May FSO - Paddle on the Mayo
May 4, 2024
9:00 AM - 1:30 AM
Enjoy a late spring outing with the Dan River Basin Association (DRBA) for a First Saturday of May paddle on the beautiful Mayo River. We will float six miles from Anglin Mill’s Mayo Beach to NC 770 near Stoneville, NC.
Participants are asked to meet at 9:00 a. m. at Old Anglin Mill Road (GPS 36.528463, -79.989540), downstream from Anglin Mill Bridge. During the FSO, the group will float past portions of the Mayo River State Park. Coordinator for the trip is Wayne Kirkpatrick, an avid paddler and river enthusiast.
"Beginning paddlers are invited to launch below Mayo Beach for a fairly easy float through mostly Class 1 waters," says Kirkpatrick. "There's one tricky rapid just upstream of the put-in that can be avoided by putting in downstream from it."
Expert paddlers with a yen for more thrills will have the option of running the famous "Boiling Hole" and the "S-turn" (alias "Blender") before proceeding with the rest of the trip. Otherwise the most excitement comes from navigating small rapids through several 1000-year-old fish weirs created in the river by Native Americans and used by local residents until about 1900. These vee-shaped stone fish weirs concentrated migrating fish at the point of the vee, making it possible to collect them in nets or baskets. Great spawning runs came from the Atlantic, up the Roanoke and Dan, into the Mayo River and its tributaries, where the fish laid their eggs and headed back downstream. For centuries, until dams stopped the fish migrations, people who lived near the river made huge catches that fed their communities or provided a living. Today, the fish weirs provide routes through shallow water, enhancing the interest of the float.
Portions of the land along this section of the river are part of North Carolina's Mayo River State Park. The Mayo River is one of the region's great assets. Paddlers can enjoy the unspoiled beauty of the river, with forested banks, wildlife, birds, and few signs of civilization. Watch the riverbanks for wildflowers in bloom along the edge of the water. Layers of azalea, mountain laurel, and rhododendron climb the banks to a thick forest cover. Songbirds migrating through or claiming nesting territory will join waterfowl, such as ducks, herons, and kingfishers, along the route.
Participants in the outing are asked to bring boat, life jacket, lunch and water, to dress in layers of wool or artificial (quick-drying) fabric, be prepared to get wet and to sign a waiver.
To reach the put-in, from US 220 north of Stoneville, exit onto Smith Road (SR 1360) and turn west. Go four miles to a T-intersection with Anglin Mill Road (SR 1358). Turn left on Anglin Mill Road and travel about a half-mile to within less than a mile of the Anglin Mill Bridge over the Mayo. Turn left onto unpaved Old Anglin Mill Road (SR 1385). Go one-half mile to a T-intersection with Mayo Beach Road (SR 1359). GPS 36.528463, -79.989540
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For more information about the outing, contact Trip Coordinator Wayne Kirkpatrick: email or call 540-570-3511.
