# Floyds Island Okefenokee Swamp



## Mac (Jun 11, 2015)

MY suggestion really do you home work before signing up for this adventure. Plus I would suggest not take any small children.

Just got back from a trip to Floyd's Island, 
Beautiful place, cabin was very neat, two does and a fawn (very tiny) walked through the front yard only a few feet from where I was cooking breakfast yesterday morning.
The paddle from the state park for the first 6.5 miles was very nice although we were fighting the current with a heavily loaded canoe, I had my 11 year old son and a buddy and his 9 year old were also in a loaded canoe.
When we turned off the main channel onto the permit only canoe trail, that is when the fun really started.  Very narrow channel 5 to 6 feet wide, sections chocked with lily pads, blown down trees across the trail,  low water with leaves within 3 inches of the surface. Needless to say some really hard paddling.  Then add  the yellow flies by the thousands, biting any exposed skin and 99% deet did no good,  I took a bath in the stuff.  The last 150 yards before the island only had a couple inches of water so we had to get out and pull our canoes.  This was great since I had already seen two huge cotton mouths on the trail coming up to the island. 
Old saying I am glad I went but no way I would make this trip again.  
The steak and baked potato dinner and omelet with sausage/bacon and toast made the stay on the island more pleasant, but I was dreading the paddle out from the minute I set foot on the island.

I will post some pictures when I get a change to download them.


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## T-N-T (Jun 12, 2015)

I would highly recommend going any time of year but summer.  That place is a bug breeding ground.  Fall and early spring it is awesome!  Plus you won't sweat!

Can't wait to see pics!


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## RUGERWARRIOR (Jun 12, 2015)

It's definatly a fun trip. When I was in high school we went 2 years in a row. We would go in February with a big group for 3 days of paddling. The last night we would be at floyds island. Water levels were great then. This was 1996 and 97. Exploring the island resulted in lots of deer sightings and when it got dark was when the coons came out and the entertainment was keeping them out of the groceries. The next year the water levels were to low so we went to the Suwannee river instead. Good times.


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## FERAL ONE (Jun 15, 2015)

yes sir ! read my feature about our trip there in Kayak Fish magazine if you get the chance. i bet it sounds familiar !!!  i love the swamp, but never again in summer months !!!


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## Mac (Jun 17, 2015)

FERAL ONE said:


> yes sir ! read my feature about our trip there in Kayak Fish magazine if you get the chance. i bet it sounds familiar !!!  i love the swamp, but never again in summer months !!!



can you find your article online?


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## FERAL ONE (Jun 17, 2015)

yes sir, sorry ! here is a link. it is long, but as you know there is a lot to the swamp !  http://www.kayakfishmag.com/features/destinations/back-swamp/


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## Mac (Jun 18, 2015)

FERAL ONE said:


> yes sir, sorry ! here is a link. it is long, but as you know there is a lot to the swamp !  http://www.kayakfishmag.com/features/destinations/back-swamp/



good read thanks


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## Heathern (Jan 31, 2018)

Does anyone know how to currently get a permit to camp on Floyd's Island?  When I do a search for that, it comes up with an official government page that says permits must be acquired through recreation.gov.  When I go to that recreation.gov, it says that they do not handle anything for the Okefenokee. What??? Our typical government idiots peeing away our tax dollars again, for nothing.

Can anyone please post a link that will take me to right where I need to go to apply for a permit to camp on Floyd's Island?  That is, if you already know where go for this.  I'm tired of searching.


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## Heathern (Jan 31, 2018)

Followup - according to recreation.org, camping on Floyd's Island is no longer allowed.  Or maybe every single day for this entire year is booked up.  Can anyone shed some light on this?  Or is the Okefenokee NWR system really this jacked up?


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## T-N-T (Jan 31, 2018)

Call Mrs Judy.  She is the only way to get into the swamp.  
912-496-3331

You can only book up to 2 calendar months out. If water is low you can't get to some places in the swamp.  Hurry and book now though. This is prime time to go!!!


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## Heathern (Jan 31, 2018)

T-N-T said:


> Call Mrs Judy.  She is the only way to get into the swamp.
> 912-496-3331
> 
> You can only book up to 2 calendar months out. If water is low you can't get to some places in the swamp.  Hurry and book now though. This is prime time to go!!!



Aha - the secret way to get a permit.  Thanks.  According the the screwed up reservation site, the island is unavailable for about the next 6 months.  And it even says that even if you call them, you still have to make your reservations on that sight.  Uh, which you can't do.  Our tax dollars (not) at work for us.


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## T-N-T (Jan 31, 2018)

The website is stupid.

You will have to creat an account on rec.gov though
That's how you pay the permit fee


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## Heathern (Jan 31, 2018)

T-N-T said:


> The website is stupid.
> 
> You will have to creat an account on rec.gov though
> That's how you pay the permit fee



I know.  I did make an account.  Still can't make a reservation there.  Not sure if the water is too low or if it really is booked up every single day for months.  It would be nice if they offered some explanation.  Oh, well.


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## T-N-T (Jan 31, 2018)

You can't make a reservation on the site or trust anything it says.

Call Ms Judy. She is the ONLY way to reserve


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## DelphicSharpShot (Feb 8, 2018)

When calling Ms Judy I would recommend a redial app on your phone. The number to make the permit reservation does not have call waiting so once she is off a call whoever dials next gets connected. I just reserved a Floyd's Island/Round Top trip in early April and it took 30 minutes of the app dialing every 10 seconds to get through. I did a Cedar Hammock/Monkey Lake trip a couple years ago and it took me hours to get through dialing manually, and didn't end up getting the dates I had originally wanted. That aside, this is a trip that everyone should take at least once in their life. I have a cousin that flew from Seattle to go on the first trip and he's flying back for the second trip coming up. I have three boys and plan on taking each of them individually on a sort of coming of age trip as they each turn 16.

I'm curious what the distance of the portage over Floyd's island is. We plan on leaving SFSP and traversing to SCRA over three days...I can't wait!


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## Mac (Feb 8, 2018)

DelphicSharpShot said:


> I'm curious what the distance of the portage over Floyd's island is. We plan on leaving SFSP and traversing to SCRA over three days...I can't wait!



When I was on the island, there was a trail that went about 1/4 mile from the cabin.  At the end it appeared it use to be another way to the island.  There was a jon boat on the bank, but the canal  was over grown with brush and trees.
No way it could have been used.

I tried to explore other directions from the cabin, but it was very overgrown in every direction.


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## T-N-T (Feb 8, 2018)

Get some kayak wheels for that portage. They have an old busted up cart for you but it is a piece.  (Was last year)

There is two ways into the island and from time to time one side is closed.  But, both trails in are used for sure!


Floyd's island is a trip everyone should do in life.  That cabin is some kind of special place


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## T-N-T (Feb 8, 2018)

Also when it comes to calling Mrs Judy....  I call when she gets to work.  I don't hardly ever have to try more than once or twice. 

Early bird gets the worm don't ya know.


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## Geffellz18 (Feb 9, 2018)

Sure was hoping this was the invite thread T!


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## panfish (Feb 14, 2018)

I need to take my girl down there this weekend.  Can anyone recommend the best tour to take. She wants to check it out first before we go kayaking.   Lol


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## T-N-T (Feb 14, 2018)

panfish said:


> I need to take my girl down there this weekend.  Can anyone recommend the best tour to take. She wants to check it out first before we go kayaking.   Lol



From Stephen c foster they offer a few tours daily.  Same on the Folkston side. 

Both look to be similar boat tours from what I've seen from my kayak as I pass them. Though I don't know how long they are


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## Heathern (Feb 14, 2018)

T-N-T said:


> From Stephen c foster they offer a few tours daily.  Same on the Folkston side.
> 
> Both look to be similar boat tours from what I've seen from my kayak as I pass them. Though I don't know how long they are



Yep.

The one from SCF is done by the refuge personnel.  I'm not sure if they offer different types of tours, and I think theirs is probably pretty short.

The one on the Folkston side is commercial, I think.  I saw it once while stopping there before I saw the Chesser Island Homestead (which is a very cool thing to see).

Panfish - I'm sure you can look up websites for each of the tours, and it might tell you everything you need to know.

But none of those tours go to Floyd's Island.  That can only be accessed by personal canoes or kayaks.


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## panfish (Feb 15, 2018)

I think we going to go to the park. And do the train and the boat..  And maybe some other stuff.. it's going to be hard not to take my kayak and rods.. lol


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## SASS249 (Feb 15, 2018)

The tour out of S. C. Foster is OK you get to see most of Billys Lake and get a pretty good idea of what the swamp has to offer.  I am heading don next week myself.  After doing multiple overnight trps on the canoe trails in the swamp I like staying at S. C. Foster and daytripping.  

Another option is renting a canoe or johnboat and taking it out yourself.  The swmp trails are readily marked and not hard to navigate.  Hope you have a good trip.


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## T-N-T (Feb 15, 2018)

panfish said:


> I think we going to go to the park. And do the train and the boat..  And maybe some other stuff.. it's going to be hard not to take my kayak and rods.. lol



If you go to the Okefenokee swamp park in Waycross, you cant kayak or fish....  So that settles that 

But if you head south on US1 for about 10-15 minutes there will be a sign on right for Kingfisher Landing.  You can do both there.


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## Dog Hunter (Apr 30, 2018)

anybody been lately:|?


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## killabig1 (May 24, 2018)

I did that trip to Floyds Island in a canoe about 15 years ago with 2 boys in April. Warm weather but not too bad. Saw over 100 gators including one that didn't want to get out of our way on the canoe trail. It started hissing at us so we had to paddle around it through the lily pads.
I don't recall it being that hard to get a permit, but it was a long time ago. A great adventure that all should try once - but never in the summer.


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## ezwater (Jun 1, 2018)

*Link to Okefenokee trip report with pictures*

http://www.songofthepaddle.co.uk/forum/showthread.php/29426-Okefenokee-Spring


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## GeorgiaGlockMan (Jun 1, 2018)

EZWater,

Very cool trip.

Thanks for sharing.


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## martinc (Jun 27, 2018)

ezwater,
Love the stories and pics. As a teen we canoed the Swamp many times. It didn't hurt that we lived less than a hour away. Our scout troop used the swamp to get our canoeing badge. I haven't been back in over 30 years but its now on my short list.


Martin


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