The Wateree River is the continuation of the Catawba River system located downstream of Lake Wateree. Paddling the first 8 miles of the Wateree will take you across small shoals as you descend the fall-line. Near Camden, the Wateree turns into a meandering coastal plain river with large floodplains. The Wateree is relatively undeveloped providing opportunities for remote paddling experiences. 

Boating access sites are few in number on the Wateree River: there is one boat launch just below Lake Wateree Dam, two in the vicinity of Camden, and one at the US Hwy 76/378 Bridge. For those wanting to travel the Wateree River downstream from US Hwy 76/378, there is a boat launch on the Congaree River (Bates Bridge Landing at US Hwy 601 Bridge) near to where the Wateree and Congaree rivers converge to form the Santee River. Downstream on the Santee River (which becomes Lake Marion) boat launch sites are also available at Lake Marion. 

Adjacent Waterways:  upstream, Lake Wateree; downstream, Congaree River and Santee River into Lake Marion.

Suggested Trips (3)

Featured trips for this waterway showing difficulty (circles) and current runnability status (squares). View key to icons.