Broad
A. Lake Lure Dam to Route 1181
| Difficulty | II+ |
| Length | 8.1 mi |
| Avg Gradient | n/a |
| Reach Info Last Updated | December 12, 2025 |
River Description
Fantastic little class II+(III-) stretch that’s a nice little step up from the lower green. Plenty of great eddies, small surf waves, one great class III ledge and a cool low volume bedrock slide.
See also: Carolina Whitewater, B.Benner
River Features
Put In
There is a 2-3 car pull-off with a trail down to the river just downstream of the turn that goes to the treatment plant / dam. Sadly the road upstream to the dam is gated. But the pull-off works for a good put-in.
Tricky Ledge
This shallow ledge stands out as the trickiest rapid of the run.
Bedrock Slide
Be sure to go to the left of the island or you'll miss this neat little slide.
River Creek Campground Take Out
This is a nice shorter take-out. The campground charges $5 for parking a car and taking out there and the folks there were nice.
Take Out
Trip Reports
Log in to add a reportWe had a fun day at what was described as a common 1-unit release. As promised there was some good small surf and deep eddies to play in, and the scenery was good too. Lots of rock on the banks as well as houses. We took out at the River Creek Campground and it worked great.
Paddled this section 5/1/20. Fantastic little class II+(III-) stretch that’s a nice little step up from the lower green. Plenty of great eddies, small surf waves, one great class III ledge and a cool low volume bedrock slide. We bushwhacked to the river at the wastewater treatment plant and paddled to the rock springs church road for about a 5 mile paddle. The rocky broad above the lake was about 3.9 feet. I don’t know what was coming through the dam but it felt like a perfect medium level. The bulk of the good rapids were between the wastewater plant and the 64 bridge, and it looked like some great stuff upstream, just below the dam but without a great way to access it. Overall a really great quality little stretch of river that I can’t believe I’ve never heard of! Would highly recommend for a beginner looking for something a little more challenging than the lower green.
Another typical class II+
Below the class III ledge the river splits into several channel. If you go far river left you’ll find this nice surprise bedrock slide!