PADDLING AROUND THE BIG BEND
Salt Water Paddling:
Kayaking and canoeing have exploded in popularity in the past decade, as documented by the vast number of outfitters now available in our area, and around our rivers and streams. Many resources are available to assist folks in having safe and interesting paddles. If you are interested in salt water paddling, then you definitely need to investigate the Big Bend Saltwater Paddling Trail. This trail was designated by the Florida Legislature in 1996 as part of our state's Greenways and Trails System. It connects with the Florida Circumnaviational Salt Water Paddling Trail that covers 1515 miles around our peninsula. You would definitely want to investigate the Florida Paddling Trails Association, an active group that paddles together frequently. Also, the Paddle Florida, a non-profit group that organizes trips over a few days on some of our great rivers. As a group they paddle, camp out, have educational talks/lectures, eat good food, and explore an incredible environment. Kind of like a local Elderhostel. Keep up with them at www.paddleflorida.org For some really great information on the trails around our state, secure the Florida Office of Greenways and Trails guide, CIRCUMNAVIGATIONAL SALTWATER PADDLING TRAIL, 2nd edition. The Florida Seakayaking Association can be contacted through www.fska.org Our state parks have many kinds of trails, including paddling. Go to www.floridastateparks.org Then find the parks you're interested in, click on it, and check out the rivers, lakes, etc. To access the Saltwater Paddling Trail, visit www.FloridaGreenwaysandTrails.com where you can download information and the all important maps. Our Florida Department of State also has information on some of our rivers paddling guides. See www.dep.state.fl.us/gwt/guide/designatedpaddle Then search for the river, lake you're interested in, and click on it. You should get current information, and maps. Florida Paddling Trails Association, log onto www.floridapaddlingtrails.com
Doug Alderson, in his book WILD FLORIDA WATERS, denotes important information about the Circumnavigational Saltwater Paddling Trail. In 2004, the state of Florida first recognized the completion of the 105 mile Big Bend Saltwater Paddling Trail from the Aucilla River to the town of Suwannee. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection's Office of Greenways and Trails started mapping the trail, and by 2007, most of the CT was completed. Through out the entire trail system, paddlers have access to more than 80 primitive campsites. The major purpose of the trail is to expose paddlers to the history and environment of our state. Points of interest are included along the way. Coastal habitat types are encountered along the trail. The CT accesses 18 wildlife refuges, 37 aquatic preserves, 47 Florida state parks, two national parks, two national seashores, a national marine sanctuary, along with to many to count local parks and preserves. In 2007 the United States Department of Interior designated it a national recreation trail. The trail begins at Big Lagoon State Park near Pensacola, winds its way down and around the Florida Keys,turns north, and ends at Fort Clinch, a Civil War fort along the Georgia border. Long distance paddles and even day trips and/or week-end trips can be planned out. Paddlers may want to do the trail in sections, similar to the way hikers and backpackers hike the Florida Trail.
Florida's Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has eleven paddling trails that they feature. Many of their trails have been designed so that off-road bicycles can be used to complete a shuttle. Secure bike racks have been placed at some launch sites. By logging on to the FWC website, you can request a free guide to the 90 some miles of trails that are within the Apalachicola River WEA Paddling Trail System. www.myfwc.com/viewing/recreation/ then look for the apalachicola-river/recreation/paddling section.
Fresh Water Paddling:
We are fortunate to live in a area with lots of flowing rivers, and assorted creeks and streams feeding in to them. Each exploration of a river and its water shed is an incredible expirence. The history of the areas, along with the differing habitats, and the wildlife living in each give us reasons to increase our environmental sensitivity. The nearest rivers are listed below, somewhat alphabetically. It's hoped that as you visit each, you will come to love their uniqueness as we do. Each is but a short paddle away.
APALACHICOLA RIVER: This river begins at the Jim Woodruff Dam in Chattahoochee. It travels 107 miles to the Apalachicola Bay. It is currently beginning to recover from the shipping days on the river, when barges hauled goods down to the bay. The Army Corps of Engineers tried to keep the river with a nine foot deep channel, that was about 100 feet wide. They kept it that way with dredging and snag removal. Finally, in about 2005 these activities were halted due to lack of funds, and after a great deal of ecological damage. The river is slowly recovering and returning to its wild ways!! Todays it is primarily used by fishermen, and canoe and kayak folks. Its biggest threat today involves the water wars that take large amounts of water from the Flint and the Chatahoochee Rivers in Georgia. It is the only Florida river that flows down from the souther Appalachians by way of the Chattahoochee River. It has the tallest bluffs of any of our rivers. And, due to its origin up in the mountains, it includes several species of plants and animals normally found in the souther Appalachians. Many historic sites and some of our state parks, are located along the river. The tupelo tree provides the ingredients for the famous tupelo hones. You might see bee hives around the area.For current information regarding the river, log onto the Apalachicola Riverkeeper web site
www.apalachicolariverkeeper.org They have a paddling guide, along with maps of the river. If you wish to lauch by the dam, go to Clyde Hopkins Park in Chattahoochee. Turn south off of Hwy. 90 onto River Landing Road. The road wends its way down to the launch site. Using the web site and the maps, you'll be able to find other landings along the river and on the side streams. The Riverkeep leads day kayak trips on the river, along with the Apalachicola Maritime Museum which offers educational adventures on the river. www.ammfl.org then click on River trips. Also, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has developed eleven paddling trails along the Apalachicol River Wildlife and Environmental area. Many of these trails have been designed so that off-road bicycles can be used to shuttle back and forth between sites. There are almost one hundred miles of trails within this system. www.fwc.com/recreation/apalachicolariver/paddling or 850-410-4951
AUCILLA RIVER; Oft times called the disappearing river, due to the number of times it goes underground, only to appear a short distance away.It begins near Boston, Georgia, and plays a disappearing act several times, before rising for the last time at Nutall Rise, right near Hwy. 98, and less than six miles from the Gulf. It's a great one to explore. The Aucilla Wildlife Management Area, which borders lots of the river, consists of almost 50,000 acres. The lower part of the river usually provides great fishing. To reach it, follow US 98 east, where you will find a small bait store near the landing. There are two boat/canoe landings marked. One is north of US 98, above the highway bridge, east side. The second one is about three miles south of the bridge, and you will take a graded road to access it. Florida Trail volunteers have in the past maintained the hiking trails that follow the course of the river at the lower end.
OCHLOCKONEE RIVER: It flows from the Jackson Bluff Dam at Lake Talquin south to the Gulf for 76 miles.`Looking at it from the Highway 20 bridge, it looks like a wide, gentle river. It does narrow, and moves quite fast in some sections. There are lots of side streams, and you'll find bluffs, sloughs, and sandbars. As the river nears the Gulf, it widens into large salt marsh prairies and tidal creeks. You will pass under the Hwy 98 bridge to Bald Point and the Gulf beyond. To enter the river where it begins, go to Ed and Bernice's Fish Camp along a paved road, about a quarter mile sw of the Hwy 20 bridge. To download a guide and map of the Lower Ochlockonee River Paddling Trail, go to www.dep.state.fl.us/gwt/guide/deignatedpaddle/Ochlock You can reach the Ochlockonee River State Park along Hwy. 319, south of Sopchoppy. For more information, go to www.floridastateparks.org/ochlockoneeriver
ST. MARKS RIVER: This is a beautiful river, with lots of interesting habitat to view as you paddle. Launching at the Natural Bridge Historic State Park enables you to paddle upstream , without any hinderances, such as log jams, to interfere with your time outdoors. If you go about 2 1/2 to 3 miles upriver, you'll encounter Horn Springs, a local swimming hole. Be careful of the eroding banks. The river goes underground at the sink at Natural Bridge. This site is where the reenactment of the Civil War battle took place. It is worth viewing. The river rises at a place the localsl call "the basin." You can find space to launch at Newport Bridge, where you can paddle upstream about 6 miles to where the river rises. Most of the area in this section is not developed, so it is a peaceful paddle. . As you paddle below Hwy 98, the river winds past "civilization" to the town of St. Marks, where the river merges with the Wakulla River. There is a good public launch site here.
SOPCHOPPY RIVER: The upper part of the river flows through the Apalchicola National Forest. It is a treasure of visual delights. Tall banks, huge cypress trees. If the water is too low, or too high, it can be a challenge. There are numerous hairpin turns, protruding cypress knees, fallen logs. The river can easily be paddled in sections. It is southeast of Tallahassee, near Sopchoppy. Take forest road 365, aka River Road, north from town about 5 miles to Forest road 343. There turn west to the Oak Park Cemetery Bridge. You'll make a steep climb down the bank to the river. You would benefit from a map of the Apalachicola National Forest for the upper sections of the river. You can launch from the Mount Beasor Church Bridge, and complete a 5 mile paddle to the Sopchoppy City Park. Making this stretch a ten mile paddle would have you taking out at the 319 bridge. The last section of that can be floated. To get more information on the Sopchoppy River Paddling Trail go to www.dep.state.fl.us/gwt/guide/designatedpaddle/Wacissa
SLAVE CANAL:This canal was built with slave labor back in the 1850s to connect the Wacissa River and the Lower Aucilla River. It is a challenge to paddle. It currently is a tangle of downed trees, branches,and lots of side channels. Most of the water flowing through the canal comes from the Wacissa and its upriver springs. Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission put up signs pointing the way to the canal, since its beginnings can be hard to locate. The Wacissa River, including the Slave Canal, was designated a Florida canoe trail by the Governor and Cabinet in 1970. There are currently forty three legislatively designated Florida paddling trails. The creation of the canal was an attempt to open a shipping channel for the goods the plantations wished to ship to market. Unfortunately, it wasn't deep enough to encounter any kind of barge traffic. Navigating the canal is not easy. If the water level is too low, you'll ford rocks and shoals, and taking your craft over downed logs can be harrowing. Goose Pasture is at one end, and the Nutall Rise near Hwy 98 is the other. The entire paddle is only 5 miles, but it can take several hours depending on the depth of the water. The landing is easier. Once you cross over the Hwy 98 bridge that fords the Aucilla River, take the first road north. It's about 1/2 mile to the landing.Go to:www.dep.state.fl.us/gwt/guide/designatedpaddle/Wacissa
LAFAYETTE HERITAGE TRAIL PARK: This delightful park is one of our best-kept secrets. Along with hiking/biking trails, there is a gentle paddling trail that winds through Piney Z Lake into Lower Lake Lafayette. If you visit the parks and recreation portion of www.tal.gov.com you'll find a video of the trail, along with a downloadable map, and current paddle trail conditions. The launch site is from one of the fishing fingers, and the ford over the dam is not strenuous.
VISIT FLORIDA: FLORIDA PADDLING TRAILS; This brochure describes paddling trails through out the state, and has good information on ones in our vicinity. The CHIPOLA RIVER is a 51 mile trail that wanders through swamps, forests, with limestone bluffs and with caves visible. Watch out for the shoal that is called "Look and Tremble". It is well named, and you might prefer to portage around it It is below the State Road bridge near Blounstown. The WAKULLA RIVER is a 10 mile spring-fed river that is incredible to paddle. Wildlife, birds, manatees, and, of course, gators are all visible. You can paddle 4 - 6 miles below the Wakulla Springs State park. It is not a difficult river to paddle. The SUWANNEE RIVER is perhaps the most famous river in our state. It has its beginnings in the Okefenokee Swam, in Georgia. It wanders around for 207 miles before it empties into the Gulf of Mexico . You can paddle for a day or a week, since there are white sand beaches to camp on. Be careful around the Big Shoals, which are above White Springs. They are the only Class III rapids in Flordia. The upper Suwannee is about 75 miles, with a boat ramp at Roline, near the Georgia border, and it ends at Suwanee River State Park. Continuing on, till you reach Branford, the middle Suwannee is springs country. There are many springs, and some shoals that you will enjoy. It is at Troy Springs that you can see the remains of a Confederate river runner , the Madison, lying on the bottom of the river. Below Branford, the lower river runs deep and wide. The banks will gradually become lower, and this portion is wide, peaceful, with lots of view. The ICHETUCKNEE RIVER is northwest of Fort White, off of SR 47 and SR 238. The river is about 6 miles long, and winds its way through shaded hammocks and wetlands. It is a tubing paradise in the summer. It is a spring fed river, and maintains a 72 degree temperature. It was designated a National Natural Landmark by the U.S. Department of Interior in 1972. Snorkeling, scuba diving, swimming, hiking, etc. can be enjoyed. The river merges with the Santa Fe River, which completes the journey to the Gulf.
Accessing a map of the Apalachicola National Forest will give you an idea of the lakes, streams available for outdoor recreation. Clear Lake, down in the sw corner, is just one example. Where ever your adventures take you, enjoy our rivers, streams, lakes, and be careful. Remember to pack out all the refuse.
Other WIKI pages with related information include: Vitamin N, Pump It Up, Beaches, Shipwreck Trail
