Catch a release from the Lake Wylie Dam in your canoe or kayak. Bust through standing waves, knife through ClassI rapids and marvel at wildlife such as osprey, great blue herons and sea gulls. And wonder how the river's forested corridor 15 minutes south of Charlotte has remained natural and undeveloped in the center of a growing urban area. The 30 river miles from Lake Wylie south to S.C. 9 make up the longest remaining free-flowing section of the heavily dammed Catawba. The Catawba is hardly a canoeing-kayaking destination.
Public access is limited.
From Interstate77, the river appears to be muddy, rock-strewn and too shallow to float. The trick to running the Catawba is timing. Duke Power Co. says it doesn't schedule regular releases. But in winter Duke Power sends water down river to make room in upstream lakes for spring rains. This gives paddlers the opportunity to catch flows that last a half day or so.