The Third Edition of Canoeing and Kayaking Georgia. is finally out, after perhaps-perfectionist Suzanne Welander worked on it seemingly forever, and it is worth the wait.
It is even more thorough than previous editions, with some new put-ins added Continue reading
Update 2021-12-26: Pictures: Alapahoochee River, GA 135 to Sullivan Launch 2021-06-05.
Leisurely paddle on the rarely visited Alapahoochee River from Georgia into the Alapaha River in Florida.
This is a short paddle but may have deadfalls to navigate depending on water levels. We’ve been trying to plan an outing on this river, also called Little River, Little Alapaha, or Grand Bay Canal, since 2014, so come on along! Bring ropes for the front and back of your boat.
Down this secluded winding blackwater river, we will cross the GA-FL line, see an antique road bridge, some Class II (moderate) rapids under the power line, and the very pretty Turket Creek waterfall, on the way to the Alapahoochee Confluence and our takeout on the Alapaha River.
When: Gather 9 AM, launch 9:30 AM, end 11:30 AM, Saturday, June 5, 2021
Put In:
GA 135 Bridge, 2.3 miles north of Jennings, Florida, 20 miles southeast of Lake Park, Georgia, by way of Jennings, and 12.5 miles south of Statenville, Georgia.
We’re hoping local musician Bird Chamberlain can direct us to the best side of the bridge and river to put in.
Be warned: “A take out can be done but it’s a steep 25 foot 45 degree slippery climb over sand covered rocks. Putting in would be less difficult but still not easy.”
South Georgia Kayak Fishing, 2011-09-03.
Take Out: Sasser Landing
Bring: ropes on front and back of your boat, 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.
Come early or late and you can also help clean up trash at GA 376, where Elizabeth Reynolds reported a big mess more than a year ago.
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//donations/#outings
We recommend you support the work of WWALS by
becoming a WWALS member today!
https://wwals.net/donations/#join
![[Alapahoochee River, GA 135 Bridge, Swilley Road Bridge, Turket Creek waterfall]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2021-06-05--alapahoochee-river-paddle/many.jpg)
Alapahoochee River, GA 135 Bridge, Swilley Road Bridge, Turket Creek waterfall
Would you like to paddle the Withlacoochee and Suwannee Rivers for a week in June 2019 with 300 of your closest friends? Our rivers topped Paddle Georgia’s poll of six destinations. Joe Cook, Mr. Paddle Georgia, called me back in July about this possibility. That’s why on July 5, 2018, I blogged A week on the Withlacoochee River in June?
Paddle Georgia discovering the Withlacoochee River has rapids.
It turns out there was a story in the Continue reading
Update 2018-01-19: First leg rescheduled again, due to low water, to become a hike to the Dead River Sink, still on January 27, 2018.
Update 2018-01-01: The first leg of the Alapaha Quest is rescheduled to January 27, 2018! Follow this link for the revised details of that outing.
Join us to explore the entire Alapaha River Water Trail on the 2018 Alapaha Quest!
The Alapaha River is described as unspoiled, wild, and scenic. Add these remoteness features, some the dark reddish-brown waters with occasional shoals and it becomes a gem to paddle.
What is the Alapaha Quest?
Continue reading
Two years ago the water level was 41.27 feet and today it’s 42.56 at the USGS Madison (FL 6) gage, so the Withlacoochee River is fine for today’s WWALS outing from Sullivan Launch to Madison Blue Spring; follow the link for details. Also WWALS Outings Chair Phil Hubbard visited the put-in and the take-out yesterday, and reports the water is fine.
Here are some pictures from the same route two years ago, 24 October 2015.
We won’t see as many rapids today since with the water more than a foot higher we’ll float over some of those shoals, but we’ll see some, and many springs. Bring swimming clothes and also trash bags, because every outing is also a cleanup.
-jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®
You can join this fun and work by becoming a WWALS member today!
Brooks County can boast three springs of a type usually thought to be only in Florida. Of only about six second magnitude springs in Georgia, three are downstream from US 84: Wade or Blue Springs, sadly defunct; McIntyre Spring, large and easily accessible in the right bank emerging from 4610 feet of caverns back under Brooks County; and Arnold Springs, actually three small springs in the left bank.
Picture by John S. Quarterman for WWALS Watershed Coalition 9 July 2016,
as are all the other pictures herein not otherwise labeled.
And there are numerous shoals between these springs.
![[Cover and inside]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2022-06-30--welander-book/many.jpg)