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GEORGIA TOURS

Georgia driving tours, Georgia walking tours, Georgia environmental tours and Georgia nature tours. Tours on your own or with a guide. Learn more about Georgia on one of these guided or do-it-yourself Georgia tours.

Archive for the ‘Natural Areas’ Category

Soque River Driving Tour

Friday, October 30th, 2009
Georgia > Northeast Region > Habersham County > Clarkesville
By JAMES SULLIVAN soqueriverrgb400.jpg

The Soque River.  Author and outdoorsman James Sullivan explores the headwaters of  the Soque River in Habersham Couny’s Tray Mountain Wilderness on rugged four-wheel-drive Forest Service roads, then returns to civilization to eat and shop at locations like the Mark of the Potter in Clarkesville, pictured here.

Sitting on the rock outcrop along the trail to the Tray Mountain Appalachian Trail shelter, a spectacular view of a steep, wild watershed unfolds to the east. This is the headwaters of the left fork of the Soque River, which is a 29-mile long major tributary of the Chattahoochee River in the headwaters area.

Most of the left fork of the Soque is in the Tray Mountain Wilderness Area, providing a wonderful opportunity for adventurous folks to explore a wild headwaters area. The area has no marked or maintained trails, but there are many trails and old roadbeds to use. You will feel more confident with a USGS topographical map and compass or GPS to find your way to the waterfalls and beautiful campsites on the North and South Prongs of the Soque and Wolfpen Branch.

There are only two reasonable ways to access the Soque headwaters area.

Hiking from FSR 79 north of Chimney Mountain Road, you can climb over the ridge to the South Prong. Chimney Mountain Road does a loop north of GA 356 in White County northeast of Unicoi State Park. The last time I drove FS 79, the road was not in good enough condition to travel in a passenger vehicle; a very high clearance 4-wheel drive was needed to get up to the places to cross over into the Soque Watershed.

Hiking from the end of FSR 166 gets you into Wolfpen Branch and the North Prong. Take GA 197 0.1 mile north from GA 356, turn left onto Goshen Creek Road, go 1.2 miles then left on Goshen Mountain Road, go 0.5 miles to end of pavement, bear right on gravel 2 miles to FSR 166 on left, another 0.5 mile brings you to a parking area. Following the trail to the southwest from the parking area will take you into the Tray Mountain Wilderness Area and the headwaters of the Soque River. The Lake Burton and Tray Mountain USGS maps are a necessity.

Anyone visiting the area should always be aware that the condition of Forest Service and other roads are always dynamic, particularly after storms in the region.

Access to the river for fishing downstream of the wilderness area is limited by private ownership of the river. There are two access areas on national forest land for fishing. These are at 3.5 and 3.8 miles south of GA 255 on GA 197. There is no canoeing access and landowners are unfriendly to paddlers.

Side Trips, Shopping and Dining
Stops at several local businesses are very worthwhile.

  • Nearby is the famous Batesville Store, featuring wonderful food from the grill and oven as well as basic groceries. Read more about Batesville.
  • Traveling south down GA 197, one mile from Batesville is the Serendipity Shop, featuring stained glass.
  • Mark of the Potter occupies an old mill on the Soque River on GA 197 two miles south of Batesville. Mark of the Potter features a remarkable selection of local arts and crafts and a back porch above the river from which you can view and feed the giant trout in the pool below.

Soque River Facts

  • The Soque River and the Soque River Watershed are located entirely within the county boundaries of Habersham County in northeast Georgia. No other county in Georgia possesses a watershed the size and shape of the Soque from its headwaters to its mouth.
  • The Soque is a tributary of the Chattahoochee River.
  • The Soque is 30 miles long.
  • The highest point in the watershed occurs on 4,430-foot Tray Mountain.

Links:

Up the Creek Xpeditions

Friday, September 11th, 2009
 Georgia > Coastal Region > Camden County > St. Marys

uptheckxpedrgb400.jpgJulie and Tom Monahan are co-owners of Up the Creek Xpeditions.

Throughout the year, Up the Creek Expeditions and Outfitters offers a diverse selection of kayak nature tours and specialty trips to many of coastal Georgia and Florida’s most scenic waterways. Up the Creek Xpeditions has many day trips, overnight trips and instructional programs scheduled throughout the year. If your schedule doesn’t match theirs, they can make special arrangements for you or your group.

Up the Creek Xpeditions is always researching and exploring new places within the area. Come and explore your world in a fun and unique way!

Co-owner Tom Monahan is an accomplished business owner with 20 years experience in the banking and finance area. He is an avid outdoor enthusiast who has guided day and overnight trips for four years throughout the Southeast. In addition, Tom instructs kayaking classes.

Julie Monahan is the other co-owner of Up The Creek Xpeditions. She is an accomplished human resource professional with 20 years of diversified experience. In that career, she enjoyed developing and implementing corporate training programs. Julie is also a certified Zenger-Miller, Front Line Leadership instructor.

Up the Creek Xpeditions Services, Trips and Features include:

  • Kayak trips
  • Lessons
  • Rentals
  • Team Building
  • Youth Camp
  • Store

Links:

Okefenokee Pastimes

Thursday, September 10th, 2009
 Georgia > Coastal Region > Charlton County > Folkston

swamproelrgb400.jpgOkefenokee Pastimes provides paddling tours, motorboat tours, camping, outfitting, cabin rentals, plus an arts and crafts gift shop, in the Okefenokee Swamp, one of Georgia’s most remarkable natural areas.

Okefenokee Pastimes is a private business located at the East Entrance (the headquarters) of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, offering excellent guided nature tours of Okefenokee swamp, rivers, and coastal habitats; exceptional overnight accommodations by way of clean cozy comfortable cabins; outfitting and shuttles with kayak and canoe rentals; camping and RV hook-up spots; and Swamp Gas Gallery, an art and craft gift shop. The owners of Okefenokee Pastimes are a couple, two progressive thinking native southerners, who have been around the block a few times - a Georgian and a Floridian who take tremendous pride in Okefenokee Pastimes, their creation. We are unconventional in our approach to many things, such as advertising and traditional corporate business attitudes and techniques. We do not invest in the overpriced advertising associated with many guide books or meaningless alliances and/or other inflexible and obsolete information modes. Those things rarely seem to give an accurate picture of the reality. We have arrived at our determinations by extensive travel experiences ourselves, because we always seek but rarely find places similar to our business Okefenokee Pastimes. The Internet and our conspicuous website location on the information super highway is the main vehicle we use to tell people what our business is all about. In addition, we possess a very prominent physical location in relation to the Okefenokee Swamp and St. Mary’s River. Okefenokee Pastimes is simply two individuals providing something very special that is not cheaply or easily advertised. Our web site okefenokee.com is the best conveyance we know of, for informative communications. Over the years (more than 10 now), we’ve noticed that the individuals who used the internet to gather information about us, not relying solely on printed or guidebook information are almost always satisfied with their Okefenokee Pastimes experience. Information is very powerful and we try to help you empower yourself with our website’s information.

Okefenokee Pastimes is located on 14 private, wooded acres offering the closest accommodations, and in the opinion of many, the best accommodations available around the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. Okefenokee Pastimes is the place to be if you appreciate a cozy, comfy, nice and very clean cabin (your own personal independent charming little home in the woods) that features convenience, a natural rural setting, reasonable rates, peaceful surroundings, clean grounds, and a well-run, privately owned and operated business. We offer cabin accommodations, guided tours, outfitting, camping and a tiny art and craft gift shop. We have quite a bit that we do here and we do all of it well.

Okefenokee Pastimes Services

  • Okefenokee Swamp Outfitting
  • Motorboat Tours
  • Paddling Tours
  • Packaged Tours
  • Lodging Accommodations

Links:
Read more about Okefenokee Pastimes.

Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center

Monday, September 7th, 2009
 Georgia > Central Region > Newton County > Mansfield

charlieelliottwlcrgb400.jpgFly fishing is among the many outdoor recreational activities avaiable at the Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center. Others include hunting, hiking, biking, archery and a shooting range.

The 6,400-acre Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center, managed by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, offers a variety of activities and programs. This beautiful area is centrally located in the state in a wooded setting near Mansfield, Georgia, making it easily accessible from Atlanta, Athens and Macon. An area map is available by clicking here.
Some of the opportunities available include:

  • Fishing
  • Hunting
  • Hiking
  • Biking
  • Archery Range
  • Self-Guided Driving Tour
  • Shooting Range
  • Bird Watching
  • Boat Access
  • Horseback Riding
  • Picnicking

Who was Charlie Elliott?
Charles Newton Elliott (1906-2000) lived in Covington, Georgia, and served as the first Director of Georgia State Parks in 1937-38. He became the Commissioner of Natural Resources in 1938-41, then was the first Director of the Game and Fish Commission (now known as the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources Division) in 1943-49. Elliott also was Southeastern Field Editor for Outdoor Life magazine from 1950 until his passing. His dedication to the conservation of the natural world and wildlife was evident to those who knew him personally and those who read his many writings.

Whatever your reason for being there, the outdoors is a world apart, a creation unique with its own colors, its special music, and its matchless variety of fragrance. No human paint brush could ever duplicate its beauty, no musical instrument its blended symphonies, and there is no way to match its fragrance with chemicals. Charlie Elliott

Links:

St. Augustine Kayaking

Monday, August 3rd, 2009

staugustinergb400.jpgSt. Augustine Florida’s Castillo de San Marcos, the Spanish fort on the Florida coast that was constructed beginning in 1672. Experience Castillo de San Marcos and other man-made and natural treasures of the St. Augustine areas via kayak with Kayak St. Augustine tours.

What better way to experience St. Augustine than from the viewpoint of the first voyagers - the water?

Paddle this historic area - pass the Fountain of Youth, the Spanish Mission Nombre de Dios and ease up to the coquina walls of Castillo de San Marcos (the Spanish fort started in 1672).

Your journey begins (one of many trips) on Hospital Creek, and if you are an experienced paddler or with a guide, you can venture to the Matanzas River (Intracoastal). You may see dolphins, many birds, and at the right time of year - manatees.  From here you can paddle to Anastasia Island, Salt Run and the St. Augustine Lighthouse, Conch Island and even Porpoise Point (Vilano Beach) if you like.

Call us (ahead of time if possible) and we’ll meet you, with kayaks, at the launch - whether it be Hospital Creek, Salt Run, Moses creek or another area.

Here is a summary of six kayak trips offered in the area

THE HISTORY TOUR - Hospital Creek to Castillo de San Marcos. Hospital Creek is a tidal creek which borders an area that encompasses the location of the first encampment of the founder of St Augustine (Pedro Menendez) and his fellow pioneers. Paddlers can follow this waterway south past the grounds of the Fountain of Youth and the Great Cross (erected at the 400th anniversary of the Spanish Mission Nombre de Dios) and wind their way to the Castillo de San Marcos, the coquina fort built by the Spanish, which was started in 1672.

SALT RUN AND THE LIGHTOUSE. Salt Run is the body of water between Anastasia Island and Conch Island (home to Anastasia State Park).  It is across Matanzas Bay from Hospital Creek and south of the St. Augustine Inlet. The east bank is mostly flats with grass and oyster beds. The west bank has houses, docks and a jetty just south of a marina.

MOSES CREEK, CRESCENT BEACH. View the Eagles - Day Trip or Overnight. If you want to get away from the St. Augustine area, you may try a trip which originates about 10 miles to the south in the Crescent Beach Area - Moses Creek.  I can’t tell you that this is what Florida looked like a 150 years ago because in many places in Florida, around the 1880’s, the native trees were harvested - other trees grew in their place. But I can tell you this is about as natural and beautiful as it gets for Florida scenery today.

DEEP CREEK. Windy?  Try Deep Creek - the wind doesn’t affect the paddler much on Deep Creek - the many trees that surround the creek act as a barrier. Deep Creek, St John’s County, may start out as a spring fed creek, but is primarily a  tidal black-water creek that flows for about 8 miles in a northwest direction and empties into the St John’s River. The starting point is State Road 207, about 20 miles southwest of St Augustine, just northeast of Hastings.  Deep Creek, surrounded by conservation land, is almost entirely floodplain, bottomland hardwood, and cypress swamp, with minimal high land.  For this reason, the immediate area around the creek escaped development.  Logging, the cutting of cypress and perhaps other trees, took place, like most places in Florida around the turn of the century. Remnants of logging operations equipment can still be seen plainly on the west bank.

GUANA RIVER STATE PARK.  I can meet you (or you can carry the kayaks yourself) about 12 miles north of St. Augustine at Guana River State Park. There are two options at the dam that is located here. You can paddle upriver from the dam on Lake Ponte Vedra . The lake is a great place for birders - especially in wintertime. Launch and return to same launch.

THE BIG POND. We have some sit-on-top kayaks which can be paddled in the ocean.  We have, in particular, Ocean Kayak Frenzy for wave riding - tandem Ocean Kayak Zest 2 (a small barge which at the hands of skilled paddlers can easily bust through the breakers, especially on calmer days).

Links:

Okefenokee by Night

Wednesday, July 15th, 2009
 Georgia > Coast > Camden County > St. Marys

okefenokeergb540.jpgPaddling the Okefenokee at anytime is a memorable outdoor experience, but the nighttime cruises offered by Up the Creek Xpeditions are guaranteed to secure bragging rights for participants for months to come.

Want to shock your friends? Tell them about the NIGHT that you paddled a kayak into the Okefenokee Swamp with Up the Creek Xpeditions.

This trip is a journey of discovery: of the varied moods of the swamp experienced through the trip, of the fascinating ecology, and of the excitement felt as you search the darkness with your headlamps. Learn about the unique nature that comprises the swamp, how it obtained its name, its logging and inhabited history, and its variety of birds and reptiles.

Paddling at night generates a calmness and sensory experience that enhances the mood, even for the experienced kayaker. Remember those nights out under the stars as a kid? Relive that feeling again!

Under the moonlight, using the headlamps provided by your guide, you scan back and forth until you see it; deep coal red holes glowing back at you. You pause, then creep forward. As you approach, the alligator slips under the water and disappears. You continue on, more confident than before, searching.

Links

Georgia Barrier Islands

Thursday, July 2nd, 2009

Georgia has over a dozen major barrier islands and dozens of smaller islands between the Atlantic Ocean and the mainland. Among the major islands, only St. Simons, Sea Island, sapeloferryrgb750.jpgSkidaway and Jekyll are connected to the mainland by a causeway. The other islands must be reached by ferry or by private boat and only Cumberland and Sapelo (pictured at right) have regularly scheduled ferry service.

Sapelo Island Ferry Schedule
Cumberland Island Ferry Schedule

Some charter operators on the coast provide, or can be persuaded to provide, boat transportation to islands without a causeway or regularly scheduled ferry service.

Red more about Georgia’s barrier islands and create your own tour, using the information in the profiles.

Other Links:

View a map of all of Georgia’s major barrier islands with links to each of the islands.

Sapelo Island Tours

Sunday, June 28th, 2009
 Georgia > Coast > McIntosh County > Sapelo Island

sapelo.jpgVisitors may tour this Georgia barrier island with the National Estuarine Research Reserve, with island native Maurice Bailey or on their own from the seat of a rental bike from Comyam’s Campground.

Sapelo native Maurice Bailey provides tours of Sapelo Island, including the beaches and historical ruins. Each tour is three hours but may be extended upon request. Ogeechee Tours or Groups as well as individuals are welcomed.

The Sapelo Island National Estuarine Reserve provides tours for the public, featuring the natural and cultural history of Sapelo on Wednesdays and Saturdays and on Fridays from June 1 through Labor Day. Special programs and activities are scheduled throughout the year. Reservations are required for these tours. For more information on these tours, contact the Sapelo Island Visitor Center (link below).

Comyam’s Campground has rental bikes so you can tour the island on your own. Comyam’s Campground is located in historic Hog Hammock Community on Sapelo, a community owned by descendants of slaves that dates back to the late 1800s. The campground has a marshside view, showers and restrooms. Comyam’s also provides tours to campers for $8 per person.

A public ferry to Sapelo runs 7 days a week, but space is limited and arrangements must be made in advance. The ferry schedule is available on the Sapelo Ferry website, and the phone number for reservations is 912-437-3224.

Links and contacts numbers:

Georgia’s Natural Wonders

Wednesday, June 17th, 2009

Charles Seabrook, the author of Cumberland Island: Strong Women, seabrooklrgb198.jpgWild Horses, and who, for many years, wrote the weekly column, “Wild Georgia” for the Atlanta Journal Constitution, selected his “35 Natural Wonders in Georgia You Must See Before You Die.” Here are Charles’ 35 choices in bold face type, along with his brief comments in italic with links to ways to find out more about them.

Okefenokee Swamp. Word famous wetland.

Marshes of Glynn. Far-as-the-eye-can-see coastal salt marshes that inspired poet Sydney Lanier to write his famous poem.

Cumberland Island National Seashore. Former President Jimmy Carter called it one of his most famous places on Earth.

Ossabaw Island. Unspoiled barrier isle; amazing natural beauty.

Cabretta Beach, Sapelo Island. One of Atlantic coast’s most beautiful undeveloped beaches.

Woody Pond, Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge. In spring, thousands of egrets, herons and endangered wood storks form spectacular nesting colonies.

Ebenezer Creek. National Natural Landmark; harbors 1,000-year-old bald cypress trees with huge buttresses eight-to-twelve feet wide.

Altamaha River. Lower Altamaha called “Georgia’s Amazon” for the lush, jungle-like growth along its banks; river’s entire 137 miles unfettered by dams.

Broxton Rocks Ecological Preserve. Rugged sandstone rock outcrop deep in South Georgia; sculpted over centuries by water into fissures and shallow ravines that are now havens for many rare plants.

Ohoopee Dunes State Natural Area. Sometimes called “Georgia’s Desert”  because of its dry, sandy soil and scrubby vegetation. Biologists call it an “enchanting environment.”

Wade Tract Preserve. Privately-owned 200-acre swath of old-growth long leaf pine and wire grass; one of the few remaining examples of great long leaf forest that once covered Coastal Plains region.

Providence Canyon State Park. Eroded land that transformed into a place of great beauty; sometimes called Georgia’s “Little Grand Canyon.”

Doe Run Pitcher Plant Bog Natural Area. Lush growths of carnivorous pitcher plants in spring.

Pine Mountain. Spectacular view from Dowdell’s Knob of valley below. President Franklin D. Roosevelt often came here to picnic and meditate.

Warm Springs. Naturally warm, soothing water bubbling from Earth; FDR came here for treatment of polio.

Oaky Woods Wildlife Management Area. See for yourself why conservationists are intent on saving from development this place for roaming black bears and rare wild-flower habitats.

  • Read more about Oaky Woods and how you can help save over 19,000 acres of wilderness from development. Sign up for the Oaky Woods newsletter

George L. Smith State Park. Bald cypresses growing in pond are magnificent in fall when they take on their orangish-bronze tints.

Sprewell Bluff State Park. Little known gem on Flint River, which is one of South’s most beautiful and interesting streams; 3-mile trail offers superb views of river and rocky cliffs.

Palisades Unit, Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area. Spectacular greenspace in midst of sprawling bustling metro Atlanta.

Graves Mountain. Rockhounds from all over the world come here for amazing array of rocks and minerals.

Stone Mountain / Arabia-Davidson Mountain / Panola Mountain. Huge geological wonders that sport some of Georgia’s most colorful arrays of wildflowers in spring and fall.

Tallulah Gorge. Hard granite walls fall perpendicular to land above, forming steep cliffs.

Amicalola Falls State Park. Falls plunge 729 feet in seven cascades; highest waterfall east of Mississippi River.

Richard Russell Scenic Highway. 14-mile-long road is not natural, but it winds through some of the most splendid mountain scenery in the Southeast. Along the way are trailheads to waterfalls and scenic spots.

Cloudland Canyon State Park. One of Georgia’s most scenic state parks. Rugged geology and beautiful vistas.

Brasstown Bald. At 4,784 feet above sea level, it’s Georgia’s highest mountain; four states can be seen from top.

Rabun Bald (Chattahoochee National Forest), rivals Brasstown in elevation and spectacular views.

The Pocket, Pigeon Mountain. Lush growths of colorful spring and fall wildflowers in a beautiful setting.

Rocktown, Pigeon Mountain. Stunning, house-sized boulders make it a rival of its famous cousin, Rock City near Chattanooga.

McLemore Cove. One of the Southeast’s most picturesque mountain valleys.

Chattooga River. Untamed and unimpeded; wild and rugged.

Sosebee Cove. High elevation, north-facing cove forest; rich diversity of shade tolerant trees, shrubs and wildflowers.

Cooper Creek Scenic Area (Chattahoochee National Forest). Harbors large hemlocks and white pines, some with bases as big as four feet in diameter.

Raven Cliffs Falls. Splendid Waterfalls; trail to them almost equally stunning.

Anna Ruby Falls. A must-see for visitors.