Canoing, Kayaking, Camping Trip

[BearLeader67]

I have some friends from Florida that want to come up and have a 3 day, 2 night canoing, kayaking, camping trip somewhere around the Oneonta area.  Anyone have any suggestions?

[Skippy]

There is a book called Alabama Canoe Rides and float trips by John Foshee that you can probably get at your library that might help. Most people that I see do the section between hwy79,231 crossing down to Swann bridge on the Locust Fork. I do not canoe,but I have walked this section and it looks like it has several good rapids. I have heard that you have to be careful around the house rock area because the river's current may pull you and your canoe under the rock. There is a website www.flfr.org (friends of the locust fork) that might be of some help.click on the Locust Fork link and it has some suggested trips

[Rob]

Bearleader67,  I've done some overnighters down the Sante Fe and Suwannee river. I still have a home in Gilchrist County Fla. that is about 3 miles from the Suwannee and about 8 miles from the Sante Fe. It's quite a nice float down both rivers. The power boats on the Suwanee can be a problem at times once you get down below the Branford area, especially on the weekends. There are established campgrounds at some of the springs on the Suwannee and Sante Fe, but not too many. Ginnee Springs on the Sante Fe and Hart Springs on the Suwannee. I used to put in at some of the local swimming holes and just go down until I found a good prospective camp site then used it, as long as there were no posted signs. The Suwannee is usually kind of dried up above the White Springs area outside of Lake City, depending on rain fall and season.

[JRR]

I've done that trip many times.  It's only about a 4 hour trip, but there is a nice camp spot just a the one class 1.5  rapid at about the halfway point.  I haven't been farther down than just past 33, but the water slows down considerably past that and would make for a very slow paddle.  I intend on floating all the way to Smith Lake someday.