Boatin' on the Bartram Canoe Trail
There’s a Bartram Trail of sorts nearly everywhere you go in the Southeast. William Bartram, a native of Benjamin Franklin’s Philadelphia, was a naturalist and explorer who traveled extensively throughout the region between 1773 and 1778. “What a sylvan scene is here,” he wrote about the Mobile River Delta. His illustrated journals inspired so many Bartram Trails that it would take a lifetime to visit all of them—walking, paddling, and even by airboat.
This particular Bartram Canoe Trail so far includes 150 twisting and turning miles of marked canoe trails. Another 150 miles are planned for Phase II, said Greg Lein, who assists the Alabama State Lands Division in managing the trail.
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GETTING THERE
Getting There: The current canoeing and kayaking trails can be accessed from several landings near Stockton, Alabama. Stockton is located north of Interstate 65 on state highway 59 or 225. Detailed maps are available online at www.outdooralabama.com/outdoor
Logistics: No permit is needed for day trips in the Mobile-Tensaw Delta. For overnight trips and to reserve camp sites check with the Alabama Fish and Wildlife Department at the above Web address.
All water routes within the Delta are influenced by water released from the Claiborne Dam. The online maps give detailed information on what water levels are appropriate for each route. For water level information at Claiborne Dam, call (888) 771-4601 and work through the menu options to select Claiborne Dam tailwater, or check the at: Army Corps of Engineers’ websites.
Lodging/Camping: There are both land-based and floating-platform campsites within the Mobile-Tensaw Delta. Plenty of lodgings are available in Mobile as well.
Outfitters/Resources: Sunshine Canoes, Sunshine Canoes(251) 344-8664, rents boats and offers guided trips. Mobile Bay Canoe & Kayak Club, has trip reports and other information on their Web site.
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The expanding Bartram Canoe Trail is one of many conservation efforts taking place in coastal Alabama to make this breathtaking, haunting, and riven land more accessible.
Paddling here can be serene, remote, and sometimes spooky. Like when you’ve gone too far and wonder, “Where am I?” Or you’re startled by a creepy sound and ask, “What was that?”
The designated trails will make you feel safer and more comfortable, but don’t be surprised if you see more gators than paddlers in there. By that I mean, in there. Delving into the underbelly of the Mobile-Tensaw Delta region, you get the feeling that you’re looking at the world from the inside out. And sometimes you want out. Bad!
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