Saluda Shoals Riverwalk opens, advancing vision for connected Midlands trail system
August 23, 2026
A long-planned vision to create a continuous recreational trail along the Lower Saluda River took a major step forward this week with the opening of the first phase of the Saluda Shoals Riverwalk.
The Irmo Chapin Recreation Commission held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday, Aug. 19, at the new Dreher Shoals Landing at 6181 Bush River Road, officially opening a 2.5-mile paved trail and boardwalk connecting the Lake Murray Dam area with Saluda Shoals Park.
Community leaders, elected officials, project partners and residents attended the ceremony, which also marked the opening of a new trailhead at Dreher Shoals Landing.
“This ribbon cutting represents another exciting step forward in enhancing connectivity and outdoor recreation for our community,” ICRC Executive Director Mark Smyers said. “The Riverwalk continues to create opportunities for residents and visitors to walk, bike, and experience the natural beauty of the Lower Saluda River while strengthening connections between neighborhoods, businesses, and recreational spaces.”
The new section begins near the Dreher Shoals Dam on Lake Murray, follows Bush River Road and winds toward the Saluda River before connecting with Saluda Shoals Park and approximately three additional miles of trails within the park.
The 10-foot-wide paved trail is ADA accessible and designed for walkers, runners and cyclists. It includes elevated boardwalk sections through wooded areas along the river and is pet- and family-friendly.
The new Dreher Shoals Landing trailhead serves as the western gateway to the Riverwalk and includes a park office, restrooms and paved parking.
But the newly opened trail is just the first piece of a considerably larger project.
Phase 2 will extend the Riverwalk from Saluda Shoals Park to Gardendale Landing. Once that section is completed, the Riverwalk will stretch approximately 8.5 miles from Dreher Shoals Dam through Saluda Shoals Park to Gardendale Landing.
The longer-term vision is even more ambitious.
Future plans call for extending the trail eastward to connect with the existing Saluda Riverwalk behind Riverbanks Zoo once work on the Carolina Crossroads interstate project is complete. That would connect the Irmo and Lexington areas with the larger Three Rivers Greenway network serving Columbia, West Columbia and Cayce.
It’s a vision that has been decades in the making.
According to ICRC, planning for a regional park and greenway along the Lower Saluda River corridor dates back more than 40 years. Saluda Shoals Park ultimately fulfilled the regional park portion of that vision, while the Riverwalk is now beginning to create the long-envisioned trail connection.
A feasibility study conducted by the Central Midlands Council of Governments envisioned an eventual 10.5-mile multi-use paved pathway extending along the north side of the Saluda from the Johnny W. Jeffcoat Walkway at the Lake Murray Dam to the Three Rivers Greenway at Riverbanks Zoo and Botanical Garden.
The study identified the Lake Murray Dam-to-Saluda Shoals Park segment as the community’s top priority for the greenway — the section that has now opened.
For residents, the immediate result is a new place to walk, run, bike, birdwatch and enjoy the river.
The bigger impact could come over time as additional pieces are completed.
What is now a 2.5-mile trail could ultimately become an important link in a much larger Midlands trail network — connecting Lake Murray, Saluda Shoals Park, Riverbanks Zoo and communities on both sides of the Saluda and Broad rivers.
After decades of planning, that regional connection is beginning to take shape.
