

So Much More History Nearby: Did you know Berkeley County has more than 110 historical markers and historical points of interest? CLICK HERE to find your Adventures in History!