Saxapahaw Mill Race
to Union Bridge
PADDLE TRAIL
Saxapahaw Mill Race Paddle Access
6079 Swepsonville-Saxapahaw Road, Graham, NC 27253
…to…
Union Bridge Paddle Access
7525 Greensboro-Chapel Hill Road, Chapel Hill, NC 27516
…to…
Highway 15-501 Paddle Access
4495 Highway 15-501, Pittsboro, NC 27312
Saxapahaw Mill Race Paddle Access to Union Bridge Paddle Access:
Distance: 5.5 miles/2.5 hours
Difficulty: Intermediate
Minimum USGS Gauge Level: 2.1 ft at Haw River
Union Bridge Paddle Access to Highway 15-501 Paddle Access:
Distance: 12 miles/6 hours
Difficulty: Intermediate
Minimum USGS Gauge Level: 2.1 ft at Haw River
The moving water and intermittent rapids on this stretch of river make for a fantastic paddle.
This is a lovely stretch with a good mix of rapids and calmer breaks. Wildlife is abundant on this section of river, with paddlers often seeing Bald Eagles. The new Union Bridge Paddle Access is open at Greensboro-Chapel Hill Road, which allows the trip to be broken up into two segments. With the two possible take-outs you can customize your trip for a long adventure or a shorter afternoon. If you don’t want to go all the way to Bynum, you can take out at Chicken Bridge about 5.5 miles downriver from Union Bridge (another 2-3 hours past Union Bridge).
Once you reach 15-501, use caution near the take-out. The take-out is river left, before a sizable dam in the river.
