Intro

Being from North Carolina My husband, Clark, and I constantly travel to new places in our Ford Transit Connect campervan. One of our favorite places to visit and paddle is the Uwharrie River!

One of the biggest headaches for us and many others is finding out where to put in kayaks because You can’t easily find all of the access points because most of them aren’t easily found on google maps.

Along with hiking, camping, and various other sports Uwharrie National Forest offers some great Kayaking along the Uwharrie River. I will show you all of the access points along the Uwharrie River and how long it takes to get from point A to point B.

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Access Points

At the moment, there is a whopping total of 3 official access points to the river. The ones I’ve listed below are also shown on the map I have created for you, so you can easily find them. Scroll down further to gain access to the pins I’ve dropped on the map.

Low Water Bridge: This one is the newest access point built just a few years ago, but I haven’t personally tried this point along the Uwharrie River.

109 Bridge: This one is my favorite access point because there is a rail you can easily push your kayak down. It’s also super easy to put your kayak in without struggling.

Fishing Pier: You can put in here, but you will have an extremely short river trip (Unless you plan on Kayaking the Pee Dee River. The fishing pier is more of an endpoint to take your kayak out of the Uwharrie River.

Morrow Mountain: Morrow Mountain isn’t a point where you put in, but where you would end. It’s where the Uwharrie river meets with the Yadkin and Pee Dee River. They have a nice boathouse and a great paved area to park your vehicle while you paddle.

Check out the map below for all of the access points to paddle the Uwharrie River.

https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1LFE51GhgBAxX9zCroL0AEK_2IOO6x-Pz&usp=sharing

When To Kayak the Uwharrie River

There are several areas that are low when it hasn’t rained for a few days. Some areas are so low you may have to pull your kayak over the rocks in order to continue.

How to avoid getting stuck? I would suggest going after it has rained. We went a day after it rained, and we only came across one area that slightly scraped the bottom of our kayaks.

Where to get Rentals for Kayaking the Uwharrie River

Uwharrie Hoof and Paddle is the only place I could find that will rent out and shuttle for the Uwharrie River. Unfortunately, they are only open on Saturdays and Sundays from 9 AM-7 PM. They will only shuttle you if you are renting from them, they will not allow you to shuttle your own kayak with their vehicles.

They rent out kayaks, paddleboards, and canoes. Check out the link I provided above for the rates, as they may change frequently.

How long is the Uwharrie River?

The entire Uwharrie river is quite a bit longer than the places in between access points. From the first access point, at Low Water Bridge, all the way to Morrow mountain is 15 miles long. This trek will take around 6 to 10 hours (this depends on where the water level is).

We kayaked from the 109 Bridge to the fishing and paddle access. 3 hours seemed just the right amount of time for us to enjoy the trip and move on with our day. There was also enough time to stop a few times and take in the views.

How are the “Rapids” on the Uwharrie River?

The rapids weren’t anything extraordinary. There was nothing above a class 2 rapid (so I’ve heard but never experienced anything above a class 1 rapid).

If you are a beginner, this would be a fairly easy river to start out on. Just remember to bring others with you, you never want to Kayak alone. Also, wear a life jacket! There’s no telling what could happen on the river, nature is constantly giving you everything that you least expect. Also wearing a helmet may be a good idea to do, because of all the branches that were falling around us.

Good to Know Facts about the Uwharrie River

You may notice camping sites along the riverside. Camping is one of the many pastimes you can do within Uwharrie, but you need to be careful where you take your kayak and set up your campsite.

There are numerous areas that are privately owned, thankfully there are usually signs posted. Be aware of where you are getting out of the water, and be respectful of other people’s property.

I feel as if I have a duty to make you aware of all the falling branches from the trees. We almost had two incidences where branches came crashing down on our heads. We ended up staying in the middle of the river after this happened. If you are overly worried about it, wear a helmet.

Overall Experience Kayaking the Uwharrie River

Uwharrie River is one of my favorite rivers to kayak on in North Carolina. The water seems relatively clean compared to most bodies of water that are around the Uwharries.

There seemed to be something different around every turn whether it be a huge rock formation, a mountain, or a field. Boulders and fields off to the side proved to be great resting points to fish or eat a little lunch.

Have fun paddling, and as always stay safe!!

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