Okefenokee Canoeing Guide
By Claude Terry
Updated August, 2008
Could it be? Someone was making a strenuous effort to hand crank a model-T Ford, and in the process was causing an unholy row. I was sure of this as I came
awake in my sleeping bag. When I finally opened my eyes, I remembered we were sleeping on the board dock of an overnight shelter in the heart of the Okefenokee Swamp. Model-Ts in the Okefenokee? I sat up and saw my “Model-Ts” come flying over. They were large birds with white bodies and wings, black wing tips and a naked head. As they banked and glided by, they once again emitted the ear-jarring cacophony, which had roused me from sleep. Such was my introduction to the wood ibis, the only American stork.
The Eastern United States has too few wilderness areas, places where you can forget that persons other than your party have passed. Okefenokee is not only such a wilderness, but also a unique biological and geological area, housing many unusual species like wood ibis.
Various canoe trails twist through the park, exposing the paddler to an incredible variety of views. There are islands and hammocks templed by the columns of cypress, open prairies of low vegetation laced with water channels, and expanses of tea-colored water. The water is the home for sunfish, pickerel, bass and plenty of alligators. I’m not sure if it’s a result of efforts to stop poaching, or if we’ve just been lucky lately, but we’ve been seeing big gators on our last few trips into the swamp. I was still looking after the last of the wood ibis when a member of our party approached from the shelter. Seeing that he was looking past me attentively I asked, “Did some of the birds land opposite us?” “No,” he replied, “I’m just watching that gator under your feet.”
Sure enough, two wide apart bumps glided by, followed by faint twitches of the water, which revealed a 10-foot gator passing. This fellow was almost a nuisance at the Bigwater Shelter, apparently having been fed scraps by previous parties. I personally think this is akin to feeding park bears, and strongly recommend against it.
Okefenokee is a showcase of wildlife at any season. The changing seasons – autumn and spring – bring overlapping groups of migrants and permanent residents in the bird populations, and appear to induce restlessness in the mammals and reptiles of the swamp. Springtime is resplendent to the eyes and ears with brightly colored migrant warblers singing, with sand hill crane and wood ibis, calling raucously, with pitcher plants and various orchids nodding above channels strewn with water lilies and golden club. Woodpeckers hammer, pale-eyed heron stalk the shallows, and the warm moist swamp seems literally overcrowded with large specimens of wildlife we normally consider rare!
If you go to canoe the Okefenokee, you must know what to expect. It is different, a place apart, another world. Its appeal is almost mystic yet, at the same time it can be a deeply exciting adventure. It is a land that demands sacrifices from those that wish to observe its secrets. Most of the wilderness is accessible only by canoe although motor powered boats are allowed in some areas. Once you slip out from the landing you are likely to be confined to your canoe for hours without even a stop to relieve yourself. Civilization is left behind. You slide along down channels of dark clear water. No current is perceptible. There are no dashing rapids. Here it is serene. You hear only the dip of your paddle, the lap of water against the canoe and the sounds of the earth and its creatures. For a moment, a day even, you are a small part of the Great Swamp.
Parties of up to 20 are normally permitted on the swamp trails. You should know that with a large party some must sleep in jungle hammocks or canoes, since the open wooden shelters raised off the water are the only places you can camp and they can get overcrowded quickly.
A lot of the required paraphernalia, which we take, sounds like a backpacker’s nightmare. Besides the ever present sleeping bags, change of cloths, rain gear and food, you need insect repellent, a compass and a flashlight. The topographical maps of the area are helpful also. In addition, we take backpacking stoves (no open fires permitted), cooking utensils, camp toilets with bags (offal must be brought out), and trash bags. A first aid kit, snakebite kit, jungle hammock or mosquito netting and a sleeping pad for the hard platforms round out the near necessities. Take a camera and take your telephoto lens. I have several eyeball-to-eyeball shots of a 12-foot gator that could have been more easily done with a 135 or 150mm lens. Most people carry drinking water, though I personally drink swamp water. Remember to waterproof your gear, particularly the sleeping bags and food. I have seen very few snakes in the Okefenokee and don’t think they are common there (probably because the gators eat them!). However, the mosquitoes can be a menace! You may, depending on the season, spend a sleepless night without insect netting.
Several canoe trails twine through the hammocks of the Okefenokee. The trail that we traveled departed Kingfisher Landing, with overnights at Maul Hammock and Bigwater. At Maul the raccoons filch anything left out. At Bigwater large gators come up and wait for food. From Bigwater, the easy third day’s paddle brings you down Minnie’s and Billie’s Lakes to Stephen Foster park. The last stretch has motorboats on the water as well as canoes. The first day’s paddle allows no place to step from the canoe until the Maul Hammock shelter. The second day was a platform at Dinner Pond where, logically enough, you can eat your noon meal.
Permits and Reservations
Camping overnight in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge is allowed only with a permit, which is issued through the refuge office near Folkston. Reservations can be made only up to two months to the day your trip begins. To make a reservation, click here.
Canoe Trails and Map
Several canoe trails twine through the Okefenokee, one of the greatest wildlife sanctuaries in the entire world. For detailed descriptions of each trail and a map, click here.
Getting There
There are three major entrances and two secondary entrances to Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, each with its own facilities and special character. From the open wet “prairies” of the east side to the forested cypress swamps on the west, Okefenokee is a mosaic of habitats, plants and wildlife. For details on each entrance and directions, click here.