Paddled this route on 12/21/2024 in a 9.5 ft Pelican Kayak. Water level at 4.5 Ft. Unfortunately, there are a lot of trees down across the river, probably due to Hurricane Helene. I counted 19 trees across the river during the trip, 11 of which I needed to portage and 8 of which I managed to go over, under or through with some effort. Saw many ducks, 1 deer and two river otters who chided me for being in their space.

This place is stunning. Paddled this section today from 11:00 to about 3:30 pm in a Mad River Canoe. Water level was around 3.4, which had it pros and cons, such as never having any confusion about which way to go and easily navigating most obstacles in the first three miles (i.e. water was low enough to go under several trees that would have required portaging at 1 or 2 feet higher). Cons included water level being too level for several (maybe 7) portages farther down in the last three miles that weren't impossible but certainly weren't easy. We got pretty muddy. Took a 30 minute lunch break near Wise Lake and generally had an amazing time though! Definitely my preferred way to see what Congaree has to offer.

Paddled this route on 12/29/2022. Water level at 5 Ft. Paddled in a 9.5 ft Pelican which is ideal for this river (low draw, very maneuverable). Encountered lots of obstacles (this is full contact paddling but very fun). Two places I needed to step over a tree across the stream while the boat went under. Three where the boat and I barely made it under a tree. Two places I had to shimmy through debris and over a log, and two portages (very muddy). Sighted 3 deer, a river otter and many ducks.

Paddled on Nov 8, 2022 with guage reading 2.90 ft. with a canoe loaded with 2 people and camping gear. We needed to portage around a dozen times. We enjoyed the float. There were few mosquitos, snakes, and people at this time of year on a weekday.

If you don’t enjoy getting out of your kayak and climbing over trees in a swamp this is not the paddle for you! If you don’t mind portaging your kayak multiple times in a short period go for this trip! I really wish someone would come in with a chainsaw and make this route more passable because it truly is a beautiful creek. Just watch out for snakes and spiders and mosquitos. Bring repellent!

Good paddle, bring a map and pay attention. Lots of snakes and many portages.