*as seen in North Canton Living Magazine April 2024
Sitting on a park bench as close to the trading post as I could find, I connected to the WiFi to check my messages. Along with the handful of other campers, the trading post was the only spot in a hundred miles with connectivity. No cell reception. No towns. Just swamp. I was bleary-eyed from staying up the night before enjoying the Leonid Meteor Shower Star Party and didn’t immediately notice the dark lump moving slowly in the nearby water. First I heard a shout from a young boy yelling “There’s one!” And then the lump moved with ferocity snatching the fish from a fisherman’s line. Before he even knew he had caught one! The crowd slowly stood as we gazed transfixed at the dark lump now lazily moving from the lagoon down the canal with the tip of its snout above the water to the swish of a tail trailing a dozen feet behind.
The Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge is located along the Georgia/Florida state line. Established in 1937, the refuge is more than 400,000 acres and is the largest on this side of the Mississippi. The swap is a precipitation-based freshwater wetland. In other words, nothing feeds the swamp but it feeds the Suwanee and St. Mary’s Rivers. In 2016 a wildfire almost dried the swamp and in 2019 there was high water over the road. Logged extensively until 1927, more than 423 million feet of timber was removed. All but one tree is new growth since that time.
A sill was built to retain the water yet instead it increased the tannin in the water and created an ecosystem that killed many varieties of fish including the largemouth bass. When the sill was restructured, the swamp water was restored to normal but the largemouth bass have not returned. Tannin in the water is created from floating mats of peat giving the impression of small islands. The Seminole Indians named the area the “land of the trembling earth” due to the quivering nature of the peat islands.
Standing tall in the swamp is a cypress tree that was never harvested. The tree is hollow inside and dendrologists (study of trees) believe the tree is over 2,000 years old.
I took a pontoon tour of the swamp with a naturalist. She took us along well-marked water routes. She identified plants and animals including the alligator. Up to 15,000 alligators live in the swamp. They only travel a few miles from their place of birth. There were several traffic stops in the swamp to accommodate groups of kayakers. Several kayakers were inches from the alligators sunning on logs. Yikes!
At night, in the large parking lot off the trading post, visitors gather to view the stars. One of the largest dark sky parks on this side of the Mississippi. I tried to stay up for the Leonid Meteors but could not keep my eyes open until 2 am. My little girl’s heart leaped for joy when I spotted several shooting stars. Yes, I made a wish!
My campsite neighbor is an amateur astronomer with a specialized telescope. When the sunset at 7 pm, he tuned into Jupiter, Saturn, and the moon letting people view the magnificent spectacles.
What I Learned
Alligators swallow their food whole.
Alligators lay 30 to 60 eggs in a nest. The nests are often destroyed by black bears with a 10% mortality rate.
The carnivorous plant the bladderwort is the fastest plant on earth. It traps its prey in a millisecond and when it expels gas, it travels making it the fastest plant on earth.
The Okefenokee Swamp is such a large body of water it creates its own storms.
Before You Go
There are only three entrances to the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. The main entrance is the Suwannee Canal Recreation Area only 11 miles southwest of Folkston, GA. To camp in the swamp, you must reserve a spot at the Stephen Foster State Park with an entrance 17 miles from the small town of Fargo. The northern entrance is private and used by the Okefenokee Swamp Adventures Park.
I visited over Thanksgiving week. The high was 70 degrees and the low was 50. In the summer, the temperature can soar over 100 degrees with extreme humidity. Please plan on a gallon of water per adult person. Take a hat; use sunscreen and layer your clothing. I did not have problems with bugs in the winter but they can be extreme in the spring, summer, and fall.
Stephen Foster State Park has a nice campground with wide, well-spaced camping spots; private clean showers, and reasonably priced. There are cabins for rent that are roomy and well-maintained. This state park is near the heart of the swamp and quite a drive. Please download maps as there is no cell reception within an hour of the park. The campground is starting renovation this year and water may be cut off so plan to bring water with you. There are bears in the park so practice bear safety and store your food in the appropriate containers.
Stephen Foster State Park offers daily pontoon rides with a naturalist. The tours last 90 minutes and reservations are recommended. You can call up to a week ahead for a reservation. The cost for an adult is 22 and children are 15 with under four free. I highly recommend this tour!
Bicycles are an excellent vehicle for this part of the swamp. The road is level and paved with wide lanes. Of course, watch for wild animals and keep at least 100 yards between you and the animal. While on a short hike, I turned a found myself face to face with a long line of sunning alligators on the path. Instead of dodging them, I slowly backed away. Be safe!