CHARLOTTE – Fall brings so many outdoor activities and I’m certain we are all looking to get out more these days.   We wrapped up our summer celebrating the kids’ birthdays with a nice float down the Catawba River.  We floated from Winchester Park below the Fort Mill Dam to Riverwalk Park in Rock Hill. It is a scenic part of the river, but I am still in awe of the masses of tubers floating down the river regularly.

Tubes would make excellent Christmas gifts for your family, so you will have them for next summer.  The Catawba River access areas offer fun for everyone.  Check out the Catawba Riverkeepers webpage for the Top 10 Great Places to Visit in the Catawba Basin.  https://www.catawbariverkeeper.org/2017/03/28/top-10-great-places-visit-catawba-basin/

A few of our family’s favorites are kayaking at Landsford Canal through the Rocky Shoals Spider Lilies from Mid-May to June. The Red-Wing Black Birds nests in the Lillies are wonderful to watch.  For hikers, there are numerous trails along the river to enjoy.   If you fish, you can do so from shore or in your kayak along the river.  I’m pretty excited about the new whitewater center coming to Great Fall, SC. Just 30 minutes from Waxhaw.  This is another story in the making though.

The headwaters begin near Old Fort, NC. Numerous lakes make up the Catawba River including Lake James, Lake Rhodhiss, Lake Hickory, Lake Norman, Mountain Island, Lake Wylie, Fishing Creek Reservoir, and Lake Wateree.  The river is named after Kawahcatawbas, “the people of the river”. Further down in SC it becomes the Wateree River named after another group of Indians.

I hope you enjoyed learning a little history of the area and it will encourage you to dig in and learn more.  Please help protect our streams and rivers so many more generations can enjoy the great outdoors!