South Fork Edisto River: Aiken State Park

Skill Level: Moderate

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Rapids: None

Length: 1.70 miles

Duration: 1 - 2 hours

Portaging: No

What to Expect

Aiken State Park provides an opportunity to paddle a short but beautiful stretch of the most remote of the Edisto's forks. The twisting blackwater river stays shaded underneath a tunnel of tree canopy. The park maintains a canoe path through down vegetation.

Access

Put in:

Aiken SP Canoe Trail Put-In

Take out:

Aiken SP Canoe Trail Take-Out

Trip Details

The canoe trail at Aiken State Park can be paddled on your own, with your own boats, or by renting canoes through the state park. If paddling on your own, you will need to shuttle between the two access sites. If renting a canoe from the park, a shuttle is provided. Please visit the Aiken State Park website for more details on canoe rentals, and contact the park to find out about river and weather conditions.

This trip is rated as moderate, as it is suggested that you or someone in your party have canoe experience to navigate the twisting waterway.

Waterway:

South Fork Edisto River

Comments (1)

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gejusa gejusa

Jul 07, 2022 9:52 am EDT

This review is for the section just upstream from Aiken SP. I put at South Fork Edisto River/Rocky Springs boat landing, headed downsream, and took out at Wagner Rd (where there was no easy river access). As of July 2022, there are A LOT of trees down on this stretch of river. Less kayaking and more dragging kayaks over logs for miles. While remote and gorgeous, it was extremely exhausting. I averaged less than a mile per hour. Unfortunately, I cannot reccommend this section unless 1) you're bringing a chainsaw with intent to clear the river, or 2) you're looking for an intense strenuous physical challenge.

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