Anderson County is in the process of constructing a nature park and kayak launch facility along the Saluda River in Piedmont.
The Piedmont Riverfront Park is located on 28.02 acres at 550 River Road, Piedmont. It is approximately 4/10th of a mile north of the Piedmont Dam and just north of Hwy. 86. The property was purchased by the county in 2020 and the land purchase was funded by a $300,000 grant from the National Park Service Land and Water Conservation Fund.
The project will be developed in two phases with an estimated total cost of $1.5 million.
Drew Cole, the Development Manager for the Piedmont Riverfront Park said the park will be developed in stages, with the first stage featuring a half-mile walking trail and camping facilities.
Plans for the project include an ADA-accessible kayak launch facility; ADA accessible sidewalk; improved parking area and shoreline access and habitat enhancements.
When completed, the facility is planned to have an improved landscape plan with canopy trees; improved access to all areas of the shoreline; a 2,800 foot natural surface trail; a paved sidewalk system; a restroom facility; primitive campsites, a pedestrian bridge and boardwalk; and beach improvements.
Initial plans when announced in 2022 also included a gate house; an amphitheater/outdoor classroom and picnic shelters.
Piedmont Riverfront Park will be a part of the Saluda River Blue Way Trail, which currently extends along a 17.5-mile recreational corridor in Anderson County and includes Dolly Cooper Park in Powdersville, Dr. James A. Timmerman Access in Pelzer, and the Sen. M.W. Gambrell Access near Belton.
The first public ADA Kayak Launch facility in South Carolina was installed on the Saluda River at Dolly Cooper Park in 2012. In 2013, a fishing deck was constructed to the left of the floating kayak launch through the efforts and oversight of an Eagle Scout project. Ben Otto Sunderman earned his Eagle Scout distinction, upon completion of the project creating an accessible fishing deck that was constructed with a wide access ramp and railing, which leads to the deck with lowered rails for accessibility to disabled residents and visitors.
A second ADA floating kayak launch facility was constructed on the Saluda River in Pelzer in 2017. The accessible floating kayak launch at Pelzer was a $130,000 project funded partly by Anderson County as well as a Duke Energy Water Resources Fund. A Duke Energy Foundation grant provided the majority of funding, Anderson County received $99,508 toward the project. Duke Energy’s partnership allowed Anderson County to move forward with its plan to install an additional ADA kayak launch facility promoting active living and enjoyment for all its citizens, disabled residents, and visitors.
ADA launch sites are the core of Anderson County’s Saluda River Corridor Development Plan, and are being implemented along the 48-mile river between the Saluda Lake Dam and the Town of Ware Shoals Dam. Anderson County has aggressively implemented its access improvement plan, and is working with other counties alongside the river to establish miles of paddling opportunities in Upstate South Carolina.
