Rafting, Kayaking, Paddle boarding River Trip photos and stories

I think we have hit everything within a 600 mile radius. The green narrows is sick. I am gonna look for some old ass video of us hitting that.
That’s about 1hr from my mtn house above Asheville.

 

hell yeah. Definitely post that. I love watching green videos. I went to upper big creek and swam in midnight hole there. That looks like a really sick run when water is flowing

 

A little paddling and camping on the Smoky Hill River in Kansas, which forms Kanopolis Lake.

 

Subbed

 

Anyone know anything about isups? I am looking at buying one and want to stay about $500. Any recommendations?

 

I took a swim that day and had to drink a beer booty

 

I would say check out this one, if your thinking about some white water on a budget.
It’s a bit more than $500 but it’s a good one.
https://www.glidesup.com/collection...rds/products/lochsa?sca_ref=866618.UkFEBAJWom

 

This is the Horseshoe rapid on the Upper Chattahoochee in NE GA. This was taken in January on a crisp day after a nice 2" snowstorm fell the day before we paddled. The water was crystal clear.

 

Bull Sluice rapid on the Chattooga river in NE GA.

 

The Okefenokee swamp in February. Near the Round Top platform which is deep in the swamp.

 

A few days paddling and camping on the St. Croix River between Minnesota and Wisconsin. Plenty of nice water and scenery, bald eagles, ospreys, deer, and a bonus bear.

 

Looks like a great float trip! I really enjoy multi day trips on beautiful rivers, especially with great friends and family.
The St. Croix river is one of the first rivers designated as Wild and Scenic in 1968. From what I've read it's a great place to see wildlife and has nice campsites too. Thanks for sharing these photos.

 

it's on my short list - where'd you get in and out?

 

There were 16 of us driving up from Kansas, we met at St. Croix St. Park in MN and camped out on a Sunday night. We unloaded our kayaks at Thayer’s Landing on Monday morning, drove 10 vehicles to Nevers Dam Landing, and had Pardun’s Canoe Rental & Shuttle Service shuttle bring the drivers back. It worked out to be $15 per vehicle and saved us 2 hours of driving at the end of the paddle. Very well worth it.

We had planned to go 22 miles on Monday but it rained and we only went 18 miles, I forgot the landing we stopped at. Tuesday was a sunny 28 miles to Sunrise Landing Campground--it was a bit cryptic and hard to see from the river and not to be confused with Sunrise Ferry Landing further downriver.

That left 8 miles to go on the last day, just 2 hours of paddling to Nevers Dam Landing. Upsides were great scenery, wildlife, and some mild Class I rapids. The primitive campsites had picnic benches, fire pits, and vault toilets (usually smelly). Downsides were the mosquitoes and there are some very long placid stretches of water with little current to help one along. We had our food in odor-proof bags inside dry bags and hung them in trees. Firewood can be hard to scavenge, we brought some purchased at St. Croix St. Park. Plan your water needs, there is a long stretch with no drinking water available. Bonus St. Croix photo posted.

Last summer the group went to the Current River and 11 Point River in south-central Missouri. Gorgeous spring-fed rivers. Two summers ago it was the Niobrara River in northern Nebraska--great stuff.

 

awesome - thanks for the info

 

You're very welcome. The National Park Service had very good maps showing the river miles, campsites, and amenities like water, restrooms, etc., at each landing. Another cool thing was the number of small to large islands, at times we'd all take 2-4 different paths or channels and wind up back together.

 

The Niobrara River in northern Nebraska in August 2022. Put in at Valentine, NE, and took out at Rocky Ford Camp & Outfitters. Excellent camping at Sharp's Campground. Go on a weekday to avoid loud and drunk crowds.

 

The Current River and Eleven Point River in south-central Missouri during August 2023. Spring-fed clear water with dissolved minerals, the deeper water gets that great color. Fearless raccoons that will walk up to your kayak and try to open the hatches while you watch them. Some fun Class I-II rapids.