The Saluda's Holiday Season Runs on Two Clocks: The New Riverwalk by Day, Holiday Lights by Night

At 5 p.m. on a December afternoon, the gates at Dreher Shoals Landing close. The paved trail that runs from the foot of Lake Murray's dam down the north bank of the Saluda River empties out. One hour later, about a mile and a half down Bush River Road, Saluda Shoals Park opens again for something else entirely: car headlights, a hayride, and millions of lights spread over three miles.

This is the first holiday season with the new Saluda Shoals Riverwalk open, so the river now has a daytime trip and a nighttime trip, each with its own hours, its own fees and its own crowd pattern. From Saluda River Club, both are a short drive across the dam. They just don't run at the same time, and planning around that is what gets you a calm December on the river instead of a crowded one.

The 5 p.m. gate and the 6 p.m. gate

Here's how the two schedules line up from November 1 through December 31, according to the Irmo Chapin Recreation Commission:

1. 7:00 a.m. Saluda Shoals Park and the Dreher Shoals Landing trailhead open for regular day use.
2. 5:00 p.m. Both close for the day.
3. 6:00 p.m. Holiday Lights on the River opens nightly, running November 25 through December 31.
4. 10:00 p.m. The lights close.

Day use is priced by the visit or by the pass. Holiday Lights is priced per vehicle, by the night. ICRC sells admission per car, per 12-plus-passenger van, truck with trailer or limo, and per bus. The park is also closed during the day on Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.

Both trips start the same way. ICRC's route from Lexington takes North Lake Drive, SC-6, across the Dreher Shoals Dam toward Irmo, then right on Bush River Road. The park sits about 1.5 miles down on the right at 5605 Bush River Road. The new trailhead at 6181 Bush River Road comes first, right off the dam.

The daytime half is the newest thing on the river

Phase 1 of the Saluda Shoals Riverwalk opened to the public at noon on August 19, 2026, after a ribbon cutting at Dreher Shoals Landing that morning. The Lexington County Chronicle reported that the project used to be called the Lower Saluda Greenway. About 95% of Phase 1 sits on Dominion Energy property between the dam and the park.

What's out there now, per ICRC's Riverwalk page:

• 2.5 miles of paved trail and boardwalk along the north bank. It starts at the dam, follows Bush River Road, then winds toward the river before reaching Saluda Shoals Park.
• About three more miles through the park once the trail arrives there.
• A 10-foot-wide paved path that's ADA accessible and open to pets, with elevated boardwalk sections through a wooded stretch.
• A trailhead building at Dreher Shoals Landing with a park office, restrooms and paved parking.

Parking costs $7 per car or minivan per day, at the trailhead and at the park. The pass options matter more in December than in any other month. A 1-Month Park Pass costs $10 per vehicle and covers both of the park's gates plus Dreher Shoals Landing. That's less than two daily fees. The Annual Parking Pass costs $75 and covers the same three entry points during regular park hours. ICRC sells passes at the Saluda Shoals Park administrative building from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, or by phone at 803-772-1228.

With a 5 p.m. close, a winter walk on the Riverwalk is a morning or early-afternoon plan. Five miles from the trailhead through the park and back takes a real chunk of daylight.

The nighttime half is priced by the calendar

Holiday Lights is presented by Lexington Health. ICRC sorts each night of the season into Green, Yellow or Red based on past attendance, and prices it to match. Green and Yellow nights cost less, and ICRC expects lighter traffic and shorter waits on those nights. Car admission is $25, $30 or $35. A 12-plus-passenger van, truck with trailer or limo is $50 on any night, and a bus is $75.

The tiers mostly follow the weekend, with a few exceptions, and those exceptions are where the value is. Here's every Santa night with its car price:

Two Fridays and two Sundays with Santa are priced at the lowest tier: November 27 and 29, and December 4 and 6. Once December 18 arrives, every night through the 23rd is $35. Professional Santa photos and photo packages are available for purchase.

Tickets bought in advance are good only for the night you pick, and ICRC doesn't offer refunds or transfers. A $25 ticket is a commitment to that date, so check the forecast and the family calendar before you buy. Cards are accepted, with a transaction fee.

Admission includes:

• The Winter Wonder Dual Tube Slides
• A hayride and a ride on the Saluda Shoals train through the displays
• A laser light show on the Wetland Trail
• A station for coloring and decorating a letter to Santa

Santa's Claus'et Gift Shop and the concession stands charge separately.

Three nights when the lights run without the extras

ICRC says the included activities won't run on Thanksgiving night, Christmas Eve or Christmas night. All three are still on the price list. Thanksgiving, November 26, falls in the opening $25 stretch. Christmas Eve is a $30 night, and Christmas night starts the $25 run that lasts through New Year's Eve.

So on those three nights, you're paying for a drive through the lights, with no slides, train or laser show. That might be exactly the plan for a slow after-dinner drive with visiting family. It's a poor fit if a child is counting on the tube slides.

The season closes on its longest run at the lowest price. From December 26 through December 31, every night is $25 and the activities are back.

Filling the hour between

If you're turning the trail and the lights into one long day, there's an hour to fill between the 5 p.m. close and the 6 p.m. opening. Concessions inside the lights are one answer. Another is back on the Lexington side: Macie and Milo's Brew Pup opened March 26, 2026, at 140 Cromer Road near the Sunset Boulevard crossing of I-20. It pairs fenced dog parks with a bar serving local beers and bar bites, according to the Lexington County Chronicle. The paper listed its hours as Wednesday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. If the dog came along for a morning on the pet-friendly Riverwalk, that's a place where the dog is welcome too.

Where the trail goes next

The Riverwalk you'll walk this December is the first section of a longer plan. When it's finished, ICRC says the trail will run about 8.5 miles from Dreher Shoals Dam through Saluda Shoals Park to Gardendale Landing. Future plans call for connecting it to the Saluda Riverwalk behind Riverbanks Zoo once the Carolina Crossroads project is complete.

The next step already has a contractor. At an August 5, 2026 special called meeting, according to the commission's approved minutes, ICRC moved to award Phase II to AOS Specialty Contractors for $4,464,738, pending bid-packet approval from the Economic Development Administration. That figure is a $4,196,912 base bid plus add-alternates. The add-alternates include asphalt paving instead of gravel from Gardendale Valley Lane down to the boat ramp, along with the parking lot. The 37% match comes from a South Carolina Parks, Recreation and Tourism grant. ICRC Executive Director Mark Smyers told commissioners that AOS built most of the Riverwalk in Columbia, West Columbia and behind the zoo.

At the August ribbon cutting, Dominion Energy South Carolina President Keller Kissam told the crowd the project "is vital to a larger goal to eventually connect the Lake Murray dam with downtown Columbia and beyond," as reported by the Lexington County Chronicle. For now, that connection starts a short drive from Saluda River Club, at a trailhead that closes at 5 p.m. through the end of December.

Whether you're mapping out a $25 night with Santa or just want to know what's changing along the river near home, Mackenzie Robertson is always glad to talk about the places that make this corner of Lexington feel like home. Schedule a Free Consultation, and let's chat over a cup of coffee before the lights come on.