okeefanokee

Advice
#1

Ok the weather here in New England is poor for kayaking right now. I have suddenly found almost two weeks off. I had this crazy idea to drive south to paddle my kayak somewhere warmish for two or three days of back-country camping. I’ve always wanted to paddle in the great southern swamps like the Okeefanokee. Is this a good time for that? Where exactly (park entrances etc.) would I go? What about permits? Are there any marked water trails that are better than others? Thanks.

#2

Its all here
http://www.fws.gov/okefenokee/



Its not exactly warmish there but is compared to New England.



Temps might top out at sixty though I have seen some miserable 40 degree stretches.



Its not tropical FLorida…it gets popular in March though.

#3

10 day forecast has 70’s and 80’s
for the swamp. Sounds darn near perfect.

#4

We have experience only with the
western routes from Stephen Foster State Park. We decided to go down too late to contemplate camping on the chickees, but we found that it was possible to get well into the swamp on routes where day tripping is permitted. For example, one day we went in to Minnies Lake and back.

#5

gators
A few years ago between christmas and new years I went down to southern georgia to do a bit of paddling in the okefenokee swamp. We ended up getting three inches of snow so it wasn’t exactly the tropical vacation I had hoped for. But I did manage to rent a kayak and paddle in the swamp for a bit. Sort of was hoping to see gators but as they are cold blooded they apparently shut down to near zero activity when it gets that cold. Perhaps this wasn’t altogether a bad thing.

#6

Minnies Lake now has a chickee
It was a day trip chickee till the day I had lunch on it. Rangers came by and said it was now open for overnight use.



Totally rebuilt.

#7

Yeah, we were there. Quite a bit of
space. An owl sailed into a nearby tree, carrying a snake, and I got some good pictures.

#8

Maybe try
giving a call to Ronnie Kemp at Sea Kayak Georgia. He’s been a guide down in Okefen. for many years. He’ll likely share some of his experience.

#9

Thanks
Thanks for all the info.