Broad River: Ninety Nine Islands River Access to Worth Mountain WMA

Skill Level: Easy

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Rapids: Class I

Length: 7.80 miles

Duration: 4 - 4.5 hours

Portaging: No

What to Expect

Characterized by wide channels and easy Class I rapids, this trip is great for beginners and families and would make a great half-day trip. Although easy paddling, the depth of the river can vary along this section, so paddlers should be proficient swimmers and wear PFDs at all times.

Access

Put in:

Ninety-Nine Islands River Access and Parking Area

Ninety-Nine Island Road, Blacksburg, SC 29702

Access Details

Located river-left. this boat ramp and small parking area is downstream of the 99 Islands Dam, next to the powerhouse. This public landing on the western bank of the river below the dam and provides a boat ramp and parking area. This site is roughly one-quarter mile downstream, on the opposite riverbank from the previous site listed. It’s located at the end of Ninety Nine Ferry Road (State Road 13) which extends from McKowns Mountain Road in Cherokee County. Boating distance from either of the above listed sites to the next downstream access location at Lockhart Dam is about 20 river miles.

Take out:

Worth Mountain WMA

Scenic View Road, Hickory Grove, SC 29717

Access Details

This river access includes a parking area and concrete boat ramp. Check here for updates and additional information.

Trip Details

From Ninety-nine Island Road, bear left to the boat ramp, away from the dam's facilities which will be on the right. The take out is a 25-minute drive away, so shuttling cars to the take out and back could take close to an hour. This trip will feel extremely rural and quiet, with the first and only bridge 7.3-miles downstream of the put in. The take out is 0.3 miles after the bridge, river-left, along the power line crossing. Paddlers will experience primarily flat water intermixed with some Class I rapids.

Waterway:

Broad River

Upstream Trip (1)

Broad River: Cherokee Recreation Area to Pick Hill River Access

Downstream Trip (1)

Broad River: Worth Mountain WMA to Lockhart, SC

Comments (2)

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Mirabel Fant

Aug 03, 2023 11:04 am EDT

This river is very rural and beautiful. We ran it almost at its minimum flow rate, sitting at 2.8 according to paddle sc. Due to that, I think the first two sets of rapids were more intense than they might've been with a bit more rain. Continuous class I rapids for half then slows down a lot and is very calm and flat for the rest of the trip. Was my first go at any sort of rapids, I was having a lot of anxiety and honestly wasn't expecting it to be as rough in the beginning, but it turned out to be very easy to navigate and gets easier and calmer the further you go. Honestly, it sounds a lot more intense than it ends up being. The put in/out areas are very accessible and easy to use, I will say the end landing has a big rock right where you are trying to steer to get out so be mindful of that. Great trip!

James McCall

Jul 05, 2021 12:44 pm EDT

The Map for the put-in is misleading. Do not put in at the 99 Island Boat Launch as show on the above google map link. The address works, but instead, drive to the end of the road (dead ends at a power station below the dam). Turn left down a small gravel drive and there is a second boat launch below the dam. Note -- if you put in above the dam there is NO portage. There is sign that says kayak portage, but when you walk the trail there is a large fence and gate with no access. You must put in below the dam. (we learned the hard way and had to paddle back up and reload all of our boats/gear to drive below the dam). The rest of the trip is nice, fairly shallow in some spots but we have not had much rain lately. We saw multiple river otters playing and geese/ducks.