Description: Ghost River Bring Your Own Canoe / Kayak Excursion
Location: TN Division of Natural Areas
The October tradition continues! This is one the best canoe / kayak outings in Tennessee. A nine-mile excursion is a great way to experience the 2,200-acre Ghost River State Natural Area. Paddlers will travel through majestic bottomland forest, encounter sections with potentially swift current, and navigate sharp bends along the route. A portion of the paddle is through an open, lake-like cypress-tupelo swamp forest that transitions back to a river channel with current prior to the trip’s end.
**This is a flat-water paddle, but not suitable for first-time paddlers as participants need good boat-handling skills, the ability to exit and enter their canoe or kayak multiple times, and sufficient stamina for a nine-mile trip that requires steady paddling as well as avoiding hidden obstacles and navigating some sections of tricky current. Plan on being out of your boat and wading in the water as we’ll likely have to exit the boats to drag over or under logs.
Trip leaders will guide visitors along the route and discuss the natural history – including the wildlife and plants - of the Wolf River and the surrounding West Tennessee Coastal Plain.
Paddlers need to bring their own canoe or kayak. Plan for a full day on the water and pack a lunch, snacks, plenty of water, and waterproof bag or container if you have one. Participants should bring a change of clothes in a waterproof bag as we’ll likely get wet at some point during the outing. Life jackets are required and must be worn by attendees.
Nearby State Park: Chickasaw State Park (1 hour); Big Hill Pond State Park (1 hour 10 minutes); Pickwick Landing State Park (1 hour 30 minutes).
Program Host: Roger McCoy
Contact Email: roger.mccoy@tn.gov
Contact Phone: 615-804-2802
Meeting Place: Meet at the bridge where Yager Road crosses the Wolf River, 1 mile south of LaGrange. From there, well shuttle vehicles to the take-out prior to beginning the trip.
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