Okefenokee Kayak Camping Mixon’s Hammock and Minnie’s Lake

I spent 6 days in the Okefenokee Swamp in early March 2020.  The first three nights, I stayed in the pioneer group campsite at Stephen C Foster State Park with a large group of ladies and the final 2 nights we spent kayak camping with a group of 6.

While camping with the bigger group, I joined in on various kayaking trips.  Kayaks rent for $20 for half a day (4 hours) and that’s enough time to easily just paddle around in Billy’s Lake, go to Billy’s Island, or paddle to Mixon’s Hammock.  There are signs pointing the way at all intersections, though I recommend having the National Geographic map of the Okefenokee for anyone paddling into the swamp.

To get kayak camping reservations, go to the website and check to see what the current procedure is.  It varies throughout the year as water levels change, limiting access to some areas, and there are always budget restrictions causing havoc with staffing.

On our trip, we did a VERY short paddle!  I did not set it up and it was my first foray into the swamp as well as into kayak camping, so after my initial disappointment, I decided a short trip was actually a great way to start.  On day one, we left the visitor center and paddled 2 miles to Mixon’s Hammock and set up.  This site is on an island, so there is plenty of room to spread out.  There’s also a fire ring, privy, and a very short trail.  2 miles ended up being the perfect amount for the first day because I was a little worried about flipping or being unbalanced or…snakes getting in the boat because the previous trip, a group was watching them drop into the water ‘like flies’ which might have been 30 snakes or 2, depending on the fear factor of the person telling the story.  I can say we saw several snakes and they were all snuggled up on cypress knees and not at all interested in getting wet.  At any rate, getting there fast and unloading the gear I needed to stay warm was a huge relief and after that first success, I didn’t worry about tipping anymore.  So that worked out just fine.

After setting up camp on Mixon’s, a few of us headed back out into the area past (downstream) Mixon’s called The Narrows.  This was a LOT of fun to go through, the water drains quickly and you just have to steer to wind through the trees.  This eventually leads to the Sill, a long, straight canal on the north edge of the swamp.  We turned around after 2 miles because the aforementioned fast water was a challenge to paddle against going the other way!  I thought for a moment or two that I was going to have to wait for rescue because getting out to pull the boat would require wading over alligators.  As I put the nose of my boat into the flow and started to paddle-I didn’t move.  It took nearly 2 minutes of steady digging in against the current to start moving and once I was moving, I was too chicken to stop paddling!  I was really tired by the time I made it back to camp, so again-2 miles was fine.

The Okefenokee is a bowl-nothing feeds into it, it’s all rainwater.  It, in turn, feeds the Suwanee and St Marys Rivers.  The usual flow of water is 1-2 miles per hour but it had rained for days ahead of our visit, so the flow was stronger than I expected.  On the National Geographic map, the routes are all marked and within each route, there are different colors (little kayak silhouettes with mile markers) at various spots indicating if it’s easy, moderate, or difficult paddling.  Green, blue, black.  This makes route planning and exploring much easier!  Through each canoe trail within the swamp are mile markers as well, so you can tell where you are very quickly.  Headed back toward the office area, at each intersection there is an additional way marker that just says “HOME” with an arrow indicating which way to go.

Rental kayak paddle to Billy’s Island.  This has no privy, but there’s a loop trail of maybe half a mile as well as a little cemetery and remnants of when people lived on the island.  Of the entire Okefenokee Swamp, less than 5% is solid ground.

There are, of course, alligators the ENTIRE way, including several at the kayak launch and along the canal to the lake!  This was my first ‘real’ sighting, meaning one that I felt could eat me.  There are an estimated 14,000 alligators in the Okefenokee.

On that note, there have been no reported attacks on humans in the swamp in 90 years!  They just…don’t care that people are there.  Most don’t even move, though my favorite thing was to come upon one that was floating.  When they see a boat, first the tail and back go under, then just the eyes are popped up.   Then…the eyes go under as well.  The water is BLACK from tannins and the peat bottom, but there is visibility for about a foot down.  If the gator is close enough, it will give the hairy eyeball as it rotates and swims away-through the ever-darkening water until it disappears.  Or, there’s just a trail of bubbles as it goes under the boat.   When this happens in conjunction with the boat tapping something floating in the water, it’s okay to scream a little bit.  I did anyway.  

Besides, no one will hear.

Since Mixon’s allows fires, we hauled a pack of wood split between the boats.  I liked hauling my stuff on the kayak, it was easier than I imagined and I balanced with no problem!  I had the gear and food in one bag, bedding and clothes in the other.  I carried 2 gallons of water.  You can not get water from the swamp, you must bring it in.  I thought it was because of gators, but it’s less dramatic than that.  The water is FULL of tannins, peat, and sediment.  It will clog filters and UV isn’t as effective in that type of water.  Secondly, the mercury levels are higher than what is deemed safe.  Though, if you have to obtain water, the safest method is to go out into the flow of the water and dip from the top, trying not to stir things too much.  This is emergency only and not recommended, but emergencies happen.  I don’t have the slightest idea if treating the water would help with mercury levels, but I also doubt the amount in what would be needed to get through a day or two would be fatal anyway.  Just carry enough fresh water and don’t be a guinea pig.

Most gators went under if they saw a boat.  Not so with the really big ones.  They just keep trucking and kayakers are meant to keep 25 feet minimal distance.  This is not always possible because gators can’t estimate distances very well and will come much closer.  One of the ladies in the group got her boat smacked into by a really big gator.  It didn’t seem to mind at all.  

 

Basically the perfect swamp tree!

Mixon’s Hammock landing.  The privy was both welcome and stinky.  There is no toilet paper out there, so come prepared.  Both privies (one at each site) had hand sanitizer though!

The canoe people tied up at the steps, but the kayakers just paddled into the tiny cove and banked our boats.  Since the drive is nearly 10 hours for me, I borrowed a boat from a friend for the swamp camping part.  It’s that giant green one that is upside down because it had a missing plug-so it filled with water when I sat in it.  Wet butt-that’s my ’embrace the suck’ part of the trip.  That and the stinky privy and one of the women snored 12 hours each night and the second night she was about 17 inches from my tent.

Look at those CLAWS

Day two, we paddled 6 miles to Minnie’s Lake.  This platform is usually day use, but water levels were so low further on when we made the reservations and our group was so small that they allowed us to camp one night there.  My tent is on the ‘edge’ and the other ladies were worried I was going to fall in the swamp.  I did not.  It’s surprisingly hard to fall out of a tent that is too short to stand up in!

I brought it all, tent, lanterns, double pad, quilt, pillow…I was VERY cozy!

Bugs were only bad within about half an hour of sunset.

The route to/from Minnie’s Lake is, in my opinion, the prettiest in the immediate area

Baby gator at the take out!  We all wanted to pet him, but we refrained.

Things to note: bugs were not bad at all.  Night temps got into the high 30s, but days were 68ish, perfect for paddling!

There is a black bear on Mixon’s Hammock, bear bagging is required there.

The gators bellowed through the nights-even if you had never heard one before your inner monkey knows IMMEDIATELY that’s a dinosaur.  One walked through the campsite at Mixon’s.

There are other animals in the swamp.  Otter, birds galore, raccoons, squirrels, mice, snakes, very active fish, frogs by the thousands, and owls all night long.

At the campground (across the main road from the group camp) there are flush toilets, hot showers, and laundry.  At the visitor center, they sell limited snacks, drinks, camping foods, bug/sun stuff, and gifts.