Kingfisher Landing: Just You and The Okefenokee

Okefenokee Photography by William Wise. A nature photo journal exploration of Georgia's Okefenokee Swamp, the Land of Trembling Earth, one of the largest blackwater swamps in North America. The alligators, birds, snakes and wildlife of Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and Stephen C Foster State Park. -- "What a wildly wonderful world, God! You made it all, with Wisdom at Your side, made earth overflow with your wonderful creations." Psalms 104 The Message

Anhinga darter water bird perched in a cypress tree in the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia, USA. Also called the Snake Bird. Birding conservation environmental photography. Kingfisher Landing canoe trail launch.

​The guidebooks say that the Kingfisher Landing entrance in the Okefenokee Swamp is the least used boat launch for the National Wildlife Refuge. And on my first visit to this eastern access, I found out why…

Since it takes up 438,000 acres of the southeastern corner of Georgia (yes, hundreds of thousands of acres), the Okefenokee Swamp is hard to miss. Even on an unmarked aerial photo, the Okefenokee stands out as a giant green swath bordered on the north, south, east and west by four highways. On the ground, three of the four access points are certainly well advertised with billboards, murals and signs, often decorated with alligators and wading herons.

These three main entrances are hard to miss, but the Kingfisher Landing entrance is a bit more obscure. One small sign marks the turn off the highway. Immediately after making that turn, you cross the railroad tracks and travel back in time. The plain, dirt road makes one feel like he’s completely lost his way. The shifting sand and ruts could provide a bit of a challenge to those in a compact car! Two dogs even darted out from a small house to chase us a bit. If you follow that dirt road far enough, you come to a small parking lot and one simple kiosk.

Kingfisher Landing certainly lacks the fanfare of the Okefenokee Swamp Park or the Suwannee River Recreation Area. But more obscure means less people! On my November visit, mine was the only vehicle in the parking lot upon arrival, and still sat there all alone at the end of a day’s paddling. We travelled north and back on the red trail for five miles, and then a couple of miles south on the green trail. For an entire day we didn’t pass a single soul. Just us and the Okefenokee! Well worth the trouble of finding this lesser-used entrance! 

Paddling between Kingfisher Landing and Double Lakes; Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. 
 - Sunny, high 75 F, low 46 F.
 - Sunrise 6:54 AM; Sunset 5:32 PM
- Day length: 10 hours, 36 minutes (-1m 25s)
 - Moon: 65% waxing gibbous

Anhinga darter water bird perched in a cypress tree in the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia, USA. Also called the Snake Bird. Birding conservation environmental photography. Kingfisher Landing canoe trail launch.