On The Suwannee River

The beautiful rivers of Florida can seem to take you back in time -- the green banks covered in palmettos shaded by the ancient oaks towering overhead can make one feel as though they have somehow stumbled into the age of the triassic.  The rivers of the northern sections of the state aren't quite as dense with vegetation, but they still hold the same qualities that let you know you have stumbled off the populated path and have found a place to gaze in wonder at the stars above while the river softly burbles below.  There is a lot of quiet to be found by the slow moving red waters of the Suwannee.


Getting There

The Suwannee section of The Florida Trail is open to the public -- you don't need to be a member of The Florida Trail Association to hike or camp.  (Membership does, however, permit you to cross certain sections of private property.  This has not proven an issue for the section I've hiked.)  You can start at Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park, which offers overnight parking for a fee to those who want trail access.  A warning on this:  calling the park will likely get you in touch with someone who is not familiar with the Florida Trail access point or that there is primitive overnight camping permitted along it -- you may be told that trail camping is not even permitted in the park or that it is only allowed in constructed shelters that a company rents!  The rangers that staff the front gate entrance, however, know the details and will register you for your trip and direct you to the parking lot nearest the trail.  Hike west from the park -- you can view a map here.

What To Expect

Hiking conditions are comfortable on the sandy trail that follows the river, although you may be surprised to find that there are slight elevation changes compared to the more level areas of the southern half of the state.  During the wet season, the trail is often completely impassable due to flooding in the lower areas, so attempts to hike are best in the later winter and early spring.  The environment varies from pine forest to scrub and shade is sometimes not as favorable along some areas of the trail, so sunblock is recommended if the skies are clear.  There are plenty of trees, though, making this hike ideal for hammock camping.

 

You'll even find sandbars on the banks of the river that are suitable for camping if you are inclined to enjoy the sounds of the river while you sleep, but you might be surprised by how much cold this proximity to the water adds once the sun dips below the horizon.  If your tent has a rainfly, you'll want to use it at night as the dew point and air temperature at night can find themselves aligned in a way that causes drops of water to condense and fall from the leaves of trees in a rain that will soak you despite there not being a storm cloud in the sky.  The morning fog hanging over the river, though, makes for a wonderful breakfast backdrop.

You'll be most likely to find quiet once you hike far enough west that you no longer see stairs leading from houses down to the river.  While these residences are not particularly noisy by any means, their dogs are prone to communicate in a chorus that might keep light sleepers awake.  Look for the red markers on the trail indicating that you've crossed onto federal land -- this boundary about 3-4 miles down the trail is a good spot to start looking for a campsite.

What You'll See

The swirling, bubbling waters of The Suwannee River.  The deep red tint to the water comes from the tannic acid that leeches from the fallen leaves of the oaks that surround the river.  Once filtered this water is perfectly safe to drink, although I found that there was a cognitive disconnect between the color of the water and the complete lack of taste.  To remedy this, I found an easy solution in packing a ziplock bag of Tang powdered drink mix -- adding a touch of it to a bottle full of water and giving it a shake added just enough flavor and color to remove the distraction.

Sadly, out of the four nights I've spent along this river in the spring I've not once seen any wildlife besides the occasional bird passing by overhead.  Bears are not an issue to my knowledge and there wasn't even a single raccoon to provide a challenge to our ability to protect our food.  Still, it is wise to keep food suspended by a line just in case tiny thieving hands do detect delicious treats, and a bear can makes both a convenient safe stash as well as a fine place to sit or or a makeshift table when you're enjoying a meal.  You will likely come across fellow hikers who are out to enjoy an afternoon walk or even others burdened by heavy packs as they thru hike the trail.  Light kayak and canoe traffic can pass by heading downstream, but the river is generally too shallow to permit motorized craft.

Things to Watch Out For

Ticks.  The dry brush that lines much of the trail and camping areas can be loaded with these hungry little annoyances during the dry season.  Know how to remove a tick safely and consider carrying a tick key or similar device for easy removal.  Of the two times I have camped along this trail, routine tick checks have resulted in preventing at least a few of them from latching onto me.