2. Wildlife Road access near Lillington to NC 217 bridge near Erwin

Put-in: Wildlife Access Road Boat Ramp downstream from NC-210 in Lillington. Take-out: NC-217 bridge near Erwin. 1\. River Left under bridge (steep) 2\. River Left past Campbell Falls Rapid (short portage) 3\. River Right under bridge (overgrown/steep) Description: This is a popular section of the Cape Fear due to the many paddling opportunities, reliable flows, and proximity to the Triangle Area. This section begins with several miles of flatwater with some Class I-III rapids mixed in.  During the summer expect to see numerous recreational kayaks throughout this section as Cape Fear River Adventures rents kayaks for this section and it has become very popular for this region.  The parking lot on Wildlife road is also usually packed by mid day due to all the recreational boating and tubers coming from Cape Fear River Adventures As described in the comments, most whitewater paddlers will not paddle this section due to the 4 miles of flatwater at the beginning however at  higher levels (4 ft and above) the 4 miles are not too bad with the flow and the second 4 miles are worth it.  This section is perfect for beginners or novice whitewater paddlers to learn on.  The flatwater gives them plenty of time to learn to control the boat and then every rapid has flatwater after in the event of a swim in addition to plenty of strong eddy lines to practice on and at most levels there are many places to surf.  At levels above 5ft, the waves get bigger and the whirlpool effect and cross eddys become bigger in addition to the water is up into the trees on the banks so recovering a capsized kayak becomes more difficult and a good roll is highly recommended. Be aware that homeless have taken shelter under the bridge on the river left side of the river in Erwin and most likely due to that the property owner on the river left side has posted no tresspassing signs along the trail after the bridge.  This only effects you if you decide to run Campbell's falls and hike back up, you will not have to hike up the river right side and paddle back across or walk up through the rocks in the middle and then paddle up to the take out. For many pictures from different paddlers at different levels check out the gallery. This section has had many drownings at high water in the past and many rescues in the recent years due to mostly recreational boaters going in at higher levels. _Rapid Descriptions provided by Gil Williams and Michael Carter._ _Added descriptions provided by William Holman_