This year we moved our Fall Gulf Coastal trip to the Perdido and Styx Rivers in South Alabama. This was more of a scout trip that a full canoe camping trip. The Perdido forms the boundary of Fl. and Al. in Baldwin Co. It is typical of most coastal rivers with tea colored water and sandbars around every bend. It is also prone to log jams. The state of Alabama has purchased through Forever Wild most of the river frontage North of Co. 112. This will allow the public to be able to enjoy the river for generations to come without development. At present they are improving the access roads, building shelters and canoe launches. Florida has launches from Barrineau Park down to US 90. that most people can access with a car.
On the way down Thursday we decided to go ahead and paddle before we checked into our motel. We dropped vehicles off at Adventures Unlimited and headed to Bearrineau Park Bridge. Adventures Unlimited charges a small fee to use their property. It is 10 miles downstream of the bridge. There were NO PARKING signs along both sides of the road at the bridge. We unloaded our boats and moved the truck to the top of the hill onto the Perdido River Wildlife Management Area land. I spoke with a Range earlier about this and was told they they are having trouble with locals trashing the area. Due to the drought the river was low but it had enough current (2.5mph)we didn't have to paddle very much.
There was a work crew on the train trestle as we floated past. Air temp. was in the 80's, water temp. 70's, Blue sky and a day off work. It doesn't get much better. There is a lot of timber in this river. We had to be mindful of strainers. Florida has bought sections along this part but there are a few houses along with their "NO TRESSPASSING" signs. I can't blame them as not all paddlers are good stewards of the river as evident with all of the Redneck Eggs (beer cans) we encountered. I picked up a floating tote with Coors sticker on it. Just above the take out there was a house with people sitting at a table by the waters edge. I offered them the tote. The lady took it to make a worm bed out of it. We discussed the litter and log jams along the river. They said the log jam just down river was gone and the large one upstream had a path cut through so a canoe could pass. The river was so low we backed the Jeep out on the river bed to retrieve the boats.
First thing Friday we headed to scout the large log jam. If it was open we were going to put in at Staplefork Landing. Sure enough there was a path cut through but there was additional debris that had washed into the upstream end. Now this log jam is at least 200yds. long. We found the portage route on the Alabama side. A good level path along the outside bend of the river. By the time you take out on the sandbar it is around 400 yds to the launch below the log jam. This might not be much by Northern standards but it is huge by Southern standards. It is said that there is a shorter trail on the Florida side but we didn't pursue it. We did run into the guys that were building the hiking trail that will tie into the Appalachian Trail. They cut this portage trail. Thank you Alabama Hiking Trail Society.
We ended up back at Adventures Unlimited to paddle down to Sand Landing on the Fl. side. This is also a 10 mile trip. The first few miles were just like the section we had paddled the day before. Twisting bends of tea colored water chocked full of strainers with sandbars on the inside of each bend. A couple of miles into the day we started hearing gunfire. It is hunting season but the amount of gunshots was unreal. You could tell that they weren't shooting at game as they would fire 15-30 shots at a short time. No one could be that bad of a shot. Once we got South of I-10 we didn't hear any more shooting. A look at Google Earth showed a firing range just East of the river. The river slowed down and we ran out of sandbars shortly past I-10. If the water is at normal levels I-10 would be one of the last places to get out and stretch one's legs. From this point on we were in a swamp. Low banks with marsh past it. We finally reached Sand Landing. Although we didn't meet any power boats on this section you need to look for them. We could have ventured 2.5 miles on down to the landing at US 90 but we like current.
Saturday we ventured over to the Styx River. It is a tributary of the Perdido that parallels I-10. Due to problems between locals and law enforcement we decided to hire the local canoe livery for our shuttle. From Co. Rd. 68 to Styx River Canoe Rental is less than 7 miles. Less than ¼ mile downstream is the only shoal we encountered. It is a slot down the Left side that can be avoided by taking out on the rocks that block the river. Two miles downstream Hollinger creek enters from the Left and more than doubles the flow. Once past the 64 bridge you start to see houses. Then you see the Tube entrance where the livery launches the fleets of tubers during warmer weather. I’m told that 500+ a day are launched during the summer. I would avoid this. On this day we encountered no one else on the river. It is possible to venture another three miles farther downstream and take out at Co. Rd. 87. If you want to make an overnight trip and portage the log jam below I-10 you can paddle all the way to the confluence of the Perdido River. There you would have to paddle upstream to the boat ramp at US-90.
Sunday was to be our last day on the river. Milton wasn’t feeling well so he stayed at the motel. Ken and I went and put in just below the large log jam on the Perdido River. There were several trees all the way across the river but we managed to get past them. We came across two new shelters on a large sandbar. I am told that they will be available for rent in the future. They are a lean to with screen on the high side. Good for dodging a storm. It is 4.75 miles down to the Barrineau Park Bridge.
We hadn’t seen anyone to this point when I heard someone say “Here comes another family”. As I drifted around the bend I could see several people in the water on the next sandbar. They all left the water and walked up into the woods. I thought this as odd as most people speak or just ignore paddlers. They came back out on the sandbar when they saw that it was just two men. That’s when things started to get weird. Every one of them had an unnatural hair color and different color pigmentation on their shoulders. The six girls and two guys were nude. They kept their backs turned to us as we went past. Then a woman in a swimsuit who I believe to be the Director started to give orders to the neckid people. There was a Cameraman and other support people also. I’ve been paddling for years and have never come across a nude photo shoot. I don’t understand why they turned their backs to us. If you are going to take your clothes off and have pictures made for others to see, what difference would it make for two total strangers to see you?
There was a family on the next sandbar downstream. We pulled in to discuss the Color Shoot going on upstream. They couldn’t figure it out either. We started to see others camping and canoeing the river as we progressed downstream. We finally got to Blue Lake Landing, our Take out. Blue Lake Landing is on the Alabama side. It is a cement boat ramp. Keep this in mind as you might encounter motorboats. This was a 10 mile section.
Forever Wild has access points all along this river. Nelson Ditch aka Waters Ferry to Staplefork Landing is 10 miles. Staplefork Landing to Blue Lake is 12 miles. Blue Lake to Sand Landing on the Florida side is13 miles. From there on down there will be large motor boats to contend with.
On the way down Thursday we decided to go ahead and paddle before we checked into our motel. We dropped vehicles off at Adventures Unlimited and headed to Bearrineau Park Bridge. Adventures Unlimited charges a small fee to use their property. It is 10 miles downstream of the bridge. There were NO PARKING signs along both sides of the road at the bridge. We unloaded our boats and moved the truck to the top of the hill onto the Perdido River Wildlife Management Area land. I spoke with a Range earlier about this and was told they they are having trouble with locals trashing the area. Due to the drought the river was low but it had enough current (2.5mph)we didn't have to paddle very much.
There was a work crew on the train trestle as we floated past. Air temp. was in the 80's, water temp. 70's, Blue sky and a day off work. It doesn't get much better. There is a lot of timber in this river. We had to be mindful of strainers. Florida has bought sections along this part but there are a few houses along with their "NO TRESSPASSING" signs. I can't blame them as not all paddlers are good stewards of the river as evident with all of the Redneck Eggs (beer cans) we encountered. I picked up a floating tote with Coors sticker on it. Just above the take out there was a house with people sitting at a table by the waters edge. I offered them the tote. The lady took it to make a worm bed out of it. We discussed the litter and log jams along the river. They said the log jam just down river was gone and the large one upstream had a path cut through so a canoe could pass. The river was so low we backed the Jeep out on the river bed to retrieve the boats.
First thing Friday we headed to scout the large log jam. If it was open we were going to put in at Staplefork Landing. Sure enough there was a path cut through but there was additional debris that had washed into the upstream end. Now this log jam is at least 200yds. long. We found the portage route on the Alabama side. A good level path along the outside bend of the river. By the time you take out on the sandbar it is around 400 yds to the launch below the log jam. This might not be much by Northern standards but it is huge by Southern standards. It is said that there is a shorter trail on the Florida side but we didn't pursue it. We did run into the guys that were building the hiking trail that will tie into the Appalachian Trail. They cut this portage trail. Thank you Alabama Hiking Trail Society.
We ended up back at Adventures Unlimited to paddle down to Sand Landing on the Fl. side. This is also a 10 mile trip. The first few miles were just like the section we had paddled the day before. Twisting bends of tea colored water chocked full of strainers with sandbars on the inside of each bend. A couple of miles into the day we started hearing gunfire. It is hunting season but the amount of gunshots was unreal. You could tell that they weren't shooting at game as they would fire 15-30 shots at a short time. No one could be that bad of a shot. Once we got South of I-10 we didn't hear any more shooting. A look at Google Earth showed a firing range just East of the river. The river slowed down and we ran out of sandbars shortly past I-10. If the water is at normal levels I-10 would be one of the last places to get out and stretch one's legs. From this point on we were in a swamp. Low banks with marsh past it. We finally reached Sand Landing. Although we didn't meet any power boats on this section you need to look for them. We could have ventured 2.5 miles on down to the landing at US 90 but we like current.
Saturday we ventured over to the Styx River. It is a tributary of the Perdido that parallels I-10. Due to problems between locals and law enforcement we decided to hire the local canoe livery for our shuttle. From Co. Rd. 68 to Styx River Canoe Rental is less than 7 miles. Less than ¼ mile downstream is the only shoal we encountered. It is a slot down the Left side that can be avoided by taking out on the rocks that block the river. Two miles downstream Hollinger creek enters from the Left and more than doubles the flow. Once past the 64 bridge you start to see houses. Then you see the Tube entrance where the livery launches the fleets of tubers during warmer weather. I’m told that 500+ a day are launched during the summer. I would avoid this. On this day we encountered no one else on the river. It is possible to venture another three miles farther downstream and take out at Co. Rd. 87. If you want to make an overnight trip and portage the log jam below I-10 you can paddle all the way to the confluence of the Perdido River. There you would have to paddle upstream to the boat ramp at US-90.
Sunday was to be our last day on the river. Milton wasn’t feeling well so he stayed at the motel. Ken and I went and put in just below the large log jam on the Perdido River. There were several trees all the way across the river but we managed to get past them. We came across two new shelters on a large sandbar. I am told that they will be available for rent in the future. They are a lean to with screen on the high side. Good for dodging a storm. It is 4.75 miles down to the Barrineau Park Bridge.
We hadn’t seen anyone to this point when I heard someone say “Here comes another family”. As I drifted around the bend I could see several people in the water on the next sandbar. They all left the water and walked up into the woods. I thought this as odd as most people speak or just ignore paddlers. They came back out on the sandbar when they saw that it was just two men. That’s when things started to get weird. Every one of them had an unnatural hair color and different color pigmentation on their shoulders. The six girls and two guys were nude. They kept their backs turned to us as we went past. Then a woman in a swimsuit who I believe to be the Director started to give orders to the neckid people. There was a Cameraman and other support people also. I’ve been paddling for years and have never come across a nude photo shoot. I don’t understand why they turned their backs to us. If you are going to take your clothes off and have pictures made for others to see, what difference would it make for two total strangers to see you?
There was a family on the next sandbar downstream. We pulled in to discuss the Color Shoot going on upstream. They couldn’t figure it out either. We started to see others camping and canoeing the river as we progressed downstream. We finally got to Blue Lake Landing, our Take out. Blue Lake Landing is on the Alabama side. It is a cement boat ramp. Keep this in mind as you might encounter motorboats. This was a 10 mile section.
Forever Wild has access points all along this river. Nelson Ditch aka Waters Ferry to Staplefork Landing is 10 miles. Staplefork Landing to Blue Lake is 12 miles. Blue Lake to Sand Landing on the Florida side is13 miles. From there on down there will be large motor boats to contend with.
