By SUZANNE WELANDER

Little River current is moderate to slow, access is good, and the river is suitable for camping. Trips on the Little can be easily combined with floats on the Withlacoochee.

The Little’s tannic acid-stained water bubbles play folly over small limestone ledges and between brilliantly contrasting white sandbars along the way to its juncture with the Withlacoochee River southwest of Valdosta. Remote and enticing, the Little is canopied with Ogeechee lime, water elm, and scattered cypress. The river’s course is substantially less convoluted than that of similar blackwater streams in the Coastal Plains.

SUMMARY: A paddlling guide to 57.5 miles of the Little River of Southern River of Southern Georgia that may be divided in to shorter segments by using put-ins and take-outs on the INTERACTIVE MAP. Class: I; Length: 57.5 miles; Time, 6 days; Gauge, web, visual; Level, unknown; Gradient: less than 2 feet per mile; Scenery: B+

DESCRIPTION: Runnable below the Cool Springs Bridge west of Lenox in Cook County in winter and spring, the Little is 25 to 30 feet in width and is frequently obstructed by deadfalls. Below the Rountree Bridge west of Sparks, the Little enters the backwaters of a beautiful swamp lake at Reed Bingham State Park. A sort of Okefenokee in miniature with a variety of watery flora, this small lake is definitely worthy of exploration.

Downstream of the dam at the lake’s southern end, the Little continues in uninterrupted tranquility except for a short section below the GA 122 bridge where a number of small cabins line the stream. For the remainder of its journey to the Withlacoochee, the Little never exceeds 50 feet wide as it hides bashfully beneath the exotic canopy of the surrounding woodland swamp.

The Little River’s level of difficulty is Class I throughout. Numerous deadfalls are a primary hazard to navigation, along with the portage required at the dam at the state park The current is moderate to slow, access is good, and the river is suitable for camping. Trips on the Little can easily be combined with floats on the Withlacoochee.

SHUTTLE: From Valdosta, take GA 133 west of l-75 to its crossing with the Little River; turn left into the Department of Natural Resources Troupville Boat Ramp across the road from the prison. See the map for the locations of upper access points.

GAUGE: The USGS’s Web site lists data for the river at Adel. The minimum level is unknown. In order to stay out of the trees, stay off the river during high flood stage in the winter. A visual gauge is painted on the bridge at Morven Road, though guidelines using this gauge are unknown.

MAPS: Omega, Ellenton, Berlin East, Cecil, Hahira West, Hahira East, Valdosta (USGS); Colquitt, Cook, Brooks, Lowndes (County)

Links:

• Little River is located in the Suwannee River watershed. Read more about the Suwannee River.
• Download a 4-color poster of the Suwannee River that includes Little River.
• Little River merges with the Withaloochee River. Read Suzanne Welander’s paddling guide to the Withaloochee River.
• The Withalachooee River merges with the Suwannee River. Read Suzanne Welander’s paddling guide to the Suwannee River.

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.     

By SUZANNE WELANDER

This is a paddling guide to a trip on the Suwannee River, including a portion of the Okefenokee Swamp, in extreme Southwest Georgia, with a total distance of 45.5 miles. The trip may be divided into shorter sections by selecting alternate put-in and take-out points. See map.

Deep in the Okefenokee Swamp, the Suwannee is born at the confluence of the East and Middle Forks of the Suwannee at the northern end of Billys Lake.

Thanks to Stephen Foster, there are few streams in American folklore and culture better known than the Suwannee. The mere mention of its name stirs fanciful visions of stately moss-draped cypress and sultry Southern days. No more beautiful than several dozen other southern Georgia rivers, the Suwannee is, nevertheless, a living legend in the most literal sense, and therefore something special. The river originates deep in the bowels of the Okefenokee Swamp and winds its way southeast, escaping into Florida and its terminus at the Gulf of Mexico.

DESCRIPTION: Only a small portion of the Suwannee flows within the state of its birth, a fact made much of by Florida tourism promoters. This section, however, is unique among all stretches of the river by virtue of the almost mystical aura conferred by the Okefenokee Swamp.

Deep in the middle of the swamp, the Suwannee is born at the confluence of the East and Middle Forks of the Suwannee at the northern end of Billys Lake. Access is available at the nearby Stephen Foster (who else?) State Park. You will quickly find, however, that paddling within Okefenokee is heavily regulated (see the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge profile). If you proceed downstream and out of the swamp, you will have to cross the sill, a man-made levee constructed to stabilize the depth of water in the swamp. The portage is short and easy, but alas, a permit is required. If this sounds like the heavy hand of bureaucracy, remember that this regulation and several dozen more like it (like carrying all human waste out of the swamp), have preserved the pristine integrity of one of America’s irreplaceable natural wonders.

Once across the sill, the Suwannee settles into shallow, white, sandy clay banks and flows southward through a watery floodplain forested with pond cypress, swamp black gum, sweet bay, swamp cyrilla, slash pine, magnolia and palmetto. Since animals and birds do not need permits to cross the sill, the incredibly diverse fauna found in the Okefenokee can also be found along the upper Suwannee.

The water color is dark red, stained by tannic acid from decaying vegetation, and the current is slow. Below the sill to the GA 94 bridge crossing at Fargo, the river flows through several large midstream stands of cypress and gum, which at higher water require some heads-up navigation and present a nice opportunity to get lost in the surrounding inundated lowlands. While the flow of the main current is usually easy to follow, there are times when map, compass, and a little swamp luck are helpful. Access between the state park and Fargo is almost nonexistent, except at a private campground off of GA 177 where camping and launching are available for a small fee. The state has purchased 350 acres of land on the river at Fargo; in the future there may be more access available.

Below Fargo the Suwannee remains isolated in pristine, exotic wilderness and flows languidly along a shady, twisting course of moss-draped cypress. The first access point below Fargo is CR 6, just over the state line. If you continue, you will notice that the banks are higher and more well-defined, and that numerous feeder streams enter the Suwannee. Farther downstream, Florida’s largest rapid, Big Shoals, and the Stephen Foster (who else?) Memorial await you.

The Suwannee’s current is slow to moderate. Dangers to navigation are confined to the standard deadfalls in the stream’s adolescent reaches and locals drinking at the GA 94 bridge. Since campsites are rare below access point B, paddlers should launch with sufficient daylight remaining to make Fargo before dark.

SHUTTLE (See map): Out of Fargo, take US 441 south into Florida. Turn right onto CR 6 and follow it to the river. Return to US 441 north for put-in access at its crossing in Fargo or continue north on GA 177 to the fish camp, where camping and launching are available for a fee, or to the highest access point deep in the swamp at Stephen Foster State Park.

GAUGE: Levels for gauges at and above Fargo are available on the USGS Web site:

Suwannee River above Fargo, GA

Suwannee River at US 441, at Fargo

Runnability levels are unknown. More information can be provided by calling the local outfitters or by calling the Waycross Fisheries Office at (912) 285-6094.

PAPER MAPS: (USGS maps) Billys Island, The Pocket, Strange Island, Fargo, Needmore, Fargo Southwest. (County maps) Charlton, Ware, Clinch, Echols

More Links

• Read more about the Suwannee River, one of Georgia’s 14 major watersheds.
• Read more about Stephen Foster State Park in the Okefenokee.
• Are the lyrics to “Way Down Upon the Swanee River” racist? Decide for yourself.
• Read more about the tragic life of Stephen Foster, who never laid eyes on the river he made world famous.

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.