# camping on a sandbar



## payne87bronco

i have a stupid question.  is it trespassing to camp on a sandbar on the flint river.  i ride by and see where people have had fires the night before i have always wanted to do this i just dont want to go running around on someone esles land. i guess the question would be better asked is do land owners own all the way to water or is there a rigth of way so many feet of the shore.  thanks for any input.


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## Randy

Technically sand bars are land and all land owned by adjacent rivers landowners is to the middle of the river so technically it is trespassing.  We need the law changed.


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## crackerdave

If you camp quietly and with a very small fire,you'd be amazed at where you can camp!


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## payne87bronco

yea but i dont want an angry land owner showing me the hot end af a shot gun


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## crackerdave

payne87bronco said:


> yea but i dont want an angry land owner showing me the hot end af a shot gun



Then you prolly oughta not camp on sandbars.


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## ejs1980

I've never been run off of one but tend to stay away from all signs of civilization. That's becomming increasingly difficult.  If you find a good looking location it's not that hard to find out who owns the land these days. The worst thing they can do is say no.


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## payne87bronco

i have found one in baker co.  no houses around and to many rocks for pleasure boaters.  i am going to try it next weekend.


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## Ballplayer

I'd worry more about the snakes and gators coming on the sandbar than the owners !!


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## crackerdave

Ballplayer said:


> I'd worry more about the snakes and gators coming on the sandbar than the owners !!



Don't bother them,they won't bother you! It's _their_ sandbar.


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## JustUs4All

Randy said:


> Technically sand bars are land and all land owned by adjacent rivers landowners is to the middle of the river so technically it is trespassing.  We need the law changed.



Randy, if you want a sandbar why not buy one.  Why ask the government to seize someone else's for you.  Wouldn't this amount to kayaker welfare?


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## Ballplayer

crackerdave said:


> Don't bother them,they won't bother you! It's _their_ sandbar.



Exactly, several times they've both made us leave ! Either they don't like tresspassers or else they just like the camp fires we build. Then again maybe it was the smell of good cooking which drawed them ?


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## Sirduke

I do believe that the sandbar is on Corps property, and as such is probably legal to camp on. HOWEVER, I would consult with DNR before I set up camp.

Want me to ask Kirkus?


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## Miguel Cervantes

Ballplayer said:


> I'd worry more about the snakes and gators coming on the sandbar than the owners !!


 
Free grub, why worry about that??


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## payne87bronco

Sirduke said:


> I do believe that the sandbar is on Corps property, and as such is probably legal to camp on. HOWEVER, I would consult with DNR before I set up camp.
> 
> Want me to ask Kirkus?



if you dont mind duke.  you know where i am talking about.


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## ejs1980

JustUs4All said:


> Randy, if you want a sandbar why not buy one.  Why ask the government to seize someone else's for you.  Wouldn't this amount to kayaker welfare?



He's not asking for welfare, just trying to protect the landowner.  Say a motor boat was flying up the river hits a submerged sandbar and is thrown from the boat. Boat is damaged and boater is injured causing years of pain and loss of income. Couldn't the landowner who didn't mark the sandbar or maintain it in a way to not cause injury be held liable.  Like I said just looking out for the landowner.


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## Ballplayer

Its my understanding from past experience that the Corps own from the waters edge back a certain amount of feet on shore, but times and laws have changed so take this with a grain of salt. They once stopped us from mowing down to the waters edge at our place on the lake due to their ownership of the banks. We started back without their permission  due to snakes and swimming and never heard anything else from them. Them people can get rude !!


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## HCA59

I've taken 3-4 day float trips down the Alapaha river for years camping on sandbars. Numerous times the landowner has come down where we camped. Most of the time they would just come down to see what we were doing but never had any problem with us being there. As long as we stayed on the bar and didn't go up the bank wandering around on their property, they didn't mind. Of course times and attitutes have changed but I would still do it today.


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## ratherbefishin

I remember reading in the DNR regs one time that sandbars were considered part of the main river and not private land. Tried to look it up last night, but couldn't find anything.


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## payne87bronco

thanks for all the info guys, we will be going out next weekend so if yall  dont hear from me by monday night send out the  cavalry.  no i sure all will go well.  should be fun aill let everyone knowhow i goes


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## Ballplayer

Do'nt forget the skeeter spray, gonna need a whole lot with these temps !


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## MudDucker

Corp don't own nothing unless the federal government bought it as in the case of many reservoirs.  If it is a sandbar, it is trespassing to use it without the owner's consent.  Most owner's don't enforce it though unless they find their property trashed by users.


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## cardfan

I've always camped the islands on the flint with no worries...never tried the sandbars...

not sure what part of the flint we're talking about, but owens island is good camping.


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## Randy

cardfan said:


> I've always camped the islands on the flint with no worries...never tried the sandbars...
> 
> not sure what part of the flint we're talking about, but owens island is good camping.


Technically Owens Island is part of the Sprewell Bluff State park and no camping is allowed in the park....but I don't think they really enforce that on the island.  That being said you are technically still trespassing.


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## RUTTNBUCK

Camping on a sandbar.............I have done this one time before on the Oconee river. Before my trip I researched the river with Google maps and picked the sandbar that looked like it was the furthest from Human occupation..........Entered the coordinates on my GPS, and that is the sandbar we camped on!!...........We left nothing behind but our footprints

I realize now that we were trespassing..........Common sense, and courtesy go a long way!!


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## gpcan1

*Camping on sandbar in Flint*

Best I bermember, several years ago a young couple camping on a Flint river sandbar in Baker county, were shot and one or both  killed during the night. Don't recall any details, but u might want to check with DNR before you venture forth! Just a headsup!


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## crackerdave

RUTTNBUCK said:


> Camping on a sandbar.............I have done this one time before on the Oconee river. Before my trip I researched the river with Google maps and picked the sandbar that looked like it was the furthest from Human occupation..........Entered the coordinates on my GPS, and that is the sandbar we camped on!!...........We left nothing behind but our footprints
> 
> I realize now that we were trespassing..........Common sense, and courtesy go a long way!!





A big AMEN to that!


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## K9SAR

Something else that shouldn't be forgotten (and I'm sure most Woody's members know this already!) is if the river on which you intend to camp has "release days" for releasing water to generate through hydroelectric plants...you may want to know that information ahead of time.  

We've pulled a few folks who didn't know anything about "release days" and ended up almost drowning in the river (one did.)


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## goldminer7759

There are certian rivers in Georgia that fall under the state law definition of "navigable river".  On these few rivers it is considered public domain from high water mark to high water mark on each bank. "Navigable" under Georgia law means used in the transportation of commercial goods. It does not mean "canoeable".
  Two court cases of intrest.  In South Georgia a land owner prevailed in state court to bar access to even canoe through his property as he owned the land on both sides of this large creek.
Another case in North Georgia that was heard in Federal court ruled to the right of access to canoe through but not to tresspass on the land.  Very mixed signals in very similar casses.
  Short answer is low water sand bars in "navigable" rivers can be camped on legally but you would be stupid to argue with a land owner who ask you to leave.

" A waterway is considered navigable if it is "capable of transporting boats loaded with freight in the regular course of trade either for a whole or a part of the year. The mere transporting of timber or the transporting of wood in small boats shall not make a stream navigable" (OCGA 44-8-5, 1863)."

I guess the real answer is it depends on what river you are on.


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## Ballplayer

The So. Ga. case you speak of is the Itchaway- Notchaway Creek and Itchaway Plantation(Woodruff-Coca-Cola) and Jones Research Inst. and your correct "we" the public lost even though a few men boated a couple of bales of cotton down stream to prove it was navagitable for commerce and the public still lost to "big" money. Proves money can buy "you" justice if you have plenty to spread around.


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## slimbo

Last time I canoed down the Flint, we missed our camping area and it started getting dark on us.  We saw a cabin with some people outside and asked them if we had missed the park or not.  They said that we passed it but if we went down about 100 yards there was an area on their land where we were welcome to camp.  We took them up on the offer and about 10 minutes after getting our tents up it rained heavily for about 30 minutes.  They assumed that we werent gonna be able to cook so the owner sent his 2 daughters down to us on fourwheelers to bring us food.  

They were good people.  Ive learned that most good ole boys will give you what ever you want if you dont try to take without asking.


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## 2011GADawg

I did this last weekend in baker county and it must be legal because when we were at the landing a dnr officer was there and we told him we were going camping and he recommended the island that we camped on. I doubt he would have done that if it was illegal, we had a great time except I lost the bolt on my prop and had to be towed back


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## Ballplayer

2011GADawg;5300164  we had a great time except I lost the bolt on my prop and had to be towed back[/QUOTE said:
			
		

> Is'nt that the way it usually goes ! makes you want to hurry up and do it again. Oh how many times. LOL


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## JustUs4All

slimbo said:


> Ive learned that most good ole boys will give you what ever you want if you dont try to take without asking.



Amen.


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## goldminer7759

Went with a group of scouts and parents this past weekend on a three day two night canoe trip on the Oconee River. Started at Brickyard Landing just below Dublin pushing off about two PM. We traveled ten miles downstream and camped on a big sandbar. Next day back on the river by 10:30 AM and did 14 miles that day and camped on an island where the river has cut a newer chanel.
Sunday we traveled  the final 6 miles to the take out at the Ga. Hwy 46 bridge.  It was a great trip! We saw alligator, beaver, otter and wild pigs. The only hazards encounterd was lots of trees that have fallen in the river. Several of us got hung up a couple of times but no major issues. My only regret is it only lasted 3 days! This was my second canoe camping trip and I have to say I am hooked.


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## bigdaddyrabbit77

ejs1980 said:


> He's not asking for welfare, just trying to protect the landowner.  Say a motor boat was flying up the river hits a submerged sandbar and is thrown from the boat. Boat is damaged and boater is injured causing years of pain and loss of income. Couldn't the landowner who didn't mark the sandbar or maintain it in a way to not cause injury be held liable.  Like I said just looking out for the landowner.



I LOVE IT!!!!!!!! GOOD POINT


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## egomaniac247

> Last time I canoed down the Flint, we missed our camping area and it started getting dark on us. We saw a cabin with some people outside and asked them if we had missed the park or not. They said that we passed it but if we went down about 100 yards there was an area on their land where we were welcome to camp. We took them up on the offer and about 10 minutes after getting our tents up it rained heavily for about 30 minutes. They assumed that we werent gonna be able to cook so the owner sent his 2 daughters down to us on fourwheelers to bring us food.




mm hmm, sure......sounds a lot like one of those naughty movies I had to hide under my bed as a kid!


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