Join us for a leisurely paddle on the Withlacoochee River: three miles to Sugar Creek with early takeout, and another four miles to Troupville Boat Ramp, around all the river frontage of the land recently purchased by Lowndes County for Troupville River Camp and Nature Park.
Paddle with Valdosta Mayor Scott James Matheson and Lowndes County Chairman Bill Slaughter. Shuttle vans provided by Valdosta-Lowndes County Parks and Recreation Authority (VLPRA). Thanks to a generous grant from Georgia Power, this outing is free for everyone.
Boats: Bring your own if you have it.
When: Gather 8 AM, launch 10 AM, end 4 PM, Saturday, March 15, 2025
Put In: Langdale Park Boat Ramp,
3781 N. Valdosta Rd., Valdosta, GA 31602.
GPS: 30.88747, -83.32395
Safety: Be on time. If you miss the safety briefing, you cannot paddle with us.
We’ll go three miles from Langdale Park Boat Ramp through Langdale Park past Three Mile Branch to Sugar Creek with early takeout. On this all-wooded route it is hard to believe you are next to the most populous city in the Suwannee River Basin.
Early takeout is at Sugar Creek, where there will be a Port-A-Potty, along with ones at Langdale Park and Troupville Boat Ramp.
Then we’ll paddle another four miles under the Norfolk Southern Railroad Bridge, past Wood Valley Subdivision and Sheri Run, and the I-75 and GA 133 highway bridges.
We will see all the river frontage of the land recently purchased by Lowndes County for Troupville River Camp and Nature Park. After paddling a third of a mile up the Little River, we will take out at Troupville Boat Ramp.
Both the Put-In and the Take-Out are in VLPRA parks..
At start and end, see the WWALS water trail signs about the WWALS
Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail (WLRWT).
Take Out: Troupville Boat Ramp
Bring: the usual personal flotation device, boat, paddles, food, drinking water, warm clothes, and first aid kit.
Free: This outing is free to everyone!
Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1603504050556169/
Duration: 5 hours
Paddle: 7 miles, 4 hours.
Shuttle: 9 miles one way, 16 minutes one way.
Gauge: Valdosta at US 41 (North Valdosta Road).
Host: Phil Hubbard
Contact: wwalswatershed@gmail.com or 850-290-2350
Deadfalls:
To clear Hurricane Helene deadfalls (dead trees across the river),
WWALS will be conducting chainsaw cleanups starting in February.
You are welcome to come along: you do not have to use any kind of saw;
you can pick up trash, take pictures, or just paddle.
Backup:
in case of too many deadfalls or too low water or low water quality,
is the old route from Troupville Boat Ramp eleven river miles to Spook Bridge.
More:
For more WWALS outings and events as they are posted, see
the WWALS outings web page,
https://wwals.net/outings/.
WWALS members also get an upcoming list in the Tannin Times newsletter.
-jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®
You can help with clean, swimmable, fishable, drinkable, water in the 10,000-square-mile Suwannee River Basin in Florida and Georgia by becoming a WWALS member today!
Short Link:
VSU CORE Outdoors will bring some boats for free.
To reserve a boat, please use this eventbrite ticket:
https://www.eventbrite.com/myevent?eid=1272573675119
Each person in a boat, no matter how young or old, must wear a PFD.
Also trash pickers and trash bags: every WWALS outing is also a cleanup.
Please follow Leave No Trace principles by packing out all trash, avoiding damage to vegetation, and respecting wildlife.
Thanks to Georgia Power for the generous grant that makes that possible.
https://www.meetup.com/withlacoochee-alapaha-suwannee-rivers-wwals-outings/events/305789933/
Thanks to Valdosta-Lowndes County Parks and Recreation Authority (VLPRA) for providing shuttle vans and drivers.
Lowest boatable: 116 feet NAVD88; Highest safe: 123′.
Thanks to The Langdale Company for agreeing to the lunch stop and takeout on their land.
In case of bad weather or too high water is, we will
Reschedule a week later, to Saturday, March 22, 2025.
https://wwals.net/donations
WWALS Watershed Coalition (WWALS) is Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®
A healthy watershed with clean, swimmable, fishable, drinkable water.
![[Mayor and Chairmans Paddle, Langdale Park to Troupville 2025-03-15, Early Takeout Sugar Creek, Withlacoochee and Little Rivers]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2025-03-15--mayor-chairmans-paddle/fbmany.jpg)