The Pacolet River is a tributary of the Broad River, about 50 miles (80 km) long, in northwestern South Carolina in the United States. One of its principal headwaters tributaries also drains a small portion of western North Carolina. Via the Broad and Congaree rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Santee River, which flows to the Atlantic Ocean. The stream's name has also been spelled historically as "Pacolate River".