I’ll be camping late next month at St. George Island. I’ll be taking my tupperware pig-boat and would like to explore some of the creeks in that general area. The FFWCC sent me a nice map, showing Doyle Creek, Cash Creek, Thank You Ma’am Creek, among others. Does anyone have local knowledge, and if so, what would you recommend for a couple of half day paddles in that area?
Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
Sissy
Some great paddling
There are lots of neat places to paddle. Check out St Vincent Island or Little St George. Paddling in the back bay and watching the oyster tongers work is pretty cool, and there is lots of bird life (esp skimmers and oyster catchers) on the St George causesway islands. If you get over to St Joe’s State Park, you can put in on either the very protected back bay or the gulf side, depending on the weather. The water is much clearer her the the above mentioned spots as you are away from the river sediments. And paddling the Appalachicloa waterfront is fun too, and you can stop for oysters and a beer by kayak.
If you do decide to island hop the barrier islands, just be aware of the tides and wind. A fairly exciting wave action results in the passes from the combination of onshore winds and outgoing tides. It can be intimidating if you have never paddled short steep waves
St George
We have paddled there a good bit. We went over to Little St George to see the lighthouse (now gone) and it was a nice trip. It totalled about 25 miles so it was tough. We also put in at the state park and paddle down the beach to Dog Island. It was good but beach paddling gets a little boring to me. The St Vincent trip was good but tides can be an issue and the pass can get tough. All these trips can be a handfull if things go a little wrong and you aren’t very prepared.
The best recreation boat trip we did was to put in at a place called Gardners Landing. It is a little drive north off highway 65. You turn left at GPS N 29’50.713, W 84’57.733. Go to Gardners Landing at N 29’49.052, W 84’59.219. If you go north from the ramp and take the first right you will go up a nice creek that has a lot to look at.
If you go further north there is supposed to be some nice places near Pig Island GPS N 30’09.00, W 85’05.92. It is on my list of places to go.
St Vincent is nice but frankly I like the creeks better. I get board with large bodies of water. My favorite paddle there is to hug the back side and go out to the point. It is a long way but if you stay close to land it is safe and there is plenty to see.
Hope you have fun. It is one of our favorite places.
Alan
Thank you both
It looks like Gardner Landing is the happening place, with Caesar Creek, Thank You Ma’am Creek, Fanny Lake—all appealing possibilities. Graham Creek looks good,too—I’ve always wanted to see Tate’s Hell. I don’t do open water, not in my little boat. Creeks are more interesting.
Beer and oysters sound good too! A couple of years ago, we ate lots of them at The Hut, but I understand Hurricane Dennis destroyed it. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
One more thing
Bring a wide brim hat and a bug net for your head. Also have a long sleeve shirt. I prefere the vented fishing shirts because they are cool. A towel is also nice to protect your legs. Those dang flies won’t give up once they find you.
Would you expect
Gardner Landing to be crowded on a weekend? Or is it a more isolated place?