Turkey - Stevens Creek in South Carolina

Trip Overview

Great day trip, total of 12 miles and it runs through a couple of small class I rapids, around some fallen trees. There are some areas to be aware of; the creek can basically be divided into two portions. The first third is the hardest. It starts from a put in point off SC HWY 283. The put in is a bit strenuous requiring you to tote the yak down a hill. This first third has some beautiful Cypress Stumps, wildlife and overhanging canopies. It also has a huge tree trunk (est 5'-8' diameter) across the river that required us to lift the yaks over the trunk (bring some line). There were some other down trees that forced us to rethink our plan but they are surmountable.

Due to the fact that we played around, the first third lasted about 4 hours.

The second section starts at the Key bridge (Key Road) and it is a lazy paddle it takes between 3 and 4 hours depending on how much you play around. There are a slew of things to see; some really exciting rapids (Class I or maybe II depending on the water level) and you can see a bunch of great wildlife. We got to watch as a copperhead tried to swallow a fish that was way to big. The Usual Suspects consist of three experienced paddlers and my son who is 13 and just getting the kayak theory down. It can be a grueling trip if you do not plan well, but I would do it again in a minute. When we got to the SC 23 on the bottom there is a bit of a climb to get the yaks out, but it has a wood stair and it was more anticlimactic.

Fees:

No fees but I do advise you get a permit in case you have to stop on the river overnight. The Forest Service Staff are fantastic and will work hard to be helpful.

Resources:

Go to the Turkey Creek web site http://www.fs.fed.us/r8/fms/rec/tscanoe.htm and you will see directions and phone numbers.