New river access point opening up smoother water to Midlands tubers with kids

A recent addition to the Midlands riverfront promises to open up a new frontier for families looking to get out on the water.

Cayce on Thursday unveiled a new public access off Riverland Drive, at H. Kelley Jones Park, which also provides access to the city’s popular stretch of the Three Rivers Greenway.

The new amenity will allow kayakers and tubers to put in and take out at a new spot along the water, with a gravel path leading down from the park’s parking lot to a wooden staircase ushering people up and down the steep riverbank.

In a release, Cayce Mayor Elise Partin called it a “true family-friendly addition to the Riverland Park community that benefits people across the region that want to enjoy spending time on the Congaree River.”

A city spokesperson said that while the cost to install the new access point will be paid out of the city’s hospitality tax coffers, it will be a few weeks before all the invoices come in to determine the exact total.

The Cayce addition continues a recent pattern of bettering local river access. Columbia recently made improvements to its river access at the Saluda Riverwalk, adding well-appointed steps leading down to the river, replacing what had previously been a dirt path. Meanwhile, extensive upgrades are on the way for the access at the West Columbia Riverwalk Amphitheater, including the addition of a 20-foot concrete launchpad and adjoining concrete landing as well as placing large rocks in the water to block debris and slow down the flow to make it easier for people to get in and out of the river.

These upgrades are all a big deal for Mike Mayo, but particularly the new one in Cayce, which his company Palmetto Outdoor helped make happen.

The outfitter offers equipment and shuttle services for people to ride the river. For those looking to tube, this has meant the company’s main ride from the Columbia access at the Saluda Riverwalk off Candi Lane to the West Columbia amphitheater at the Gervais Street Bridge.

This has proven limiting for families. The rapids along that stretch are too intense for small children, and the length of the trip — ranging from 2 1/2 to four hours depending on water levels — can test their patience. Because of these factors, Palmetto Outdoor maintains a minimum age limit of 10 for that service.

But with no rapids along the newly available stretch from West Columbia to Cayce and a 1 1/2 to 2-hour float time that remains largely unchanged regardless of the water level, the company will be adding it as an option for families with kids as young as 6 — and for people who just want a shorter trip.

The smoother trek, which Palmetto Outdoor will begin beta-testing for weekend trips starting Sept. 8, should also help make the Columbia area more competitive with other nearby options for tubers, Mayo added.

“The Congaree-to-Cayce is more in tune with rivers like the French Broad up around Asheville, more in tune with the Chattahoochee up in Helen, Georgia,” he said.

Mayo noted that drawing more people in this way should prove good for the area, as more than 60% of his riders come from outside a 50-mile radius.

He added that the new access point should untangle traffic at the Cayce boat landing about a half-mile down stream. Before this addition, tubers and kayakers — including ones sent there by Palmetto Outdoor, which used the stretch from West Columbia to the Cayce landing as its alternate route when water levels were too high — mixed uncomfortably with boats putting in and out.

“Nothing better than steps down to the water,” Mayo said. “You know what I mean?”