Trip Plans: Six Blackwater Routes
Six routes we have actually paddled, written as plans you can run rather than
places you might like. Each one gives the distance, the nights, the landings at
each end and what the river does in between.
How to pick one
If it is your first loaded overnight, take the Okefenokee Yellow
Trail to Cedar Hammock. Three miles, one night, a platform waiting for you, and
no shuttle to arrange. The permit is a phone call and the water level decides
everything, so ring the refuge before you commit.
If you have camped from a canoe before, the St. Marys run from
St. George to Traders Hill is the one we come back to. Twenty-two miles over two
days, white sandbars to camp on, and no permit needed.
If you want moving water, Fargo to Big Shoals on the Suwannee
puts the only Class III drop in Florida at the end of it. There is a marked
portage trail and you should use it unless you are solid in whitewater.
If you want quiet and do not mind dragging, the Alapaha in
spring after rain. It sinks in dry weather, so the gauge decides whether there is
a river at all.
Before any of them
Check the gauge for that specific stretch, not the river in general. Leave your
route, your take-out and an hour with somebody at home. Set a turnaround time
before you launch. And plan fewer miles than you think, because a loaded canoe, a
headwind and one unexpected portage will take the afternoon.
Full access points, mileage between landings and gauge thresholds for fifteen
rivers are in the free Paddler’s Guide.