Have you ever held hands with an alligator? If you have, you'd know that the American Alligator has five toes on each of its front feet and four toes on each of its rear feet. The four toes on the hind feet are webbed to help them swim effectively. Alligators also have long, strong claws on their feet to help them dig "gator holes" and to rip underwater trails through submerged vegetation. Female alligators also dig nests and build large mounds over them to protect and incubate the eggs. 

It never fails: whenever I show someone a close-up photo of an alligator that I shot while paddling the Okefenokee Swamp, they say, “Isn’t that dangerous to be so close?” But I’ve paddled the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge many times and haven’t come close to any type of incident. Most of the wildlife in the refuge want nothing to do with people and keep their distance.

However, I do have to say that it may appear a bit disconcerting as you paddle for the first time and have alligators “charge” your kayak. The gators typically spend their day on the banks or on top of logs sunning themselves. As they see a canoe approaching they often enter the water and swim towards you. But they are not “charging” the boat! They feel vulnerable when exposed on the high ground, and are simply taking to the cover and safety of deeper water.
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So it may look like they are "charging" at your boat. But relax, they are just as reluctant to get into a tangle with you as you are with them!

​Paddling the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge is a genuine wilderness experience. Nature has inherited a designated Refuge  that is relatively unmolested by mankind. But upon closer look, everywhere the Okefenokee bears signs of human presence. The current generation’s incursions into the Swamp are largely responsible, planned efforts focused on conservation and ecotourism. Miles of manicured canoe trails cross from east to west and prescribed burns in the upland areas help reduce the threat of wildfire. But the Okefenokee also has a long history of human interference and exploitation. In the early 1900’s, logging small logging towns popped up around and even within the Swamp. Nearly all of the giant cypresses were hewn down and removed. Saw mills and railroad engines once puffed and whined in the center of the swap. But now those environmental abuses of previous generations are largely healed over and are but mere, minor scars on the once-again pristine Okefenokee Swamp.

The Suwannee River Sill Recreation Area in the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge is an accessible and convenient place to see some large alligators. The long drive to dam runs parallel to the canal. Even if you have mobility issues and can't walk, on sunny days you'll see large gators and softshell turtles basking on the banks, just 30 yards from your car!  And because the UGA Coastal Ecology Lab has done a lot of research along the Sill, you may even spot an alligator with a colorful tail tag. 

On Saturday, April 15, 2023, after helping the UGA Coastal Ecology Lab with some alligator capture-tag-and release, my daughter and I paddled from the Sill Recreation Area westward against the current, up the Suwannee River. 

Have you ever read a swamp? Urbanites like me may have read much about the swamp, but don't have the gift that the Swampers have in reading the details of the Okefenokee. According to the great naturalist Francis Harper - no doubt wisdom he gained from the Okefenokee Swampers -  when "a boat or a bear passes over a watery Prairie, the bonnet leaves in the trail remain upturned on one side for several hours afterward. The upturned side of the leaf indicates the direction from which the boat or animal has come."  

Thankfully, a rescheduled spring trip to the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge! My daughter wasn't able to go for our usual March paddle this year during her spring break. But her class schedule allowed us to sneak in a long weekend in April instead.

​We arrived at the Stephen C Foster State Park campground late in the evening on April 14 and did a little bit of cruising. I found my second Timber Rattlesnake within the refuge boundaries, but unfortunately it had recently been hit by a car (and was still barely writhing). After sunset, I was able to photograph my first Chuck-wills-widow as several kept landing in the roadway while we were cruising for herps. 

It takes a team to wrangle a gator! On April 14, 2023, I was excited to be invited to photograph an American Alligator capture-tag-release outing with the UGA Coastal Ecology Lab. When my daughter and I arrived, the action was already in full swing and a gator was being hauled up on the bank for measuring.

The team leader, Mark Hoog, uses some heavy-duty fishing tackle to snag the alligator and haul it in for the research team to tag. Having watched a few rounds, most of the alligators were less than willing to participate and gave Hoog quite a workout! As the gator tires and is reeled closer to shore, two researchers stand by with a snare pole and rope to make the final haul-in.

Once upon the shore, one of the team sneaks up behind the gators and quickly lands upon its neck and presses the mouth shut. Almost immediately, the other team members take a pre-determined seat along the alligator’s length. Right away, the mouth is safely taped shut and the alligator’s legs are lifted off the ground to prevent it from rolling. Thankfully, most of the gators are fairly tired from fighting in the water that too much resistance isn’t encountered.
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Once safely restrained, team members measure each alligator’s length and girth in several different areas. A plastic cattle tag is attached to the tail and a labelling code is cut into the scales along the tail. On some occasions, blood is drawn for genetic studies and GPS trackers are attached to the alligators’ backs. Once all the data is carefully recorded, the gators are safely released back into the water.  ​

On the last day of my Fall 2022 solo Okefenokee paddle, I launched from Kingfisher Landing on the east side of the swamp to explore green canoe trail southward through Durden Prairie. I turned around at the 5 mile marker. This portion of the Okefenokee is lined with tall Pitcher Plants and yellow wildflowers. 

After paddling a mile from the Kingfisher Landing launch, the canoe trail splits. The red trail continues northward through Carter Prairie and continues many miles to Maul Hammock, Big Water, through Minnie's Lake and down to Billy's Lake. I chose to go southward along the green trail, not having paddled this route before. The green trail eventually takes you to Floyd's Island. 

I was delighted to see a few patches of Water Shield as I paddled the narrow channel. But my excitement soon faded as it became so thick that the trolling motor was useless and paddling was a challenge! 

I was quickly becoming a bit jaded fighting with the sphagnum and water shield, all without seeing much in the way of birds and wildlife. But as I considered turning back, the Okefenokee threw out another surprise as I saw two, possibly three, River Otters swimming the narrow channel. Two disappeared into the vegetation, but one was quite curious and stay ahead of me for a quarter mile, constantly diving and resurfacing to check me out. 

After reaching the five-mile marker, I reluctantly turned back and made the last leg of my Fall paddle through the Okefenokee Swamp. Leaving is always the worst part of every Oke trip. 

I was slow to leave the Okefenokee, for I knew it would be at least four or five months before I returned. As I loaded my canoe I could hear numerous Sandhill Crane calling. As I pulled away from the parking lot, I found them in a field. I was also distracted by a large group of perching birds in the pines. There were many Pine Warblers and at least one Black and White Warbler mixed in. I also shot my first American Kestrel within the refuge boundaries. 

During my solo Okefenokee Swamp paddle in October, I wanted to hit some trails that I had never paddled before. I decided to hit the green trail south of the Suwannee Canal down to Monkey Lake, and, if time, to Buzzards Roost Lake.

The first two miles out from the Okefenokee Adventures launch follows the Suwannee Canal (orange trail) for two miles before heading south. 

Approximately 2 miles out the Suwannee Canal the Green Canoe Trail down to Monkey Lake branches off to the left. The first view is of beautiful Chesser Prairie. 

So, you want to see some Okefenokee alligators and wading birds but don’t have the time for a paddle, the Suwannee River Sill Recreation area is a great place to stop for a few hours. The Sill is a long, manmade channel on the western side of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. It was made as an attempt to control the water levels within the swamp, but now primarily serves as a boat launch for day-trip fishing.

When approaching the Okefenokee Swamp on Georgia-177 from Fargo, The Sill is on the left just as you pass through the gates to enter the National Wildlife Refuge. A long driveway parallels the canal as you enter and there are several pull offs to stop and gawk at the monsters that are typically laying out in the sun. The driveway terminates in a parking lot at the dam (where a port-o-potty is conveniently located!).

From the main parking lot, you can look down the Suwannee River as it exits the Okefenokee and heads westward and eventually pours into to the Gulf of Mexico. You can also walk another mile or so northward along the canal and see some of the wildlife that are a bit more wary of the vehicles along the front half.
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I always make a drive-through of The Sill when arriving and leaving the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. I have seen some of my biggest Okefenokee alligators along The Sill. So if for whatever reason you happen to be passing through Fargo, or you are staying the night at the Stephen C Foster State Park, make at least one trip to The Sill. 

Even though I have my own canoe, and even though I've taken the guided tour several times, I still love to go on the Sunset Boat Tour offered at Okefenokee Adventures! It is a joy to load up into the small boat with several other visitors to the swamp. It is usually their first trip out into the Okefenokee and I love to see and hear their reactions. 

Day three of my Fall Okefenokee excursion was the paddle back from the Canal Run shelter where I had just spent the night. It was amazing how much quicker the return trip was by paddling with the current. 

There are two short walking trails off Swamp Island Drive in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. To be honest, I've driven past them many, many times and discounted them as not worthwhile. But arriving too late in the afternoon to launch my canoe, I decided to walk both the Canal Diggers Trail and the Upland Discovery Trail... and I'm so glad I did! 

I have been hoping to photograph a Red-cockaded Woodpecker in the Okefenokee for quite some time. I staked out some Longleaf Pines on the western side in the past but without luck. As I walked just a few hundred feet onto the short Upland Discovery Trail, I saw a couple woodpeckers flitting about and didn't recognize their call. My adrenaline went through the ceiling as I raised the lens and knew I was looking at not one, not two, not three... but four Red-cockaded Woodpeckers. 

Just after 8 miles of paddling upstream against the East Fork Suwannee River (orange trail), I made it to my overnight destination at the Canal Run shelter. I quickly set up camp and took a few observations for iNaturalist. A Barred Owl hooted in the distance and I brought him right over my head with a little playback. I then ate a cold can of ravioli, and then just sat with my feet dangling as I enjoyed the quiet sunset of the Okefenokee.