The Little Satilla produces an isolated wilderness paddling experience a result of passing through miles of undeveloped state-owned land.

Thick, luxurious swamp forest of swamp black gum, sweet bay, pine, and cypress confine this brownish-red stream as it winds an intricate southeastwardly path to the main Satilla. Unlike its larger namesake, which displays massive white-sand bars at low water, the Little Satilla charms by displaying the same scenery on a more intimate scale – making it ideal for paddle craft and little else. Over 10 miles of river pass through state-owned lands, resulting in an isolated wilderness paddling experience. Small bluffs grace the streamside from time to time and provide good high-water camping areas. Unlike the main Satilla, sandbars are comparatively rare.

SUMMARY: This is a canoeing guide to a 37-mile trip on the Little Satilla River in the Satilla Watershed that can be divided into shorter trips by using alternate put-in and take-out points. Class, smooth; Length, 37 miles; Time, 3 days; Level, N/A; Gradient, less than 1 foot per mile; Scenery, B+. VIEW SATILLA WATERSHED MAP

DESCRIPTION: Runnable downstream form the US 84 bridge, except in the typically dry season from later summer into fall, the Little Satilla averages 45 to 75 feet in width with a slow to moderate current. Its banks are 2-7 feet high and are composed of an off-white sandy clay. Throughout its runnable length the stream is shaded and the banks buffered with a thick undergrowth. Wildlife, especially birds, abounds and is easily observed by the quiet paddler. Generally remote and pristine, the river corridor is nevertheless occasionally penetrated by agricultural development.

There are no rapids on the Little Satilla, with occasional deadfalls being the only hazard to navigation. Areas of special interest include the Little Satilla Wildlife Management Area, which spans both sides of 10.3 miles of the stream between the US 84 and GA 32 bridge crossings. Check hunting season schedules online at www.gadnr.org if you plan on camping here; an off-season float will afford more peace, privacy and safety.

Access is good and trips on the Little Satilla can be extended beyond its mouth onto the Satilla River. Just plan on making that a multiple-day camping trip since the next closest public access after passing US 301 on the Little Satilla requires 15.6 miles of paddling (7.3 to the Satilla, and another 8.3 miles to the Warner Landing boat ramp.)

SHUTTLE: From Nahunta, take US 301 north to the river for the last take-out on the Little Satilla. To reach the next upstream access point at Humpback Road, use Trudie Road south of the river. The next two highest access points are reached by taking 301 north to GA 32 west; there is access as the highway crosses the river (southeast corner), and a DNR boat ramp upstream of GA 32 is reached by turning right onto Zirkle Road after crossing the river. The highest access is on US 84/GA 38, which is most easily reached by continuing west on GA 32 into Patterson and turning right. Access is on the right side of the road after crossing the river.

GAUGE: There is no gauge. For additional information, call the Waycross Fisheries Office at 912-285-6094.

MAPS: USGS Maps: Screven, Patterson Southeast. County Maps: Pierce, Appling, Wayne, Brantley

Links

• Canoe the Satilla River in the same watershed.
• Canoe the Alabaha River in the same watershed.
• Read more about the Satilla watershed.
• Download a poster of the entire Satilla watershed showing the Little Satilla, as well as historical and environmental information about the entire watershed.

A Canoeing & Kayaking Guide to Georgia is a compilation of paddling guides to over 80 Georgia streams and rivers, plus the Okefenokee Swamp and Georgia Coast, published by Menasha Ridge Press since 1982. Originally written by Bob Sehlinger and Don Otey, it has been extensively revised and updated by Suzanne Welander. Organized efficiently by watersheds, the book contains a wealth of interesting and useful information about Georgia physiography and paddling, in general, as well as the authoritative paddling guides. To purchase a copy of A Canoeing & Kayaking Guide to Georgia, a book every paddler of Georgia streams should have in their library (and boat), and to see over 75 other outdoor guides published by Menasha, visit the Menasha Ridge Press website. 

The Alabaha River, a stream in the Satilla watershed, passes through a wooded swamp corridor draped with Spanish moss and bordered by palmetto stands.

Black water reflects a mesmerizing mirror of the gum cypress-dominated floodplain of the Alabaha. Flowing with slow to moderate current, this diminutive stream passes through a wooded swamp corridor draped with Spanish moss and bordered by palmetto stands occasionally penetrated by pine forests and agricultural development. Banks of 2-8 feet in height hold the river underneath a thick canopy of trees as it slides through Bacon and Pierce counties before emptying into the Satilla River east of Waycross.

TRIP SUMMARY: This is a canoeing guide to a 16.1 mile trip on the Alabaha river in the Satilla Watershed that can be divided into shorter trips by using alternative put-in and take-out points, or extended by adding segments on the Satilla River shown on the accompanying map and in another post on Satilla River Canoeing. Class, smooth and tidal; Length, 16.1 miles; Time, 1-2 days; Level, N/A; Gradient, less than 2 feet per mile; Scenery, B+. VIEW SATILLA WATERSHED MAP

DESCRIPTION: Runnable below the GA 15 Bridge except in the late summer and fall, the Alabaha is similar to the Satilla in flora, wildlife and topography but is far smaller and less convoluted in its course. Its small size lends an air of privacy and increases the probability of deadfall encounters, the only hazard to navigation. Access is good, and extended trips onto the Satilla are possible after reaching the mouth of the Alabaha.

SHUTTLE: The last take-out for the Alabaha is located downstream of the confluence on the Satilla. To get there from Blackshear, go east on US 84/GA38. Take the first right immediately after crossing the Alabaha; follow this road to Old River Road and turn right. Continue straight onto the dirt road when the pavement takes a 90-degree turn to the right (turning into Voight Bridge Road). Continue straight for 5.2 miles until reaching Circle Drive on the right. Follow Circle Drive to Turkey Ridge Road (CR 312) and the Future Farmers of America (FFA) boat ramp. Intermediate access is available at Voight Bridge Road, the boat ramp just downstream at US 84 (southeast corner of the bridge), and at the southeast corner of the GA 15 bridge.

GAUGE: There is none. Call the Waycross Fisheries Office at 912-285-6094 for more information.

MAPS: USGS Maps: Blackshear East. County Maps: Pierce County.

Links

• Canoe the Satilla River in the same watershed.
• Canoe the Little Satilla River in the same watershed.
• Read more about the Satilla watershed
• Download a poster of the Satilla watershed showing the Alahaba River as well as historical and environmental information about the entire watershed.

A Canoeing & Kayaking Guide to Georgia is a compilation of paddling guides to over 80 Georgia streams and rivers, plus the Okefenokee Swamp and Georgia Coast, published by Menasha Ridge Press since 1982. Originally written by Bob Sehlinger and Don Otey, it has been extensively revised and updated by Suzanne Welander. Organized efficiently by watersheds, the book contains a wealth of interesting and useful information about Georgia physiography and paddling, in general, as well as the authoritative paddling guides. To purchase a copy of A Canoeing & Kayaking Guide to Georgia, a book every paddler of Georgia streams should have in their library (and boat), and to see over 75 other outdoor guides published by Menasha, visit the Menasha Ridge Press website.

White sandbars on the Satilla are scenic campsites. Cypress swamps (in the photo below), provide a contrasting river environment for paddlers.

The Satilla River, one of Georgia’s 14 major watersheds, has the distinction of being the largest blackwater river situated entirely within Georgia. With a dignified and tranquil pace, it oozes along beneath a wooded canopy, bypassing Waycross and the Okefenokee Swamp before looping south to meet the Atlantic at St. Andrews Sound. Undergrowth is thick and luxurious with swamp cyrilla and azalea setting the reflective river aflame with color in the early spring. Glistening white sandbars occupy the insides of turns and provide resting spots for the traveler, while birds, reptiles, and other animals hurry about their business in the swamp. Although many adjacent acres have been reclaimed for commercial pine planting, the river, cradled neatly by a wet bottomland forest corridor, remains pristine in appearance if not in fact. Since the area is favored by sportsmen, boat ramps are common and fishing camps are frequently encountered along the Satilla’s course.

This canoeing guide is divided into three separate sections: Section 1: 55.6 miles; Section 2:   101.8 miles; and Section 3: 25.5 miles, each of which may be further divided into shorter trips.

Section 1: US 441 to US 84/ GA 38
Class tidal and smooth water; length, 55.6 miles; time, up to 1.5 weeks; level 5.0 feet; gradient less than 2 feet per mile; scenery A- SEE MAP

DESCRIPTION: The Satilla is runnable below US 441 during the winter and spring. In Atkinson County where this section begins, the Satilla flows in a straighter course than in Ware County and below where the characteristic white sandbars begin to materialize. An umbrella of pine, swamp black gum, water oak, laurel oak, sweet bay, and majestic cypress shade the stream as it winds past white sand banks up to 8 feet high, sandy bluffs, and commercial pine forest plateaus that tower over the stream from time to time. A rather barren strip of cultivated tableland parallels the Satilla for about a mile below the GA 158 Bridge in Ware County before the stream again slips back into the wooded corridor.

Deadfalls blockages above Waycross pose the primary hazards to navigation in this section, impeding downstream progress and acting as a barrier for larger boats. A canoe is the ideal watercraft to portage around any obstructions. Though water levels fluctuate somewhat unpredictably, especially above Waycross, flash flooding is not considered a problem. Campsites, however, should be chosen on bluffs rather than sandbars in the winter and spring.

SHUTTLE:  To reach the lowest take-out for this section from Waycross, take US 82 west. Turn right onto US 1/23 and continue to the bridge over the river. Access is on the southwest corner of the bridge over the main channel. Most of the upper access points are most easily reached from US 82 south of the river.

GAUGE: Data for the gauge located near Waycross is available on the USGS website. Less than 5 feet can make progress difficult. Sandbars are covered above 8 feet, and above 9-10 feet, the current becomes swift. The maximum is up to high flood stage. Call the Waycross Fisheries Office at 912-285-6094 for more information.

Section 2: US 84 / GA 38 to GA 252
Class, tidal and smooth water; length, 101.8 miles; time, up to 2 weeks; level 5.0 feet; gradient, less than 1 foot per mile; scenery A- SEE MAP

DESCRIPTION: The Satilla is runnable below Waycross most of the year, although it is still possible to encounter downed trees that completely block the stream as low as the US 301 Bridge. The river starts this section by broadening to between 55 and 80 feet as it wriggles out from under its tree canopy to some extent. Throughout the circumambient terrain of Waycross, open farm fields intrude on the privacy of the river and assert themselves once again along the Pierce-Brantley county line below the GA 121 Bridge, where the white sandbars become rare until the confluence with the Little Satilla 37 miles downstream.

Below the mouth of the Little Satilla, sandbars once again become prevalent, as do horseshoe loops, bypass islands, and oxbow lakes, particularly where the river flows near Nahunta. The Satilla continues to broaden, reaching a width of 110-130 feet before passing into Camden County. Flowing along the Charlton-Camden county line, the wilderness hides any sign of civilization as immense woodland swamps settle in and the river widens further to 180-210 feet. Tall sandy bluffs offer high ground camping above the GA 252 Bridge, and the ruins of Burnt Fort, a pre-Revolutionary era bastion, make an interesting side-trip.

The next verified public access below US 82 is 29 miles downstream, eliminating everything but the possibility of multiple-day canoe-camping trips.

SHUTTLE: The last take-out for this section is northeast of Folkston on GA 252. See the map for the locations of up-river access points.

GAUGE: Data for the gauge located near Waycross is available on the USGS website.

Section 3: GA 252 to Woodbine
Class, tidal; length, 25.5 miles; time, up to 3 days; level, N/A; gradient, less than 1 foot per mile; scenery A- SEE MAP

DESCRIPTION: Depending on the water level coming downstream, tidal effects begin to influence the river as high as the 3-R Fish Camp, 10 miles above the GA 252 Bridge. Grassy marsh prairies alternate with bottom forest along the river channel, particularly below the mouth of Armstrong Creek. Below the US 17 Bridge at Woodbine to the St. Andrew Sound, access is almost non-existent and tidal currents are tricky. Some sandy bluffs persist in this area, but wet marshes, intricate networks of tidal creeks, and saltwater estuaries are the order of the day. The tidal currents near St. Andrew Sound, along with some powerboat traffic in the lower reaches, pose the primary hazards to navigation in this section.

SHUTTLE: The lowest take-out in this section is at the boat ramp on the southeast corner of US 17 Bridge in Woodbine. See the map for the locations of up-river access points.

GAUGE: The gauge at Atkinson as reported on the USGS website is more appropriate to this section, though levels will be heavily influenced by the tides. Be familiar with tidal patterns and how to manage them, particularly near the end of this section.

USGS Maps: Douglas South, Pearson, Axson, Talmo, Dixie Union, Blackshear West, Waycross East, Hoboken West, Blackshear East, Patterson Southeast, Hortense, Nahunta, Boulogne, Woodbine. County Maps: Camden, Charlton, Coffee, Atkinson, Ware.

Links:

• The Satilla River is one of Georgia 14 major watersheds. Read more about the Satilla River, including the best places from which a non-boater can view the river.
• Download a Georgia River Poster of the Satilla River.
• Want to explore the Satilla River but would prefer to have a guide? Contact SouthEast Adventures for a Satilla canoe trip.

A Canoeing & Kayaking Guide to Georgia is a compilation of paddling guides to over 80 Georgia streams and rivers, plus the Okefenokee Swamp and Georgia Coast, published by Menasha Ridge Press since 1982. Originally written by Bob Sehlinger and Don Otey, it has been extensively revised and updated by Suzanne Welander. Organized efficiently by watersheds, the book contains a wealth of interesting and useful information about Georgia physiography and paddling, in general, as well as the authoritative paddling guides. To purchase a copy of A Canoeing & Kayaking Guide to Georgia, a book every paddler of Georgia streams should have in their library (and boat), and to see over 75 other outdoor guides published by Menasha, visit the Menasha Ridge Press website.