East Coast Spring Kayak Trip, Part II, Tennessee? South Carolina?

Back in Spring Paddling destinations - East Coast USA I asked about a spring trip, but at the time we were still driving our Jeep which limited how far we could go. (My back doesn’t like long trips in the Jeep.)

Now we figure we can make it down to maybe South Carolina or even into Tennessee. After googling around, looking at maps, reading blogs, it seems that Charleston South Carolina or Knoxville TN are both decent choices.

We like quite waters. We want to be away from power boats, all the man mad lakes near Knoxville just scream out power boats to me. Charleston has some nice rivers near it (Tyger, but I worry about rapids) and the Wawbaw Creek sound interesting. Charleston also has the advantage of have coastal marshy areas to play with.

We’d like to in the first week or April. Will either of these places be warm enough? I think so but local knowledge is always better.

We appreciate any advice on these two places, or even alternatives. Thanks!

I just saw this thread, South East Coastal Kayaking Help – cool!

And the Tyger is 3+ hours from Charleston!

The two are both fantastic options, but are very different from one another. The choice really depends on your personal preference.
White water is abundant here in Tennessee. There are also nice lakes, rivers and creeks. If you decide on Tennessee you might want to consider Chattanooga and the Parksville lake/Ocoee area.

Charleston is absolutely magical for paddling. If it were up to me, I’d make the choice to go here out of the two, especially if you prefer salt water. The marshes and harbor are amazing and the history of the town only adds to the experience.

Thanks for the input. Its going to be a hard choice. We love the sea life in the salt marshes but not having to worry about tides does have its appeal.

The tides are easily managed by using the “rule of thirds” . I agree that Charleston Harbor is a great place to paddle with The Battery, Fort Sumter, and Castle Pinckney. And Patriots Point in Mt. Pleasant if you like paddling among retired warships.
About an hour north of Charleston on US 17 is Cape Romain NWR which includes Bull Island. It is my favorite salt water paddle.
If you want to paddle a beautiful lake , Jocassee is in northwest SC and is accessed at Devil’s Fork State Park.
My favorite river is the Edisto . It is accessible at many places but my favorites are Colleton State Park and Givhan’s Ferry SP.