NEW for August 2020 — Cross Coves Trail — Rated: Moderate/Strenuous, 9 – 11 miles
This is the Berkeley Blueway’s 25th exciting Family Adventure! **
.
Click Here for Downloadable Cross Coves Trail Guide
Click Here for COMPLETE Downloadable Berkeley Blueways Guidebook
.
Summary: The Cross Coves Blueway kayak trail is located on west Lake Moultrie between two popular boat ramps. It consists of miles of beautiful and interesting coves. There are numerous rookeries of Egrets, Great Blue Herons, Anhingas, Cormorants and Bald Eagles. You are nearly guaranteed to see an abundance of wildlife on this paddle. This adventure, more than any other on the Berkeley Blueways, is a birder’s and photographer’s paradise!
Difficulty: Moderate to Strenous, but only due to distance.
Distance: 9 – 11 miles, one-way, from boat ramp to boat ramp. However, may be paddled from either boat ramp and split up in a couple trips (see “IMPORTANT” note below).
Time: 4 – 5.5 hours, minimum
Crowds: Moderate; this is a popular area of boaters/anglers.
Boat Type: Kayaks or canoes 12 feet or longer. Paddle boards are not recommended.
IMPORTANT: Doing the entire paddle in one day requires staging two vehicles or arranging pickup. Because of distance, this can be a long day on the water. This trip is best suited as a slower exploration paddle and completing the adventure in at least two trips; paddling north from the Fred L. Day Boat Ramp, and then paddling south from Angel’s Landing Marina.
Put In: Fred L. Day Boat Ramp, Boat Landing Way, Cross, SC 29436. GPS: 33.295429, -80.156345 or 33°17’43.5”N, 80°09’22.8”W.
Take Out: Angel’s Landing Marina, 1556 Viper Road, Pineville, SC 29468, 800-315-3087. GPS: 33.381196, -80.091654 or 33°22’52.3”N, 80°05’30.0″W.
Fees/Permits: No fee for Fred L. Day Boat Landing. $5.00 parking fee (as of Summer 2020) for Angel’s Landing Marina.
Current: Negligible, generally south direction
Tidal Influence: None
Precautions: Winds above 10 MPH can be tough for a paddler on Lake Moultrie. There is a lot of open water for wind to intensify and cause waves/whitecaps. There are hundreds of tree stumps just inches below the water’s surface. These can flip a paddler if a boat gets wedged on top. Tip: these stumps can usually be seen with polarized sunglasses.
Water Level: For this Blueway paddle trail, water level is not as much of a concern unless you go deep into some of the coves. It’s best to have a water level above 74.50. Lake Moultrie Water Levels, click HERE.
-
- Leaving from the Fred L. Day boat ramp.
-
- Osprey chicks in the late Spring on the Cross Coves Trail.
-
- Water lily in the Spring.
-
- Cormorant in Cross Coves.
-
- Juvenile Egrets in one of the rookeries of Cross Coves.
-
- Kayakers crossing open water between the coves.
-
- Red-winged Blackbird among the water lilies of Cross Coves.
-
- Cross Coves is a birder’s and photographer’s paradise!
-
- Adult osprey and (what’s left of) her breakfast in the Cross Coves.
-
- One of the MANY quiet, beautiful coves of the Cross Coves Blueway.
-
- If water levels are below 75.00, you should find a couple sandbars to get out and stretch your legs.
-
- Kayak angler in the tranquil upper Cross Coves.
.
**This new paddling trail is listed as Blueway # 9 in the updated Berkeley Blueways Guidebook. This is because of its location within the West Lake Moultrie paddling trails.
.