My Long Paddle

My Long Paddle

Yadkin River State Trail 2026

a Carolina Paddler article

Text and Photography by John Sparks

∞ Well, I did it! After months of planning and preparation, I paddled the entire length of the Yadkin River State Trail—more than 200 miles. Back in January, Ward Swann, the Yadkin River State Trail Coordinator, a friend and mentor, told me he had a vision: to organize a paddle covering the full length of the trail. His proposal lit the fire, and the wheels started rolling. By June, we had an itinerary and held our first meeting. ­For the first time, it felt real! We had people and we had a plan. I started preparing my gear and paddling as often as twice a week to get in shape for the long days ahead. I always pack for trips early and I’m ready days before I leave. Hope I always will. The plan was to paddle for eight days, rest for a week, and then complete the rest of the journey during a second trip.

Most of my gear came from my backpacking days. Because it was ultralight and compact, it fit well in the roomy storage space of my Dagger Stratos 14.5L. This was the perfect boat for the trip. It was a little heavy, but it held all my gear and paddled well. I worried spending 14 days on this boat would be rough, but it was never an issue. I highly recommend this boat for so many reasons! My paddling gear consisted of the boat, an Aqua Bound Tango paddle, Astral PFD, and Seals skirt.

My camping gear included my Haven tent/hammock–I love this tent. If you are a side sleeper, this hammock is for you! It was broken-in and worked well, even during the heavy rain we encountered. I also had a 12-by-10-foot rain tarp that I set up above the Haven tent and its rainfly, ensuring that I always had a dry space. I slept in my Zenbivy sleep system, another piece of gear I highly recommend. I have used this sleep system in both low and high temperatures, and it has always performed well. I brought enough clothes to change every day, and I am glad I did because the smells took on a life of their own—but that is another story.

My plan was to eat dehydrated meals throughout the trip. Because I am vegan, I went with Outdoor Herbivore. I had used their meals before and was very pleased with both the variety and how delicious they were. I am a coffee drinker but I decided to cut back on my coffee intake so I would not have to heat water every morning. Breakfast consisted of dehydrated cereal—just add water. Then I had a snack or two, if needed, before lunch. Lunch was another dehydrated meal that required only water. Dinner was the only meal that needed hot water. I had plenty of snacks to fill the gaps and satisfy late-night cravings. Heating water for dinner also allowed me to make my nightly hot chocolate, a little bit of heavenly indulgence. I checked all my numbers to make sure I was getting the nutrients an adventurous paddler needs to keep going. I also brought a small folding chair, battery banks, my iPad, my Starlink Mini with a small four-hour battery, and miscellaneous gear to keep me going. Two four-liter water containers and two Nalgene bottles took care of my water needs. After the trip, I could not identify much gear as unnecessary. I was very comfortable and had everything I needed.

As the departure date approached, I had the boat serviced at Get Outdoors and picked up the last-minute items I needed. Get Outdoors is our premier outfitter in the area, and the owner,Will Seeley, is most helpful. He will go out of his way to get you and your boat ready for the water!

As Day One, August 1, 2026, approached, I could feel my body starting to buzz with pre-adventure jitters. I shrugged it off and packed everything for the final time.

Ward picked me up, and we drove to Upper Yadkin Outfitters, the starting point for the Long Paddle and our home for the next two nights. This is another respected outfitter in the area. They offered us the use of their property and provided shuttle service for the paddle. It was a great place to begin the journey. I had room to streamline my gear and keep everything dry when the rain arrived in the late afternoons and evenings. We decided to eat out both nights, and it was worth it. We went to Happy Valley Filling Station, where they served wonderful oven-baked pizza—and they had vegan cheese. A win!

Weather played a big role in our paddle, not only in how wet we became but also in the river’s flow. We began the adventure during drought conditions and were unsure whether we would be able to paddle the beginning section of the Upper Yadkin, so we started on a lower section. Then the rain came that evening and continued through the night, raising the water considerably. We began the second day in faster-flowing water. The day’s paddle took us into Kerr W. Scott Lake. We reached our takeout, where Upper Yadkin Outfitters shuttled us back to their location for the night. It was a great paddle with very little rain.

The next morning, the outfitters shuttled us to the tailwater below Kerr W. Scott Lake dam. Additional paddlers joined us there, while other boaters left. Only a few people completed the entire trip, but many participants joined for shorter portions of the paddle. This section had a lot of grass growing in the previously dry riverbed and was interesting to navigate. It was my first time paddling this section, and I was excited to finally be on the trail and the river! We ended up skipping our planned campsite and paddled farther downriver to the next one, Crater Park. The site had bright lights from the pickleball courts and a lot of road noise, but after a 30-mile paddle, we were too tired for it to be much of a problem.

We held a meet-and-greet at the park the next morning, and then we were off on the next paddle to Yadkin Shores, where we would spend the night. I am glad camping is offered there, but unfortunately, the site was not very camper-friendly. We arrived early enough for several family members to visit their loved ones. They brought us a watermelon, which was perfect after a paddle! We set up before the rain arrived and lulled everyone to sleep. The next morning, the river was up because of a release from the lake, and we paddled to East Bend.

East Bend is another great place to camp along the Yadkin River. It is privately owned and has an excellent setup that can be reserved, with plenty of tent sites, a hot outdoor shower, several lounge areas, and a large pavilion with a kitchen. We were able to reset, get everything dry, and then watch a torrential rainstorm roll in. Some people did not fare well in the downpour. The rain was pleasant to sleep through as long as it stayed outside! We left Easy Bend feeling modestly refreshed

The next paddle took us past the island where a couple of campsites will soon be built and on to Swann Intake, our first portage. Swann Intake is one of the drinking water intakes for Forsyth County.  It is right before Old 421 access and was our first portage. Ward’s father was employed by the water works of Forsyth County and was responsible for getting the intake built.

This was a test of how well my bags would work for the next five portages. The weight of the bags and the stairs made the carry tough, but it was doable. We decided to continue to Shallowford instead of camping at the portage. The portage site had flat, mowed ground, but it was flooded with light and had no trees for shade or a hammock. When we reached Shallowford, we were tired and ready to get out of the boat. That night we slept at home since there was no camping sites near Tanglewood.

People could join us anytime if they worked out their own shuttle. On the two weekends of the Long Paddle, Yadkin Riverkeeper and the Yadkin River State Trail offered everyone who wanted to paddle free shuttling. Day paddlers met at Hwy 64 and shuttled up to Tanglewood. It was a great turnout. Here we started the last leg of the first half of our journey.

The put-in was tricky, but we got everyone on the river and paddled down to Idols Dam. This was the second portage of the trip and the easiest. It took a bit of time as it was single file. The climb was minimal, but the path down was muddy and everyone kept falling. This was a section where I have never been and I really enjoyed paddling it. As we approached Hwy 64 the feeling was bittersweet: the first half was done. It was time to rest!

The first half was wonderful to paddle. I had been through most of these areas before and once again enjoyed so much of the beauty the Yadkin River has to offer. It was a long week, and we completed two-thirds of the entire route. Although this had been the longest part of the trip, the second half would be more challenging due to the lakes and portages.

The Second Trip

We started the second half at Boone’s Cave. It is a beautiful park with a lot of history. The cave is intriguing, but my favorite feature is the rock along the river. They call it Baptism Rock; I believe it’s due to the chance of baptizing yourself while climbing on it. This was another opportunity for participants to join us on the long paddle.

Upon arriving, everyone who was camping worked on their setup. We had a bit of rain, but we were seasoned and ready. The night was relaxing and entertaining with the extra guests that joined us. The next morning, we shuttled up to Hwy 64 and put in. I enjoyed this section as it is the only section of the Yadkin River with a class II rapid. Pretty fun to play in! We made it back to Boone’s Cave, where we enjoyed more rain.

The next morning, we left Boone’s Cave with York Hill as our next stop. As the river began to widen, the current obviously slowed. We had a paddler relate history of the old bridge at York Hill. I love hearing the history of this amazing river! We were greeted at York Hill with cold drinks and fresh fruit, always a plus! As the visitors loaded to go home, the through-paddlers worked on setting up camp. The campsites were agreeable, but the access area was very busy with vehicle traffic. The campsites overlooked a beautiful backwater area and had a great spot for watching the sunset.

After a restful night, we headed toward High Rock Dam. The river continued to widen and eventually turned into a lake. We were fortunate rain wasn’t in the forecast, but the temperatures began to rise. We found ourselves stopping often to swim. I looked forward to those shaded swimming spots along the lake. A boat greeted us with snacks and cold drinks. It was perfect timing as it was the heat of the day and the Gatorade hit the spot!

When we reached High Rock Dam, we could see the sites on the hillside. Getting out of the water and carrying all our gear up the hill was rough. Still, the campsites were pretty good. Everyone found a decent spot, and the views of the lake were beautiful. The next morning, we began the portage down. It was an eye-opener for what was still to come. The portages themselves were not terrible but making several trips back and forth with boats and gear added up! A half-mile portage became a four-mile trek after carrying each boat in tandem and making two gear trips—one for your boat, one for your partner’s boat, and two for the gear. When we reached the bottom, Bob Smith greeted us with water, and we were able to refill our containers. Thank you, Bob!

From there, we paddled to Tuckertown Camp. It was a beautiful paddle through an area with no housing or development. Unfortunately, black mat algae were everywhere on the lake.  The campsite, provided by Cube Hydro, sits just above the dam on an island. They are responsible for the maintenance of the portages. The campsite itself was great, with four pads, and everyone had a nice spot overlooking the water. When we woke the next morning, we saw a massive black algae bloom not far from our site. As we packed up, it moved closer, forcing us to launch from a different location.

We left the site and crossed roughly 300 yards of lake at the dam to reach the portage. It was another tricky climb with boats and gear. The portage was well maintained and clean; it was simply long. (See the previous portage-distance-times -laps formula). We put back on the water and paddled to the Badin Lake boat ramp, where Colleen McDaniel, the President of the Yadkin Riverkeeper Board, met us with snacks and cold refreshments. There was a convenient store next to the access and we were able to purchase water and refill our water bottles. We left there with the campsite only a couple of miles away. The takeout for the portage was like the others, a little steep, but manageable. At the top of the path overlooking Narrows dam is mile marker 4.

This is not an easy marker to miss. We call it the 4-mile club (informally) and those who have crossed paths with this mile marker can join this adventurers club. From here the path led us to our campsite, where we stayed for the night. Because the site was so new, it had not yet been maintained and was overgrown, making the path a little bushy. The next morning, we began the second half of the portage. It was challenging. A tree had fallen, so we had to take a different route, and the scramble over rock down to the water was sketchy. From there, we paddled to the next public access and met Colleen again. She took most of our gear so our next portage would be as light as possible (thank you Colleen!). We left eager to tackle it with the lighter load. As we proceeded, we enjoyed the rest of this beautiful Fall’s lake. It is one of my favorites; this section feels ancient.

We reached Falls Dam and began a half-mile portage. It was the last one, and we were determined not to let it defeat us. It was tiring but we persevered! We were excited paddling these last couple of miles. We picked up the pace and moved into formation as we approached Morrow Mountain. A large group of people welcomed us, the rangers sounded their vehicle sirens, and we pulled into the access. More than 200 miles—wow, what a journey! I am proud to have completed the Yadkin River State Trail. The Long Paddle.

 

I loved this trip! It was challenging and difficult but offered so much in return. We were blessed with so many river creatures and birds. I do not recommend attempting this on your own. I do highly recommend doing this with a group of capable friends. The Yadkin River is so diverse with something for everyone! Get out on the river, get to know the river and be a part of the river! For we are 60% water!

Living is today; dying is tomorrow. So go live!

Special thanks to:

Susan Sparks

Yadkin Riverkeeper (Staff & Board)

Yadkin River State Trail

Get Outdoors

Upper Yadkin Outfitters

Easy Bend

Boone’s Cave Park

Morrow Mountain State Park

And

The Long Paddlers