Canoeing and Camping - Alabama

“Someone asked me if I knew of places in Alabama you can canoe for more than one day and camp along the shore at night. Since I don't canoe I haven't a clue.


2 hr radius of B'ham would be appropriate. The only place I knew of was Sipsey. The person mentioned the Cahaba, but I thought that it probably adjoined private land for it's length.

Any thoughts? Thanks.”

“The only water I want to see in Alabama is all on the Gulf of Mexico.”

“Now that's not true. You like the Sipsey river don't you?”

“Father Goose may know the answers to these, and many other questions...


Stay tuned for another episode of "Father Goose and Alabama's canoeable rivers"...”

“He does like Sipsey!





Where the hell is he from anyway?”

“LA darlin.”

“Where I come from, it's cornbread and chicken...”

“Try the Elk River in Tn/Ala.”

“(Yawn, stretch...)

Ahem.

The Flint River in Huntsville is very canoeable (I prefer a kayak) after a good rain. A two-day trip could be made out of it. Sometimes though, it can be outright dangerous. If you're coming from out of town, it is best to check water levels with one of the local outfitters before you plan a paddle trip. Bear Creek is also a very scenic paddle. I haven't done the Paint Rock River yet, I don't know why. It looks floatable, too. Lake Guntersville is also a great place to paddle. A person could spend weeks exploring out there. Ditto the Wheeler Wildlife Refuge.

If you're a whitewater kamikaze, the Warrior and a couple of other rivers and their tributaries in the B'ham area are renowned for their class 4 and 5 rapids. You'd better be damned good or you'll get killed.


BTW, Dawn, get off your ass, put down your Dr. Pepper and coffin nails and do something to strengthen that hip of yours. If you can't make it to Sipsey, I'm gonna be pissed!!!”

“Try the Elk River in Tn/Ala."
karo
02:16:52 PM
02/19/04

Yes, the Elk is great, so are the Duck and Buffalo rivers. A little furhter away, perhaps, but very worthwhile.”

“..that would be 'further'...”

“Sipsey River is a great float...lots of bluffs and some waterfalls...about 9 miles....( from Picnic area to Mim's on 33)

right before the rapids up on the bluff is a GREAT & secluded camping area....only way to get there is by boat or 4 wheel drive.........( we try to get on river early so we can go to the spot before the rapids and watch all the other boats go thru the rapids...sometimes we are VERY entertained)

There are alot of nice places to get out and explore....

If the water is up you can put in at Borden Creek trailhead....(it sure looks different from a boat!!!)
and I have heard of folks starting at Thompson Creek, but I never have.....

if you check the usgs site , they post water levels at Grayson......if it is about 5' it is doable..( we have done it at 4.5, but had to portage some)and 5'-7' the rapids are fun....

I suppose you can float all the way to Smith Lake.....but I never have.....

I LOVE Sipsey!!!”

“http://waterdata.usgs.gov/al/nwis/uv/?site_no=02450250&PARAmeter_cd=00065,00060


here is where you can check water levels!!!”

“Hey, babycakes, we'll have to do a float on the Sipsey some time. You can be my tour guide.”

“Best time is in winter...you can see more.....you have a canoe or kayak???”

“I have two kayaks. One is a Perception Corona I paddle solo, and the other is an Old Town Loon 160T that Mother G and I can use together.”

“I have a Perception Swifty.....I love it......”

“Did I mention we have these REALLY big spiders that can walk on the water?????”

“Can't be as bad as the HUGE mocassin I encountered the last time I paddled the Flint.”

“ohhh......I don't like snakes either......”

“This sucker was at least 6 feet. The river was at flood stage...I was actually paddling on the River Course at Hampton Cove, LOL. Had lunch on the 16th green...”

“a neat place to go is in Wheeler Wildlife area on Tenn river....wonderful......

biggest one I saw was at Brushy Lake ...up the creek....there is a wonderful creek.....it is lined with Mountain Laurel.....so beautiful....there was a dam and I was pushing the canoes over it to one of the guys......and one of the guys looked down and in the dam curled up was a HUGE snake about 1 foot away from me.....I never saw him.....until he moved.....really scarey!!!!”

“Yeah, Wheeler is great. You and I and Mother G will have to get together some time for a paddle.”

“Giant spiders, poisonous snakes, doesn't make me really want to paddle down south.”

“I have always been fascinated by snakes, ever since I was a little fella. Mocassins bother me though...they can be very aggressive.”

“I thought that was in Georgia.”

“I'd say that boy's been skull#&%!$ed one time too many...”

“Last time I checked, Georgia was in the south.

But there are a lot of damn yankees over in Atlanta...”

“I was gonna mention that.”

“Yeah Georgia is in the south, but the thread is about paddling in Alabama. I think I'll stay with my icy cold water and black flies that can carry off a small dog, up here in the north thank you.”

“Giant spiders, poisonous snakes, doesn't make me really want to paddle down south."
lumberzac
05:03:13 PM
02/19/04”

“y'all are just too weird!!!”

“they started it”

“Damn yankees...oh, wait a minute...I wasn't born here either, LOL!”

“Yankee, I'm almost a Canuck. Just ask Gremlin.”

“Canada's a damn beautiful country. I could live there.”

“lumberzac.....Alabama is awesome!!!

come visit us!!!


FG I would LOVE that...I have not had my kayak out since last May.......no one to go with ( & my family has a fit if I go alone)

BIT.....I love your humor......LOL

"I have always been fascinated by snakes...LOL..me too FG...hehehhe”

“FG - I'm only about 2 hours from the Canadian boarder. Upstate NY is also quite beautiful you should visit some time.

divinity - I'd love to come down sometime. I just need to get my financial situation in order first. Maybe some day I'll throw the Radisson on the roof and drive on down.”

“wooohooo...come on .......”

“What exactly do ya call folks from California????”

“Crazy.”

“LOL..be nice BIT!!!”

“I always heard there were gators in Wheeler Wildlife Refuge. Fishermen say DNR put them in there to control the snakes or something like that. I worked near there for 5 years and we used to fish near Decatur. Some local fishermen once found a head from a murdered woman floating near Flint creek!”

“Well, it's true, that is what we call'em...doesn't mean that they're crazy, that's just what we call'em.”

“LOL.I know the spot on Flint Creek...the police tape is still there ....and

they put gators in Wheeler to kill off the beavers cause they were building dams and flooding the golf course.....

I know folks who have seen them...and they counted them a few years ago and there were about 50 ( so the paper said)

I also heard there are catfish at the dam big enough to swallow a man whole :0”

“Dang.
I was hoping this thread was going to tell me about a planned upcoming TT canoe/camp trip!!”

“we need to do one!!!...”

“I've always wanted to go canoeing on the Flint River. It's very pretty.”

“Directory of Alabama waterways with outfitters

this might be useful”