Yadkin Riverkeeper has sponsored paddles since the very beginning of the organization, with the goal of getting folks on the river to experience it firsthand and raise awareness of the problems it faces. Over time these paddles have taken many forms. This past summer we introduced a new format: The Historical Paddle Series (HPS). While the paddles of the last few years had been open, large-group paddles (and they were a lot of fun!), the goal of the HPS was to provide YRK members with a different experience. We wanted to create a more intimate connection with the river by limiting the overall number of paddlers, and creating a guided tour of select river reaches. We spent quite a bit of time discussing which sections of the river to try for this new format – ease of floating, historical features, and length of the float were major considerations. Ultimately, we choose the Yadkin River Park/York Hill Access, Bean Shoals, and Roaring River.

Yadkin River Park provided a nice round-trip paddle – leaving from the access, paddling upstream to the old bridge pilings, around the island and then downriver to the former Buck Steam Station, then back up a side channel to the access – easy paddling and no shuttle! This was followed by a guided hike of the Fort York area, then loading up everyone’s kayaks and heading home.

Bean Shoals, with the canal remnants, was a great trip to explore human attempts to use the river for commerce, and Board Member David White (aka the “Sheriff of the Shoals”) gave a fantastic tour of the shoals and history of the canal.

For our last trip we floated two rivers, putting in at Roaring River Canoe Rentals on Roaring River, then floating down to the confluence with the Yadkin and around the great Roundabout with the bamboo grove and “Hanging Tree” to take out at Ronda.

Each of these sections provided a glimpse into the human and natural history of the Yadkin, and the small group sizes enabled the YRK staff to interact with paddlers much better than the large float trips, especially Bean Shoals and Roaring River where lunch was provided. For each trip we also provided a short history of the section and landmarks to look for, so participants started out with some basic information to support the on-river narration. The feedback we received was great, and though we will continue with one or two of the classic paddles each summer, we are looking forward to next summer’s Historical Paddle Series and visiting new sections of the river. If you have a favorite stretch, or one that you would like to explore with YRK, get in touch with us. We have the tentative 2020 schedule (below), but there is 2021 to think about!

Tentative Yadkin River Tour Paddle Schedule for 2020
Final schedule will be out in early Spring 2020

May: HPS: Shoals to Donnaha (20-minute shuttle, 6.9-mile float)

June: HPS: Falls Reservoir (no shuttle, 4.4-mile roundtrip flatwater paddle)

July: HPS: 801(Concord Church) to Boone's Cave (26-minute shuttle, 3.5-mile float)

August: Traditional: Crater Park to Carolina Heritage Winery (15-minute shuttle, 6.1-mile float)

September: HPS: Yadkin River Park/York Hill (no shuttle, 3.75-mile roundtrip paddle)

October: HPS: Roaring River Canoe Access to Ronda (10-minute shuttle, 7.75-mile float)

HPS paddles are limited to YRK members, and 15-25 paddlers depending on the specific paddle.

Traditional paddles are open to everyone, with a limit of 75 paddlers.