State park, kayaking, fishing, rafting and more coming to Great Falls, SC. What to know
Development of an outdoor recreation center in Great Falls, SC, began earlier this year. The project, called the Great Falls-Dearborn Development, will offer hiking, fishing, rafting, kayaking and canoeing along the Catawba River.
But this endeavor is bigger than it sounds. Backed by the town of Great Falls, leaders on a county and state level and a partnership with Duke Energy, it also will restore historic buildings and establish a state park.
A group of community members and stakeholders met Thursday to talk about what the future holds for Great Falls, this tiny town in Chester County, S.C.
S.C. Sen. Mike Fanning (D-17) said the project could “make (Great Falls) the outdoor recreation capital of South Carolina.”
Community leaders hope to transform Great Falls and integrate the small town into Rock Hill-region’s tourism.
Christy Churchill, a project manager with Duke Energy, presented a timeline and list of ventures involved with the Great Falls-Dearborn Development.
Coming in 2022
It’s been nearly a century since the 50-foot Great Falls of the Catawba, the town’s namesake, was cut off by construction of dams used to power textile mills. Now, Duke Energy will divert the water back into two bypass channels that will be used for whitewater activities.
The Catawba Riverkeepers have tested the waters as they helped to clean up the area.
The channels should be finished by late 2022, Churchill said. That means visitors would be able to take a ride down the river by 2023.
The channels will be open at the Nitrolee Access Area, near the intersection of S.C. 97 and S.C. 200, where visitors can park and launch their boats, according to Churchill’s presentation. There will be two channels: One shorter for more more daring visitors and one with slightly calmer rapids.
Access trails on Mountain Island will open at the same time, allowing visitors to pull their boats ashore, turn around and go back through the channels. Duke Energy has almost finished laying out plans for these trails, Churchill said. The area is currently completely covered by foliage.
Coming in 2027
The rest of the plans will come to fruition within the next five years, with a deadline of 2027. Those five years will be the most transformative for Great Falls, Fanning said.
Dearborn Island, located in the Catawba in Great Falls, will become a state park.
The South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism plans to lease the land from Duke Energy. In her presentation, Churchill said the lease agreement is in its final stages.
With additional funding from Duke Energy, the island will become a state park. Visitors can explore, go camping, and enjoy the river as well.
An agreement between SCPRT and the Katawba Valley Land Trust will create a pedestrian bridge to allow easy access to the new state park.
There also will be two other access areas where visitors can push off their boats by 2027, one in Lower Great Falls and one across the water from the future state park.
This story was originally published November 19, 2021 at 7:57 AM.
