Thinking of floating down the Saluda River because it’s a DEEP SOUTH and super hot July, but don’t know where to start. That’s ok, we’ll help! If you want to catch some rays, see some wildlife, and have a fun water day with friends and family, we recommend taking the Riverbanks Zoo to Gervais Street Bridge Route (Aka the Z-G route). Take a 3-hour, 2.5-mile-long float will put-in near Riverbanks Zoo and take you down the lower Saluda river until you reach the West Columbia Riverwalk. Note: This route has Class I + Class II rapids — one to two feet tall rapids over rocks.