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Paddler's Guide to the Sunshine State By Sandy Huff Whether you're a first-time paddler or a whitewater veteran, whether you're looking for an easy going two-hour tour with your family or a week-long solo adventure, this book lists the most delightful destinations to explore in a state famous for its scenic waterways. Read a complete excerpt from chapter one, including the Tips for Paddling Florida and Getting Started sections. Then check out our two full sample destination excerpts -- the Suwannee River in Northeast Florida and Merritt Island in Central Florida. You may also peruse the Table of Contents to see just how comprehensive the guide is! |
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Chapter One - PDF | Suwannee River - HTML PDF | Merritt Island - HTML PDF Table of Contents - HTML PDF | Purchase Now |
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Destination 37: Suwannee River
Miles or average time: 141 miles, in eleven sections ranging from .5 to 22 miles Ever since Stephen Foster wrote the song about the Suwannee River, it's been the signature waterway for Florida. Historians say he was only looking for a river with two syllables, never saw it, and even misspelled its name. Who cares? The wide brown Suwannee is long, interesting, and worth a visit. The river starts in the Okeefenokee Swamp in Georgia and goes some 62 miles before it gets to the Florida border. OYcially, 141 miles of the Florida part of the river are in the canoe trail, but I can find only 120.3 miles of it. Downstream from that is another long stretch to the river's end past the town of Suwannee at the Gulf of Mexico (see destination 31). The Suwannee River offcially begins in Georgia at the Sill, a manmade earthen dam that runs for a dozen miles across what used to be the low western edge of the swamp. It was put in to keep the water level constant to reduce fires in the swamp, and separates the Okeefenokee Swamp from the Suwannee River. I spent a week in the Okeefenokee, putting in near Folkston and getting out at Fargo, and have vivid memories of the swamp. I was intrigued by the tupelo trees that dot the upper river. These look exactly like the sweet potato plants you stuck with toothpicks and rooted in a jar of water when you were a kid. If you want to paddle the Georgia portion of the Suwannee, there are a couple of places to enter the Okeefenokee. One is the Suwannee Canal, on the east side of the swamp off SR121 south of Folkston. The other is Stephen C. Foster State Park, located at the north end of SR177 in the middle of the swamp. The offcial Florida canoe trail consists of seven sections for the Upper Suwannee. The river is narrow, winding, and brown here. Upper Suwannee 1) SR6 to Cone Bridge Road, 8.9 miles, Hamilton and Columbia Counties. From the town of White Springs, drive seven miles north on SR135, turn right/east on SR6, and go less than a mile to the bridge. 2) Cone Bridge Road to Big Shoals, 9.7 miles. From I-10, go north on SR441 for 14.7 miles. Turn west on Cone Bridge Road. 3) Big Shoals Recreation Area to US41, 6 miles. From the town of White Springs, go north on SR135 for 3.5 miles. Turn right to the recreation area. 4) US41 to SR136, 2.2 miles. From the town of White Springs, go southeast for one mile on US41 to the river. The ramp is on the southwest side of the bridge. 5) SR136 to US129, 19.6 miles, Hamilton and Suwannee Counties. Put in at White Springs. 6) US129 to SR249, 15 miles. From I-10, head north on CR129. Just south of the bridge, turn right/east to Suwannee Springs. 7) SR249 to Suwannee River State Park, 7.6 miles, Madison and Suwannee Counties. From Live Oak, head north on SR249 to the bridge. Lower Suwannee 8) Suwannee River State Park to US90, .5 miles. The state park is off US90 near Live Oak. Now you're starting the 51 miles of the wider Lower Suwannee. The Stephen Foster State Folk Culture Center features Florida pioneer exhibits, including the desk that Foster used when he composed "Old Folks at Home." The annual Folk Festival is great fun. You can contact the Stephen Foster Center at PO Drawer G, White Springs FL 32096, phone (904) 397-4331. 9) US90 to SR251, 14.2 miles. Start at the Ellaville bridge. 10) SR251 to SR51, 14.6 miles, Madison and Suwannee Counties. Start at the town of Dowling Park. 11) SR51 to Branford, 22 miles. Start at the ramp on the southwest side of the bridge, two miles north of Mayo. Telford Spring will be on your left about half a mile from the SR51 bridge. The runoff channels from Peacock and Bonnet Springs, in the Peacock Springs State Recreation Area, are about two miles down from that. Another boat ramp is on the west side of the river, about ten miles downstream from SR51. From Mayo, drive east on US27 for about seven and a half miles, then east on CR251 for three miles. Follow the signs to Mearson and Owens Springs. The next four miles to Troy Springs are almost straight. Watch for them on the right. On the sandy bottom are what's left of an old Confederate river runner, the Madison. After a century and a third in the water, the old logs are slowly petrifying. It's against the law to disturb them. 12) End the official state canoe trail at the town of Branford (DeLorme page 64, section A-1.) Going On With a bit more planning you can continue downriver to the town of Suwannee and the Gulf of Mexico. Be sure to stop at Manatee Springs State Park, which is twenty-three miles upstream from the river's mouth. There's a nice boardwalk, campground, swimming area, boathouse, and canoe rental. In the winter you're sure to see the giant forms of manatees dozing underwater. They come in for the constant 72° water being gushed up at the rate of 117 million gallons per day. Watch for the school of panfish that hang out where the clear spring water enters the red-brown river. Just as entertaining is snorkeling or watching the scuba divers in the big spring or Catfish Hotel Sink. You can contact Manatee Springs State Park at 11650 NW 115 Street, Chiefland FL 32626, phone (352) 493-6072. Several detailed reference books on the Suwannee River are available. Clyde C. Council has written an excellent book called Suwannee Country. It covers the river all the way from the Okeefenokee to the Gulf of Mexico, mile by mile. Most camping stores and canoe liveries stock the book, or you can order it from Council Company, PO Box 5822, Sarasota FL 34277. At $6 a copy, it's a good resource. Another good book, video, and home page is Canoeing and Camping the 213 Miles of the Beautiful Suwannee River by William A. Logan. Contact him at billlog@brevard.net or www.Canoe-Suwannee.com and he'll send you a periodic update on river conditions. For cyberspace information, try www.dep.state.fl.us/parks/ManateeSprings/ manateesprings. The offcial descriptions of the canoe trail are at www8. myflorida.com/communities/learn/trails/canoe. © 2002 University Press of Florida. All Rights Reserved. | |
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