No, The Hawk did not misspell the place y'all know as "Okefenokee". He did his homework and discovered that the historically correct spelling is "Okefinokee". The name Okefinokee was derived from the Creek O-ke-fin-ocau and was used beginning with George White's 1849 Statistics of Georgia. In the early 20th Century the United States Geographical Board (part of our government bureaucracy) decreed the spelling would be Okefenokee.

Okefinokee is the largest swamp in North America, occupying about 700 square miles and draining a 1,400 square mile watershed. Okefinokee is clearly visible in satellite imagery because it occupies a high, sandy basin in southern Georgia, which acts as an extensive shallow wetland catch basin. Okefinokee has quite different habitats, which vary from extensive canopied forests (pond cypress, loblolly bay, black gum, and red maple), to sprawling emergent shrub communities (hurrah bush, titi, poorman's soap), to prairies (shallow marshes or wetland meadows with hydrophytic plants), and finally to extensive lakes. These habitats provide homes to beacoup animal species.

You'll immediately see alligators, raccoons, and birds. It takes a bit more work to find otter, mink, beaver, black bear and bobcat. If you're really up for it, see if you can catalog the 14 different species of turtles representing five different families. In summary, Okefinokee is as unique to the world as the Grand Canyon and is a mandatory trip for any paddler.

The Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge encompasses 400,000 acres with 110 miles of canoe trails. Canoe camping provides the ultimate Okefinokee experience and two to five day trips are possible, if you score a permit. Permits can be obtained from the Wildlife Refuge office by calling 912.496.3331 between 07:00 and 10:00, Monday through Friday, only within two months (calendar) of the date your trip begins. This can be difficult. If you call at 06:59 no one will answer and if you call after 07:01 the line will be busy and you should prepare to hit the redial button as rapidly as possible (sometimes for more than an hour). However, this permit system works and if you get one you'll be in complete solitude your entire trip. The Refuge website day trips allow one to observe a greater ecologic variety (much more comfortably) than a canoe camping adventure. Most recently, we went there over Memorial Day, based in Waycross, and took three quite different day trips.

Kingfisher Landing through Carter's Prairie.

For the first day, we decided to explore the northeastern swamp, launching at Kingfisher Landing. Kingfisher is one of three access points to the Refuge, basically consists of a parking lot with a boat ramp, groover, and sign-in log. Use of the refuge requires a park permit. Either buy it at one of the Visitor Centers (west entrance Steven Foster, or the east entrance Suwannee Canal Recreation Area). If you have a Golden Eagle Pass just put it on your dashboard.

The rangers check regularly and will ticket.

Kingfisher Landing was the center of peat-mining operations and a mile-long canal dredged at that time constitutes the first mile or so of trail. You will find the remains of the railroad and old machinery at the end of the parking area off to the left. Be sure to check it out. Two routes (Green and Red Trails) begin at Kingfisher. At the end of the canal the Green Trail goes south and the Red Trail, which we followed for about five miles to Double Lakes, goes north. This is one of the least used areas of the Refuge and we never saw anyone else.

The northeastern swamp is emergent prairie with scattered lakes and hammocks. Vegetation primarily comprises shrubbery and the emergent prairie supports yellow-eyed grasses. For me the most interesting form of life is made up of large stands of water lily and assorted carnivorous hooded pitcher plants and sundew in the numerous lakes and tons of frogs. Numerous hammocks, which I still haven't been able to land on, are heavily wooded with various hardwoods. Finally, in the fall and winter it's a good place for birding. You'll find great egrets, little blue herons, and white ibis.

To get to Kingfisher Landing, take U.S. Highway 1 south from Waycross for about 20 miles to Race Pond. The road to the landing (heading west) is well signed. Another 12 miles or so on Highway 1 will take you to the Suwannee Canal Recreation Area

Steven Foster Landing through Floyd's Prairie.

The second day we put in at Steven Foster State Park (the Refuge's west entrance) and followed the Red Trail north for five or six miles to Floyd's Prairie. This is a much more dark and mysterious part of the park and, reminiscent of Mirkwood Forest, follows the Suwannee River as it meanders through densely wooded forests of bays, maple, and cypress. The river traverses one of the most spectacular stands of mature cypress in the swamp and supports a surfeit of wildlife.

Sure there are turtles, alligators and otters. But there are also more rare species such as the bright yellow protonotaria warbler hanging out by the canal side. This is a very tight paddle, especially in a 22' tandem sea kayak. Unfortunately, it's also the most popular section of the swamp, so it's impossible to avoid people. Be alert. Things can get really interesting when negotiating a four-footwide blind curve simultaneously with a john-boat piloted by a tourist (AKA idiot).

To get to Steven Foster, take U.S. 84 west from Waycross to Homerville. In Homereville, take 441 south to Fargo then 177 up the Suwannee River to the park.

Chesser Island. We didn't have time to paddle the third day, so we took U.S. Highway 1 past Kingfisher down to the Suwannee Canal Recreation Area where we checked out Swamp Island Drive, the Chesser Island Homestead, and the boardwalk. The homestead was built by the Chesser family in 1927 and illustrates how the swampers eked out a living. Sugar cane, cane syrup, and turpentine comprised the primary cash crops. Swampers also farmed, kept livestock, hunted, and fished. The boardwalk winds through about a mile of dense swamp, ends at an observation tower, and provides an opportunity to see things you could not get to from your boat.

How to get there: The drive from Atlanta to Okefinokee takes three or four hours. Just take I-75 south way past Macon to Tifton. At Tifton follow US 82 east towards Waycross. At about this time you have to finalize a pivotal decision concerning your destination. Waycross is my current favorite and we based from there on this trip. It's at the northern tip of the Refuge and has numerous hotels, restaurants, and B&Bs. If you're planning on paddling the eastern section, there are also hotels in Folkston, which is down US 1 from Waycross. If you will be limited to the eastern portion (i.e., Steven Foster) stay on I-75 to Valdosta, then take US 84 to Homerville, which has hotels and B&Bs. To the best of my knowledge, there are no hotels in Fargo (although camping is available). Camping and cabins are also available at Steven Foster State Park (check availability before leaving).

One other important tidbit of advice. We did this trip in late May. The weather was wonderful, not only for paddling but also for yellow tabanids (AKA horseflies). These puppies are not fun (except for entomologists like Will). The optimum time to paddle the swamp is spring and fall. This avoids summer heat/humidity and major insect densities, and the more extreme winter conditions (when many animals and plants are dormant). Actually it's the alligators that are dormant and other critters like otters, wood storks, and ibis are free to play without fear of becoming alligator food. Also almost half of the swamp's rainfall occurs during afternoon thunderstorms June through September.

by William C. Reeves (The Hawk)

From The Eddy Line, August 2003

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