Boiling Creek in April
Boiling Creek
Saturday, April 24, 2004
by Brint Adams - brint.adams@us.army.mil
Although our group consisted solely of first-timers to Eglin AFB, we successfully completed our trip with only our map, some telephonic directions from Bob Andrews and a well-placed local fisherman, when we took the wrong road to the put-in. Bill Black, Carl Hlavenka, Linda and I traveled east on I-10 to exit 31 in Florida and headed south on Hwy. 87 toward Navarre. After driving a few miles, we crossed a long bridge over Yellow River and the surrounding swamp and turned left back toward the parking area next to the river. We left one vehicle, got back up on Hwy. 87 and continued south for only a couple more miles. When we reached the top of a long grade and began to slowly turn to the right, there are two roads heading off to the left. The correct road to take is the second one where you will see a small wooden post with the road number 211 on it. It is across the highway from a map kiosk which is the trailhead for a hike south through the woods towards the Gulf. We know what you will find if you turn down the first road on the left as we took this scenic trip as well. It takes you down a very sandy, narrow road to the mouth of Boiling Creek where it joins the Yellow River. It is very likely a regular sedan would not make it back out this road. Fortunately, we were driving a truck and SUV, both with wide tires and were able to overcome this wrong turn. Once you turn left on 211, keep going on the wide dirt road for about 4-5 miles until you come to a small wooden bridge, which crosses Boiling Creek.
We parked along the road without blocking the ramp access and began our trip downstream through a truly awe-inspiring wilderness. The water is crystal clear, without tannins and a mostly white sandy bottom. Almost immediately, we came across our first pitcher plant sighting. Little did we know this was the first of thousands over the next two miles. Many of the stands had round blood-red flowers hanging like lampposts swinging in the breeze. This was indeed a treat to experience.
Thanks to Julie's timely email advice, we received our handy aquatic plant identification deck of cards from the U of FL Extension Service just in time. I became an 'instant expert' in identifying the many different flowering plants we saw in peak, full bloom. We saw golden club, cow lily and water lily frequently seen along the many Alabama streams. Although maybe not as prevalent in Alabama, we also saw lots of banana lily, pickerelweed, knotweed and club-rush. As for birding, we got a fairly up-close view of an Osprey standing guard.
We stopped at the mouth of Boiling Creek for lunch which was about three miles from our put-in. We then continued out into Yellow River and paddled downstream for almost another three miles to the Hwy. 87 bridge and our take-out point. I must say this trip was everything it is advertised to be and is probably the most beautiful paddle we have taken in the area. It is very much worth the price of the permit and is an area we will definitely return to.
Saturday, April 24, 2004
by Brint Adams - brint.adams@us.army.mil
Although our group consisted solely of first-timers to Eglin AFB, we successfully completed our trip with only our map, some telephonic directions from Bob Andrews and a well-placed local fisherman, when we took the wrong road to the put-in. Bill Black, Carl Hlavenka, Linda and I traveled east on I-10 to exit 31 in Florida and headed south on Hwy. 87 toward Navarre. After driving a few miles, we crossed a long bridge over Yellow River and the surrounding swamp and turned left back toward the parking area next to the river. We left one vehicle, got back up on Hwy. 87 and continued south for only a couple more miles. When we reached the top of a long grade and began to slowly turn to the right, there are two roads heading off to the left. The correct road to take is the second one where you will see a small wooden post with the road number 211 on it. It is across the highway from a map kiosk which is the trailhead for a hike south through the woods towards the Gulf. We know what you will find if you turn down the first road on the left as we took this scenic trip as well. It takes you down a very sandy, narrow road to the mouth of Boiling Creek where it joins the Yellow River. It is very likely a regular sedan would not make it back out this road. Fortunately, we were driving a truck and SUV, both with wide tires and were able to overcome this wrong turn. Once you turn left on 211, keep going on the wide dirt road for about 4-5 miles until you come to a small wooden bridge, which crosses Boiling Creek.
We parked along the road without blocking the ramp access and began our trip downstream through a truly awe-inspiring wilderness. The water is crystal clear, without tannins and a mostly white sandy bottom. Almost immediately, we came across our first pitcher plant sighting. Little did we know this was the first of thousands over the next two miles. Many of the stands had round blood-red flowers hanging like lampposts swinging in the breeze. This was indeed a treat to experience.
Thanks to Julie's timely email advice, we received our handy aquatic plant identification deck of cards from the U of FL Extension Service just in time. I became an 'instant expert' in identifying the many different flowering plants we saw in peak, full bloom. We saw golden club, cow lily and water lily frequently seen along the many Alabama streams. Although maybe not as prevalent in Alabama, we also saw lots of banana lily, pickerelweed, knotweed and club-rush. As for birding, we got a fairly up-close view of an Osprey standing guard.
We stopped at the mouth of Boiling Creek for lunch which was about three miles from our put-in. We then continued out into Yellow River and paddled downstream for almost another three miles to the Hwy. 87 bridge and our take-out point. I must say this trip was everything it is advertised to be and is probably the most beautiful paddle we have taken in the area. It is very much worth the price of the permit and is an area we will definitely return to.
posted by brint @ 9:21 AM
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