Okefenokee Trips

Nov. 30-Dec.2

Jan. 5-7 2009

Jan. 14-16 2009

Water Levels

Our Trips

CanoeCanoe Outfitters specialty is overnight canoe camping trips on the beautiful flatwater rivers of south Georgia. We have many years of experience working with girl and boy scouts, school groups, corporate team building and private groups.

Our trips range from one night to multiple nights, from small creeks to the largest river system in Georgia. All are flatwater rivers with large sandbars that we use for our camp sites. Here we can teach low impact camping, prepare great meals, and just enjoy the great outdoors.

We also run trips in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuse. Trips are a little different in the Okefenokee. We follow a well marked trail and camping is on raised platforms in the swamp. Group size is smaller due to the size of the platforms. It is best to do trips in the cooler months because of bugs. 

Below are some of the rivers we use for our trips. Take a look and give us a call if you have questions or would like to book a trip.

Altamaha River

The Oconee and Ocmulgee rivers come together just west of Uvalda, GA, to form the mighty Altamaha River. Named for a Yamasee Indian chief, Alatamaha, the Altamaha is the largest river of the GA coast and the second largest river basin in the eastern United States. The river winds for 137 miles from the forks to the Atlantic ocean and is relatively undisturbed except for a few fishing villages and vacation houses. 
The river is home to the endangered wood stork, as well as the southern bald eagle. The West Indian manatee and the shortnose sturgeon, and seven species of pearly mussels found nowhere else in the world live in and visit the river. There are several rare plants found alone the river. A rare flowering shrub, Franklin alatamaha, named after Benjamin Franklin, may still survive alone the river. Radford's Dicerandra, a recently discovered mint; grows nowhere on earth but on the rivers sand ridges.
Wide, big, and slow, the Altamaha's flow is quite different from that of the area's smaller rivers and streams. With the rains of spring and early summer the Altamaha can flood with its waters sometimes reaching as far as a mile or more into the hardwood swamps and bottomlands that line both sides of the Altamaha River. This is a great time to paddle to these swamps, which at other times of the year is only accessible with difficult hiking. Lewis Island Natural Area, located five up river from Darien, is a mass of canoe trails and waterways. The Altamaha on one side and Buffalo Swamp on the other, it is accessible only by boat. The island contains the largest known groves of virgin tidewater cypress and tupelo gum trees in Georgia. The Island is a great example of what forested swamps in the tidal areas of the eastern United States once looked like.
Late summer and winter is the best time to paddle the main channel of the river. The water is low and clear and sandbars around every corner makes an over night camping trip very relaxing and enjoyable. This is also a great time for fishing. Largemouth bass and big catfish swim in the waters of the Altamaha. The world record largemouth bass was caught in a lake on the Ocmulgee River, a tributary of the Altamaha. So make sure to bring alone fishing gear on this trip. The Altamaha is good river for day trips and overnight trips. For the adventurous spirit take a week and do the entire river. If that is not enough add one of it's tributaries and do 2 weeks or more.

 

 

Ocmulgee River

The Ocmulgee is born in the backwaters of Jackson Lake. Below the dam it flows through the Piedmont on its way to Macon. The river is rather peaceful except for a few shoals. After Macon the river slows as it makes its way through the coastal plain of Georgia. As the river winds its way toward the Altamaha; horseshoe bends, sandbars, and oxbow lakes, with a wide river corridor sometimes stretching for miles, makes for a wild and remote setting. During the week you may paddle for days and only encounter a few fishermen and occasional cabin.
From Macon to the mouth of the Ocmulgee is approximately 200 miles. Here it joins with the Oconee to form the Altamaha. This is a great river to spent a week exploring, fishing, or just relaxing.

Ohoopee River

The Ohoopee River, with soft white sandbars and clean black water, is truly one of the most beautiful rivers in south Georgia. Ancient and mysterious, the name originates with the Creek Indians.

In the rivers upper reaches, a canopy of trees and vines almost always covers the water, with dazzling rays of sunlight dancing around you. Farther down, the Ohoopee opens up to reveal rare views of hardwood swamps and ecologically unique sand hill dunes. The river's dune system, in particular, differs significantly from others in the coastal plain and supports several endangered animals and diverse, but unusually stunted vegetation. Canoeing down the Ohoopee is an unforgettably spectacular and inspiring experience. One you do not want to miss. The Ohoopee is dependent upon rainfall to be navigable by canoe. Late summer droughts sometimes make it too low to paddle. Fall, winter, and spring will usually have sufficient water for enjoyable canoeing.
The Ohoopee is a great river to do a day trip, or a 2 or 3 day overnight trip.

Pendleton Creek

This small, winding blackwater tributary of the Ohoopee is known but to a few local fisherman and fellow canoeists. A tree canopy covers almost the entire length, adding to its primeval ambience. With medium to low water, white sand bars dot the bank.. A short creek run of no more than 20 miles, it is canoeable only with high water, usually late winter or early spring. Also, a higher skill level is required because of its narrow width, fast flow and winding course. A jaunt down Pendleton can be combined with the Ohoopee for a most rewarding winter camping trip.

Oconee River

With its headwaters in north GA the Oconee travels over 170 miles before joining with the Ocmulgee to form the Altamaha River. It passes through the Oconee National Forest outside of Athens into Lake Sinclair in Milledgeville. After the last small dam south of Milledgeville the river flows unobstructed to its mouth. Sandbars and oxbow lakes become more frequent the further south the river flows. Below Dublin, rock cliffs, sometimes hidden from view, makes interesting side trips. Flint and broken pottery can be found on the numerous sandbars. At places the forest bottomland swamp surrounding the Oconee will extend for miles, which makes for a very remote setting. 
You can spend a day, a night, or a week paddling this tributary of the Altamaha.

 

The Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge   

The Okefenokee, with its vast prairies and thick, almost impregnable cypress swamps, is one of the largest and most pristine wilderness areas in the eastern United States. It is in extreme south Georgia, on the border of Georgia and Florida. There are two rivers that flow out of the swamp; the St. Mary's, which flows into the Atlantic near Cumberland Island, and the Suwannee River that flows into the Gulf of Mexico near Cedar Key, Florida. At the headwaters of these rivers, deep inside the swamp, the tea colored water reflects beautiful moss covered cypress trees that line the lakes and canoe trails.The Okefenokee swamp is more than 438,000 acres, of which 396,000 acres make up the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. Inside the refuge almost 354,000 acres is designated a Wilderness Area, which means special protection for the plants and animals that grow and live in the swamp. Vegetation is dense in the swamp and includes giant tupelo and bald cypress trees festooned with Spanish moss, brush, and vines; where sandy soil is above the water, pine trees predominate. Wildlife is abundant. Over 200 species of birds and at least 40 species of mammals, which include raccoons, black bear, white-tailed deer, bobcats, fox, and otter. Alligators and 50 other species of reptiles are found, as well as over 30 species of fish. On National Wildlife Refuges wildlife are the first priority.

Wilderness Canoeing 

There are over 120 miles of canoe trails in the swamp.Depending on the trail, you will paddle through cypress forests and scrub-shrub areas, across lakes and wet prairies. Visit some islands where Indians and early settlers lived. Nights will be spent on raised covered platforms. There you can relax, explore the surrounding area, or fish for the elusive chain pickerel while a meal is being prepared for you. Witness nature in its natural environment. Canoeing in the swamp is a true wilderness experience.

For more photos, click here

For canoe trails descriptions, click here

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