Suwannee River Guidebook. Kevin M. McCarthy
Florida wrote about it in a popular song of the nineteenth century. This waterway may be the only major river in the southeastern United States that is still unspoiled, pristine, and largely unvisited by most of the thousands of new residents to the state. What makes it particularly unusual is the large number of springs—over sixty in the river floodplain—that flow into it along the way, increasing its volume and speed and allowing swimmers, divers, and snorkelers access to their constant temperatures all year round. The river also has the state’s only white-water rapids, something that surprises many Floridians, including me.
One could conceivably put a boat in at the headwaters of the Suwannee, not paddle a single stroke, and still make it to the Gulf, although it would take several weeks. The river averages about four miles an hour on its way to the Gulf as it slowly falls from an elevation of 120 feet above sea level in the Okefenokee. The Suwannee is relatively easy to paddle, though, as its narrowness enables one to see both sides all the way down, and its width prevents overhanging branches from causing problems. For boating and fishing, the river is probably best below the Suwannee River State Park at Ellaville, since above that it can be very shallow in times of drought and below that the underwater grasses and structure provide more habitat for a wide variety of fishes. However, many fishermen prefer the quiet of the upper river to the busyness of the lower part, where the broad water attracts water-skiers and Jet-Skiers. Kayakers are attracted to the upper river since they can more easily maneuver in the shallows. Many places along the way allow people to launch their boats or canoes, and maps are readily available at dive and fish-tackle stores along the way.
Of the sixty-plus springs that empty into the Suwannee, many are on private property and not accessible to the public, but enough of the larger ones are open and offer recreational activities for the whole family all year round. The springs are crystal clear and offer a sharp contrast to the tannin-colored river, made opaque by decaying vegetation. Three main tributaries feed into it, adding speed and depth and access to different parts of north Florida.
The river has certainly been host to some important people and moments in Florida’s history: from the Native American tribes that lived along it to Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto (who traversed it on his ill–fated trip to the Mississippi River) to General Andrew Jackson (who chased, caught, and executed two British inciters near it) to steamship pilots (one of whom scuttled his boat at Troy Spring to keep it out of the hands of Union troops in the Civil War) to modern entrepreneurs who hope to exploit it for their own use and profit.
Unlike the major rivers in this country, for example the Mississippi or Ohio or even the St. Johns in Florida, commercial interests have not established large settlements on the Suwannee and therefore have not destroyed much of its natural beauty and wildlife. The river has no large factories to pollute the air and water, and the shallowness of the upper part has prevented most boats from using it, thus discouraging the construction of large settlements along its banks.
For those who want something more than amusement parks, sunny days on the beach, and spring baseball training, the Suwannee and its springs offer a unique opportunity to enjoy nature at its finest. Whether you enjoy scuba diving or snorkeling, kayaking or canoeing, camping or walking in the forest, fishing or hunting, watching for birds and other animals, or even alligator hunting, the river has something for everyone. It only asks that its users not pollute or harm its habitat and creatures. The facilities along the way have not changed dramatically in the last fifty years; there are still canoe-rental businesses and dive shops, as well as a growing number of campgrounds and state parks. Most importantly, there is a group of individuals, members of an amazing organization called Save Our Suwannee, Inc., determined to preserve the river from those forces and corporations that might have done much damage to its shores and water.
Although the distance from the headwaters in the Okefenokee Swamp to its outlet at the Gulf of Mexico is about one hundred miles as the crow flies, the Suwannee wanders and meanders more than 230 miles along the way. Unlike the St. Johns River—which provided access to the interior of Florida through its north-south orientation and a good deep-water port to the Atlantic Ocean—the Suwannee offered no important interior or ocean access to earlier settlers, nor does it to modern developers. The rapids of Big Shoals above Branford made it unnavigable for steamers beyond that point, and the spread-out delta at the Gulf did not lead to the establishment of a port there. But such limitations are what have preserved its beauty and made it off limits to most commerce.
Because not everyone interested in the Suwannee has the time or facilities to boat it from Georgia to the Gulf of Mexico, the last part of each chapter describes the land on each side of the river, from north to south. The Appendices contain the names and descriptions of some of the many places to stay and eat along the way, although these change frequently.
On April 12, 2008, I began a series of one-day boating trips on the Suwannee with a skilled guide and professional alligator trapper, Cary Crutchfield, who lives on the river near Branford and who pointed out flora and fauna in, on, and under the river that I never would have noticed. We used two of his boats, a shallow-draft one in the very north and a much bigger, faster one in the south, depending on the conditions of the river (shallow, deep, slow, fast) and weather. I should also note that we usually boated up the river so that, in case of a mechanical breakdown, we would simply float downstream to where we had put in. While one can navigate most of the river by oneself, taking a skilled guide adds immensely to the pleasure and knowledge one gleans from such a memorable trip.
In preparing for the journey, I read as many articles and books as I could find about the Suwannee. For the land part, I drove up and down both sides of the river, stopping at motels, restaurants, and bait stores—not only to find the practical information about where to stay and eat, but also to interview people who live along or make a living from the river. Because I know that many (most?) travel books are read by people who have neither the time nor the inclination to make the same trip, I have included anecdotes, cultural history, allusions to novels and songs, or whatever the reader might find of interest in learning more about this fascinating waterway.
Unlike my trip on the St. Johns River, which I made with two friends (Edwina and Bob Davis) in one long week, sleeping in cabins and motels along the way, I made this trip over many single days. Several factors made this necessary: my guide had a full-time job catching alligators and selling their meat and hides, insects like mosquitoes on the Suwannee can make camping very unpleasant, and the upper reaches of the waterway have no cabins/motels. Days between weekly trips on the river allowed me to read about the forthcoming stretch and visit museums/shops along the way.
So let’s begin our trip. Put on your hat and sunscreen, or your reading glasses and comfortable slippers, and let’s journey down one of the most famous rivers in the world.
1. Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia to Big Shoals in Florida
“Named after songwriter Stephen Foster, this remote park is a primary entrance to the famed Okefenokee Swamp and is one of the most intriguing areas in Georgia.” —brochure for the Stephen C. Foster State Park in Georgia
by water from the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge to Big Shoals
The Okefenokee Swamp is where the Suwannee begins. According to Allen Morris’s Florida Place Names the word “Okefenokee” goes back to Hitchiti oki “water” and Creek fenoke “trembling” or, together, “trembling water,” referring to the movement of the spongy bogs, which seem to undulate when walked on. The Creek Indians also referred to the swamp as ekan “land” and fenoke “trembling” or, together, “trembling land.”
The Okefenokee Swamp is the beginning of the Suwannee River. Florida State Archives
The huge swamp, which covers 438,000 acres in southern Georgia and northern Florida, is in large part protected by being part of the 402,000-acre Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and the Okefenokee Wilderness. The swamp, considered by many to be one of the seven natural wonders of Georgia, formed in the last seven millennia by the growth of peat in the relatively shallow basin. Only Florida’s Everglades is a larger freshwater swamp in the South. Just how vulnerable such huge uninhabited,