Are there any out there? I paddle a solo canoe and a touring kayak. I reside in Wood county north of Tyler. I am a member of the Tyler Outdoor Club, but just wondered if there were any local pnetters out there.
Hope you’re not gonna be lonely!
Northwest Washington Cedarwooods Paddler
local
Not really local, Shreveport, La.
If however you are looking for people to paddle with. The Dallas Down River Club has lots of paddles in that area and you are not that far away.
East Texas Paddlers
I live in Longview and paddle a touring Kayak. A trip is planned for Martin Dies Jr State Park Feb 16th. Always looking to find somewhere new.
Martin Dies trip
Let us know the details , maybe a couple more of us could go with you on the 16th , if you want the company.
garyg
Martin Dies Trip
It’s a guided trip hosted by the State Park. The TPWD web site has all the details. Never been there but it sounds like fun. I plan on driving down Fri and staying Fri and Sat night.
Martin Dies trip
I did that trip a few years back (pre Rita)
I had a great time! Glad to know there are some nearby fellow paddlers! Do you guys meet formally or have a website or group online?
Martin Dies, Franklin Lake
A good group of p.netters linked up at Martin Dies several years ago and had some great paddling. This too was pre Rita. It is a beautiful park and I bet is on its way back. There is a good trip from Bevil Port down to the park. Franklin Lake, a ways further south is a remote and interesting area and part of the Big Thicket Preserve. Might be worth a day trip down there, but I’d call the Big Thicket Preserve people first and be sure to take your GPS.
Have fun.
Nice to see…
…some texas folks here. Not that many. Yee Haw!!
I’m in Kaufman County, about 50 miles east of Dallas. Made my first trip on an E. Texas river (Angelina) over the New Years holidays.
Yall make some trip reports when you go. I just love reading those trip reports, especially about Texas rivers. Yee Haw!!!
We’ve had so much rain this season
that I bet the road to Franklin Lake is impassable. I’ve never understood why it was called a “lake” when it more resembles a swamp with a myriad of sloughs. It’s a beautiful spot.
Take a look at this trip…
http://www.down-river.org/events/2008events/SabineFeb2008.html
Hey Roadtrip…I’m in the Beaumont area now, but until fairly recently, I lived in your neck of the woods. Let me know if you need info for the Dallas area, and I’d be happy to help. If you like group paddling, the Dallas Down River Club is a good group. You don’t have to be a member to participate in their trips, but it’s a club worth supporting. They are very nice folks, and I miss paddling with them. Although I enjoy paddling alone, I was also lucky and found a nice group to paddle with in southeast Texas.
Jill
Martin dies Trip
I cut this from the State Park Site-as of this AM there were 10 others signed up to go.
Martin Dies, Jr. SP February 16, 2008 — Martin Dies, Jr. SP — Paddling the Forks — Come with us on this guided canoe trip as we start at historic Bevilport, paddle down the Angelina River, navigate through Bee Tree Slough, encounter the forks of the Angelina and Neches River and journey back to the park. For the novice as well as experienced paddlers. Call for a list of items to bring. Accessible for the hearing impaired. 7:30 a.m.-2 p.m.; fees $30 Texas State Parks Pass members per two person canoe or if you bring your own canoe, $40 non-members; reservations required (409) 384-5231.
That’s a lotta $$ for an easy trip
The rangers are great at Martin Dies State Park, but I think I’d save my money. It’s an easy, fun trip that really doesn’t need a guide unless you’re a beginner with no experience or no boat of your own.
My first trip out there I was paddling solo, scouting out the area for a group trip I was planning. If you aren’t confident about exploring the backwaters, you can stay in the main river channel and it will take you straight back to the park. If you’re adventurous, you can explore off the main channel. If you have a shuttle, you can paddle from Bevil Port down to the park, but if you don’t have a shuttle, the current is slow enough to launch from the park boat ramp, paddle out to the Neches River and paddle upstream to the Angelina, turning around when you’re ready to return.
It’s a great place, but I haven’t been there in a while, and I know that Hurricane Rita destroyed an enormous number of trees in the park.
Let’s go
I am in the Sealy area ( 50 miles w of houston on I-10 ) and only 20 miles from the Colorado River at Columbus , which I paddle quite often. If anybody needs a shuttle/paddle partner on this section of the river some time give me a shout. There are several good days trips and overnight trips on this stretch of the river. By the same token , I would love to do some of the pineywoods trips . Can’t make the one T.Lady pointed out , regretfully ,but please keep us posted on others coming up .
garyg
Hi Garyg
I have paddled the Colorado, most recently this past fall on your section in Columbus, camping on the river. I’ve also camped at Stephen F. Austin State Park, which is right in your neck of the woods. I enjoy the Colorado and hope to be doing more paddling there in the future.
I’m planning on doing the Dallas Down River Club trip on the Sabine River this month. Keep an eye on the trip calendar on their website. They are a great bunch of people to paddle with.
http://www.down-river.org/
Their Sabine trip mentioned is listed more-or-less as a fishing trip, but that mostly just means they’ll probably have a slower pace than usual. I don’t fish, so that will mean more time for me to explore side channels and nature watch.
http://www.down-river.org/events/2008events/SabineFeb2008.html
Another good group to paddle with is the Southeast Texas Kayak and Canoe Club. Check out some of their past trips. It’s an informal group, no dues.
http://www.outdoorstudies.com/kayak/
It’s always nice to meet other paddlers from Texas!
Jill
Texas Lady
thanks for the tip. You always give good advice. I won’t be able to make the DDRC trip, but I do plan on paddling the Sabine from FM2517 down to River Ridge camp in March, trying to catch the end of the White Bass Run. I’ve actually made a couple of trips with the DDRC and have been to some meetings, but I work nites and weekends which kind of fouls that up. Most my trips are solo and during the work week. Less crowds, but I miss some good trips and fellowship and chances to learn from some experienced paddlers. You’re right, they are a great bunch of people, they never gave me any grief over my rookie mistakes when I first paddled with them.
I wonder…
if we’ve met? I lived in the Dallas area until Spring 06, and went to most of the DDRC meetings, as well as most of their outings in the 3 or 4 years before I moved back to southeast Texas.
Jill
Thanks
I’ll probably take your advice and go it alone and save the $30- you provided much more detailed info regarding the river than what anyone on the phone at the park could. I am a pretty experienced paddler, just not familiar with any of the rivers here yet. Didn’t want to get into a situation where I needed a shuttle to get back- Thanks
just be sure…
If you put in at the park, be sure you put in from the ramp or campsites from the north side of Hwy 190. The park unit on the south side is below the dam. If you put in there, you can paddle Steinhagen Lake, but don’t have access to the Neches River. If you put in on the north side, it’s above the dam, and you can paddle out to the river. You can talk to the ranger at headquarters to get the info about the shortcuts and cuts through the sloughs that are fun and scenic.
We just missed each other
I joined up with 'em in June or July '06. I’ve been on the safety team in the last 2 Trinity River Challenges and went with them to a Swiftwater Rescue Class in San Marcos in Oct. 06. I’m gonna go check their trip calendar and, choose a trip and make a schedule request at work. I kinda miss that bunch. They are really good folks.