Due to thunderstorms, Macedonia Community Foundation has decided to cancel this outing.
Better safe than sorry with children on the water with lightning.
Continue readingCategory Archives: Lake
![[Outing Cancelled]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2022-06-18--juneteenth/many.jpg)
Banks Lake Full Strawberry Moon Paddle 2022-06-14
Update 2022-07-11: Pictures.
Leisurely Sunset and Full Moon Paddle, probably with bats.
When: Gather 7:30 PM, launch 8 PM, moonrise 9:19 PM, sunset 8:37 PM, end 10 PM, Tuesday, June 14, 2022
Put In: Banks Lake Boat Ramp, 307 Georgia 122, Lakeland, GA 31635, in Lanier County, on the Alapaha River Water Trail (ARWT).
![[bm-0-boats-in-cypress-204040291_10221770130814864_9203863038532809013_n]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2021-06-24--banks-lake-full-strawberry-moon-pictures/bm-0-boats-in-cypress-204040291_10221770130814864_9203863038532809013_n.jpg)
Boats in Cypreas, Photo: Bobby McKenzie 2021-06-24
Ideas for short paddles
Update 2024-06-22: Grassy Pond still closed and some other updates.
Update 2022-08-08: Couple more short paddle ideas: State Line Boat Ramp upstream to Arnold Springs, and Florida Campsites upstream.
Update 2022-05-30: Three more short paddle ideas (on the Withlacoochee River and the Alapahoochee River), along with safety information and links to the WWALS water trails with more information.
We often get questions like this: “The wife and I just got our kayaks and we’re looking for some ideas for short trips.”
Here are some suggestions on lakes, swamps, and rivers in the Suwannee River Basin.
Safety first! Always wear your personal flotation device (PFD).
You’d be surprised how hard it is to find your PFD after you fall in.
And especially if you’re new to paddling, don’t go alone.
You may want to join some of the many WWALS outings. See:
https://wwals.net/outings/
![[Ideas for Short Paddles, Suwannee River Basin]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2022-05-30--short-trips/fbmany.jpg)
Ideas for Short Paddles, Suwannee River Basin
See also:
How far from one Boat Ramp to the next landing? WWALS Water Trails
https://wwals.net/?p=52193
Lakes:
Easy paddles with no current, no worries about water levels, and no need for a shuttle: put in and take out at the same spot.
But no matter how easy lakes are to paddle, wear your PFD.
Banks Lake Boat Ramp
Juneteenth Water Works at Reed Bingham State Park 2022-06-18
Update 2022-06-18: Outing cancelled due to thunderstorms.
Children (and adults) are invited to paddle in boats at Reed Bingham State Park Swim Area for Juneteenth, in the the Water Works festival by Jenard S. Asthma Foundation and Macedonia Community Foundation. Once again, WWALS will provide boats and stunt adults to get children and others on the water.
![[Brown]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2022-06-18--juneteenth/IMG-0881.jpg)
A stunt adult goes with a child 16 or under so they can boat, in case their parents don’t want to paddle.
When: Gather 12 PM, end 5 PM, Sunday Saturday, June 19 18, 2022
Put In: Reed Bingham State Park Swim Area
Free: This outing is free to everyone. There is a $5 entrance park fee.
We recommend you support the work of WWALS by
becoming a WWALS member today!
https://wwals.net/donations
Event: facebook, meetup Continue reading
Banks Lake Full Flower Moon Paddle, 2022-05-16
Join us for a leisurely Sunset and Full Moon Paddle, probably with bats, on our mini-Okefenokee, Banks Lake, just west of Lakeland, Georgia.
This Outing is honoring Teachers & Nurses, who get free entry.
When: Gather 7:15 PM, launch 7:45 PM, moonrise 9:19 PM, sunset 8:21 PM, end 10 PM, Monday, May 16, 2022
Put In: Banks Lake Boat Ramp, 307 Georgia 122, Lakeland, GA 31635, in Lanier County, on the Alapaha River Water Trail (ARWT).
Take Out: Banks Lake Boat Ramp
Bring: the usual personal flotation device, boat, paddles, food, drinking water, warm clothes, and first aid kit. Also trash pickers and trash bags: every WWALS outing is also a cleanup. Mosquitoes can be bad at dusk so come prepared.
Safety: Each person in a boat, no matter how young or old, must wear a PFD. You must have a light for your boat or some type of light to have on yourself (glow sticks work well, or head lamp, flashlight, etc.) so other boaters can see you in the dark. It will be totally dark after sunset. A whistle is not required, but it’s a good idea in the dark.
Boats:
Bring your own if you have it.
Thanks to Banks Lake Outdoors for free boat rental for these WWALS Full Moon Paddles.
Please ask for boats at least 2 days prior to the event:
on the web form on
https://wwals.net/outings,
or on the facebook event, the meetup,
or call 850-290-2350.
Free: This outing is free to WWALS members, and $10 (ten dollars) for non-members.
You can pay the $10 at the outing, or online:
https://wwals.net/outings
We recommend you support the work of WWALS by
becoming a WWALS member today!
https://wwals.net/donations/
![[Happy paddlers 2021-05-26]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2021-05-26--full-flower-blood-super-moon-pictures/20210526_204947.jpg)
Tickets ’til Friday for Saturday’s BIG Little River Paddle Race at Reed Bingham State Park
Adel, Georgia, April 28, 2022 —
For the 8AM, Saturday, April 30, 2022, BIG Little River Paddle Race, ticket sales remain open until 5PM Friday, available only online. Join us for a three-mile paddle down the idyllic blackwater Little River into Reed Bingham State Park, between Adel and Moultrie, Georgia. Tickets are $30 per boat online only at wwals.net. See
https://wwals.net/pictures/2022-04-30–blrpr/
You could win in any of a dozen categories, including $100 First Prize. But you are not required to race: it’s a nice spring paddle anyway! Lunch will be provided. You can just paddle along this scenic three-mile stretch of tea-colored river on the Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail among cypress trees, turtles, birds, and yes, alligators. (Don’t pet the alligators and they aren’t likely to bother you.) This race also has fierce competitors, with one past winner finishing in barely more than half an hour.
Nobody beat the previous fastest winning time, so this year if somebody does, they will get an additional $200 prize. Winners in other categories each get a special gift.
Photo: Gretchen Quarterman, of Clay York finishing the BIG Little River Paddle Race 2019.
The race will start Continue reading
Ten days until the Tenth BIG Little River Paddle Race at Reed Bingham State Park 2022-04-30
Adel, Georgia, April 21, 2022 — It’s 8AM, Saturday, April 30, 2022, at Red Roberts Landing in Reed Bingham State Park, between Adel and Moultrie, Georgia. Join us for a three-mile paddle down the idyllic blackwater Little River into Reed Bingham State Park. Tickets are $30 per boat online only at wwals.net. See https://wwals.net/pictures/2022-04-30–blrpr/
A previous press release had an erroneous date. Please ignore that and come on down Saturday, April 30, 2022.
Continue readingIt’s back! The Tenth Annual BIG Little River Paddle Race at Reed Bingham State Park 2022-04-30
Adel, Georgia, April 12, 2022 — After pandemic and bad weather the previous two years, the BIG Little Paddle Race is back this year.
You could win in any of a dozen categories, or up to $300 if you
beat the previous winning record time. But you are not required to
race: it’s a nice spring paddle anyway! On Saturday, April 30, 2022 24, 2021,
in Reed Bingham State Park, between Adel and Moultrie, Georgia, it’s
the ninth tenth annual BIG Little River Paddle Race. There will be lunch
and tickets will be available for the annual kayak raffle. You can just paddle along this scenic three-mile
stretch of tea-colored river on the Withlacoochee and Little River
Water Trail among cypress trees, turtles, birds, and yes,
alligators. (Don’t pet the alligators and they aren’t likely to
bother you.) This race also has fierce competitors, with one past
winner finishing in barely more than half an hour.
After having to cancel the event last year due to severe weather, we are hoping for sunnier skies this year. This is a great opportunity to learn about the joys of paddling canoes and kayaks, to see the natural beauty of our region’s blackwater rivers, and to have fun while getting some outdoor exercise with family and friends.
![[Tandem female canoe, orange (BW)]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/gretchen/2019-04-27--wwals-blrpr/59286201_10220164503641964_277548384464666624_n.jpg)
Photo: Bret Wagenhorst, of 2019 First female tandem kayak:
Megan Robinson & Lily Robinson, of Tifton, GA.
WWALS President Trudy Cole said, “BLRPR is a great opportunity to meet like minded folks and paddle a pristine section of the Little River, while supporting a great organization.”
There are several categories in which you could win, Continue reading
Earth Day 2022
Update 2022-04-07: Two Mile Branch Rivers Alive Trash Clean Up, Valdosta 2022-04-16 2022-04-16.
Update 2022-04-05: Constitutional Right to Clean Water: RTCW for Georgia, WWALS Webinar 2022-04-19.
Earth day itself is April 22, 2022. WWALS will have several events surrounding that day: two cleanups, a full moon paddle, a paddle race, and a river paddle and cleanup.
![[Cleanups and paddles]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2022-04-22--earth-day-events/many.jpg)
Before Earth Day
Continue readingBanks Lake Full Pink Moon Paddle 2022-04-16
Come see the sun set and the full pink moon rise, on our leisurely paddle on our mini-Okefenokee, Banks Lake National Wildlife Reserve, just west of Lakeland, Georgia.
When: Gather 7 PM, launch 7:30 PM, moonrise 8:10 PM, sunset 8:01 PM, end 9:30 PM, Saturday, April 16, 2022
Put In: Banks Lake Boat Ramp, 307 Georgia 122, Lakeland, GA 31635, in Lanier County, on the Alapaha River Water Trail (ARWT).
Take Out: Banks Lake Boat Ramp
Bring: the usual personal flotation device, boat, paddles, food, drinking water, warm clothes, and first aid kit. Also trash pickers and trash bags: every WWALS outing is also a cleanup. Mosquitoes can be bad at dusk so come prepared.
Safety:
Each person in a boat, no matter how young or old, must wear a PFD.
You must have a light for your boat or some type of light to have on yourself (glow sticks work well, or head lamp, flashlight, etc.) so other boaters can see you in the dark. It will be totally dark after sunset.
A whistle is not required, but it’s a good idea in the dark.
Boats:
Bring your own if you have it.
Thanks to Banks Lake Outdoors for free boat rental for these WWALS Full Moon Paddles.
Please ask for boats at least 2 days prior to the event:
on the web form on
https://wwals.net/outings,
or on the facebook event, the meetup,
or call 850-290-2350.
Free: This outing is free to WWALS members, and $10 (ten dollars) for non-members.
You can pay the $10 at the outing, or online:
https://wwals.net/outings
We recommend you support the work of WWALS by
becoming a WWALS member today!
https://wwals.net/donations/#join
![[Sunset and Moonrise 2021-04-26; Photos: Bobby McKenzie]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2022-04-16--banks-lake-full-pink-moon/many.jpg)
Sunset and Moonrise
2021-04-26; Photos: Bobby McKenzie.