Wildlife Road access near Lillington to NC 217 bridge near Erwin (Lillington to Erwin)Class I-III
7.9 Miles
Avg Gradient 5 fpm
Max Gradient 10 fpm
Cape Fear Surfing
Cape Fear Surfing Photo of Gil Williams by Jack Imbriani taken 6/24/06 @ 4' Gauge Information
Cape Fear
River DescriptionPut-in:Wildlife Access Road Boat Ramp downstream from NC-210 in Lillington. Take-out: NC-217 bridge near Erwin. 1. River Left under bridge (steep) 2. River Left past Campbell Falls Rapid (short portage) 3. River Right under bridge (overgrown/steep) Description: This is a popular section of the Cape Fear due to the many paddling opportunities, reliable flows, and proximity to the Triangle Area. This section begins with several miles of flatwater with some Class I-III rapids mixed in. This section has had many drownings at high water. Rapid Descriptions provided by Gil Williams and Michael Carter. StreamTeam Status: unverified
Last Updated: 2007-02-12 08:03:57
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Cape Fear R at Lillington [ NC ] |
Current Conditions
Station Graphs |
| Level Legend: | Running | Below Minimum Recommended Flow | Above Maximum Recommended Flow | Unknown |
| State | River Name/Section | Class | Level | Rel. Level | Updated | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NC | Cape Fear— Wildlife Road access near Lillington to NC 217 bridge near Erwin | I-III | 1.88 ft | med | 7/24 7:15 |
| AW Gauge ID: | 710 |
| USGS Station: | 02102500 |
| HUC: | 03030004 |
| Latitude: | 35.4061 |
| Longitude: | -78.8133 |
| Class: | 4 |
User Comments |
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2008-07-04 06:13:59 (20 days ago)
Three of us made the run from Lillington to Erwin yesterday. The River is remarkably clean compared to previous years. The addition of the park & river access at Erwin is awesome. We used to dread the drag up the bank and through the poison ivy under the bridge. My compliments to the groups that are behind the new access. We need to see more of this down the river. The Cape Fear is a recreational resource that is being overlooked by too many people. Edit
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2008-05-04 07:23:54 (81 days ago)
As of May 2008, there’s a new Riverside Park on this section of the Cape Fear in Erwin (at the Hwy 217 bridge): canoe/kayak access, walking trails, overlooks, restrooms, a shelter and space for outdoor education. Two groups put in almost $1 million to tame the landscape there: non-profit Harnett (Co.) Forward Together and the N.C. Parks and Recreation Trust Fund. It’s managed by the town of Erwin, NC, and Harnett Co. Parks/Rec. Getting up the steep riverbank there is almost heavenly now. Edit
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2007-05-19 05:42:32 (432 days ago)
James Lumpkin
I went to the Harnett Airport to check on that road which runs close to the river just west of the lower rapid section. The road is blocked with a do not enter sign. I asked the airport personnel and they said it was privately owned, and the owner doesnt want anyone on his property.
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2007-04-23 12:05:25 (457 days ago)
Bracken Gentry
A buddy and i ran it last weekend while it was flooded. the level was around 8.5-9 feet and most of the rapids on the first half of the trip were washed out. its definately more fun at higher levels and new features pop out of no where. the waves that were at smilie's falls where outstanding about 3ft high and glassy. and a 6ft wide hole at Killing Falls made me swim. the last rapid campbells falls could not be run as we would have missed the takeout due to how fast the water was moving and how little the takeout beach becomes during a flood.
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2006-08-28 11:25:19 (695 days ago)
philippe damiano
I ran the Cape Fear yesterday from the Wildlife Boat Ramp to the 217 Bridge in Erwin. The last half of the run was a lot of fun (beautiful too) and I look forward to doing it again when the water level's up. However, the first half (from the Wildlife Boat Ramp to the small campground on river right at the "S" turn) was an approx. 4-mile flatwater run that I'd just assume bypass in the future. Does anyone know how to access the river farther down stream near the small campground? I went on Google and noticed that there's also a small airport close to the north bank of the river just above the "S" turn with an access road leading from 421 (NC 2076) that stops just shy of the river. <br />
<br />
Any other ideas? Edit
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2006-08-13 23:13:53 (710 days ago)
James Lumpkin
You can cutoff about 2 miles of the Lillington-Erwin run by utilizing the Wilderness boat ramp south of lillington. From the river, head toward burgerking, at the third stoplight (Ross Road) take a left and a few miles down you will see the boatramp sign on the left. You will cutout about 2 miles of flatwater making the run about 7miles.
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2006-04-08 23:06:28 (837 days ago)
chase patenaude
Myself and a group of first time boaters ran the Lillington-Erwin section, approx 8 miles, the other day. At the red neck camp ground/trailer park (mentioned below) there is some kind of rubber coated ramp (river right) we nick named the redneck slip n slide. We found out its really a great ride in your boat! We spent about an hour at this spot pushing each other off and sliding about 40ft into smooth water. Occasional bumps and stalls over rocks did become a little annoying. We all had a great time though and I would recommend this river for anyone's first time paddle or a family outing. If you want to get right into the rapid section I would recommend putting in at the wilderness access area (noted in a below post) outside Lillington. I was in a 6'6" playboat and did A LOT of flatwater paddling before the whitewater stretches picked up.
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2005-11-03 00:46:22 (994 days ago)
James Lumpkin
You can cutoff about 2 miles of the Lillington-Erwin run by utilizing the Wilderness boat ramp south of lillington. From the river, head toward burgerking, at the last 4-way stoplight (one before the 210-401 split) take a left and a few miles down you will see the boatramp sign on the left. You will cutout about 2 miles of flatwater making the run about 7miles.
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2004-02-17 15:38:41 (1618 days ago)
Richard Kofler
I did the section from the Buckhorn dam to Erwin a number of times, with either my big, old family canoe or my OC-1. <br />
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At a good water level, it usually takes 6 to 8 hours, depending on how much playing we do. <br />
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The Rock Garden, right after the Buckhorn dam put in, can be a little bit of a challenge at high water levels, especially if a canoe is loaded down with camping gear. At high water levels, it easily can become a class 3+ with large, standing waves.<br />
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Richard<br />
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2001-09-24 14:07:50 (2494 days ago)
Donnie Lee Pardue
This section is best done in two days, with the respite being a campout at the canoe access only Raven Rock State Park campground. It's marked by a buoy on river right.
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Most paddlers seem to bypass the upper section and paddle from the Wildlife Access near Lillington and takeout at the Erwin bridge. This makes for about an 8 mile trip about half of which is white water. An alternate partial trip would be to run the Upper Little River from the second bridge above it's confluence with the Fear, then continue on down to Erwin as a regular Fear trip.
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The Fear is good to save for when everything else is bone dry.
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| Mile | Rapid Name | Class | Features (Legend) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4.5 | Shaw's Great Falls | II |   |
| 5.2 | Canada's Fish Trap | I | |
| 5.4 | Narrow Gap (Glassy Wave) | I | |
| 6.0 | Smilie's Falls | II | |
| 6.3 | Little River Confluence | ||
| 6.5 | Killing Falls | III | |
| 7.9 | Campbell's Falls | II+ |   |
The first set of rapids just below Thornton's Creek at the power lines are named Shaw's Great Falls, these rapids stretch down the river for nearly half a mile. They were named in honor of Dushee Shaw who came from Scotland in 1739 and settled on land overlooking the river near these rapids. If you get out of your boat at the last rapid of Shaw's Great Falls (onto the flat rock), you will see where a man named L.F. Stewart chiseled a date Nov. 18, 1900. It could be his birthday I guess or the day he put it there. It's nicely done and may have taken a while. Because he was there first, this rapid will be known as Stewart's Falls (formerly the Washrack).
Its named after William Kennedy whose name was often spelled Canada in old records. He constructed the set of fish traps in the mid 1700's . You will miss it at high water, just at ripple at low water. 1.6'-2' seems to be the best play level for this rapid.
Most of the water is confined to a thirty foot channel through a cleft of bedrock. This is a very popular spot for practicing numerous eddy moves and rolls. Some of us even like to take a swim through this one in the summer (safely). This rapid washes out at high flows, and low flows. 2'-3' seems to be when the Narrow Gap forms a surfable wave. That said, there is something to do at all levels on this rapid. At higher levels (4-6'), if you take the river right channel directly across from this feature, a nice hole forms. The hole is formed from water flowing down a rock slide. At about 4.5-5' the hole is stable enough to practice side surfs and 360 spins. It is sometimes refered to as the "Honey Hole".
The next set of rapids downstream of Big Island is known as Smilie's Falls. Its named after two brothers who immigrated from Scotland in the 1730's There's a ghost story about this set of rapids. I believe its in the book called "Bizarre Tales of the Cape Fear County" by John Hairr. This rapid has a fair amount of play at all levels, better at higher flows.
Confluence of the Little River and Cape Fear. The Little River is usually several degrees cooler than the Cape Fear in the summer. Large waves can form after significant rainfall. Great place to practice rolls and cool off!!!
Killing Falls is the name given to the double set of rapids downstream from the mouth of Upper Little River near the Erwin Water Plant. They are named in honor of Thomas Killean, who settled nearby in 1760's. There are several lines that can be taken at this rapid. The most popular is from river left past the pumping station, then center. There are several lines through the center. This rapid gives novice canoeists problems at all levels.
Campbell's Falls are set of rapids located under the NC 217 bridge at Erwin. They were orginally named for Duncan Campbell who in 1740 obtained a grant of 640 acres of land overlooking these falls. These rapids are best run from center to river right. This rapid kicks up some nice waves. The rapids are directly under the NC-217 bridge. Be aware of rebar on the extreme river right. This rapid definitely fits the saying, "Save the best for last", in this author's opinion. Fun and bouncy at all levels. Park and playable.
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