Suwannee River System
GA Javascript must be enabled to view this map.
One of Georgia's 14 major watersheds. Numerous channels converge at the southwest corner of the Okefenokee Swamp near Fargo, Georgia, to form the Suwannee River. It flows southerly to White Springs, Florida, and then forms a wide loop toward the west before continuing southward to empty into the Gulf of Mexico, 265 miles from its source.
Download a 4-color poster of the Suwannee watershed in PDF format (10-11 MB files). Download posters for all of Georgia’s 14 major watersheds. These posters can be examined in detail using Adobe Acrobat, printed in small format on a desktop printer or downloaded to a local print shop and printed in full-size 24” X 36” format.
The Suwanee River System
Numerous channels converge at the southwest corner of the Okefenokee Swamp near Fargo, Georgia, to form the Suwannee River. The Suwannee drains about 800 of the 1,000 square miles of the Okefenokee Swamp, while the St. Marys drains the rest. The Okefenokee, or “Land of the Trembling Earth,” was so named by the Seminole Indians because of the unstable nature of its soil. The swamp is one of the largest freshwater swamplands in the United States and by far the most significant inland body of water in the Suwannee Basin. From its origin, the Suwannee River flows southerly 45 miles to White Springs, Florida, and then forms a wide loop toward the west, picking up, in turn, its principle tributaries – the Alapaha, Withlacoochee and Santa Fe rivers. Large springs occur in the limestone sinkhole area of Florida. Continuing southward, the Suwannee empties into the Gulf of Mexico. Short stretches of tidal marsh along the Gulf of Mexico are the only direct exposure to salt water.
How the Suwannee River Got Its Name
Suwannee comes from the Creek Indian word suwani, meaning echo.
River Experiences
Listed below are locations where you can see or experience the Suwannee River or its tributaries.
Reed Bingham State Park
This park surrounds a 375-acre lake that is a popular boating and water-skiing attraction in South Georgia. The fishing for bass, crappie, catfish and bream is good. The Coastal Plains Nature Trail and Gopher Tortoise Nature Trail wind through a cypress swamp, pitcher plant bog, sandhill area and other habitats representative of southern Georgia. Watchful visitors may see the threatened gopher tortoise and indigo snake as well as waterfowl and other creatures. During summer, the butterfly and hummingbird garden is in full bloom.
The Watershed Connection: The park’s lake is formed by scenic Little River which, below the park, continues south to join the Withlacoochee River near Valdosta. The Withlacoochee flows into Florida and merges with the Suwannee River before continuing its southward journey to the Gulf of Mexico.
Stephen C. Foster State Park
Named after songwriter Stephen Foster, this remote park is a primary entrance to the famed Okefenokee Swamp and is one of the most intriguing areas in Georgia. Moss-laced cypress trees reflect off the black swampwaters, providing dramatic scenery. Visitors can look for alligators, turtles, raccoon, black bear, deer, 223 species of birds and numerous other creatures while on the park’s elevated boardwalk trail or on a guided boat trip. More adventurous visitors may wish to rent motorized boats or canoes for further exploration of the swamp, including a trip to historic Billy’s Island.
The Watershed Connection: Located on the Suwannee River, this park is the ideal location to observe and experience a “blackwater” river characteristic of Georgia’s Coastal Plain and compare it to the “alluvial” rivers which originate in the Mountains or Piedmont.
Obediah’s Okefenok
This is a recreation of the 1800s homestead of Obediah Barber, a man known as “King of the Okefenokee.” The authentic homestead includes approximately 30 exhibits such as a cabin, sugarcane mill, potato house, turpentine exhibit, moonshine still and livestock barn.
Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge
The name “Okefenokee” is the white man’s rendition of the Indian words meaning “Land of the Trembling Earth.” Only 5 percent of the Okefenokee is solid ground. The rest is a vast bog inside a huge, saucer-shaped depression that was once part of the ocean floor. The swamp now lies 103 to 128 feet above sea level. Peat moss grows in clumps throughout the swamp, and the clumps are so unstable that a person of average size can shake nearby trees and bushes by stomping the surface. Established in 1937, the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge encompasses approximately 396,000 acres. It is one of the oldest and most well-preserved freshwater areas in America. More information: www.nwf.org/okefenokee/swamp.html Okefenokee Swamp Park Okefenokee Swamp Park is a Disney-esque educational experience for the first-time visitor to the magnificent Okefenokee Swamp. The entry fees to the privately operated park allow visitors access to boardwalks, the Nature Center and animal habitats. Boat tours are available for an additional fee.
Tagged with: Rivers Streams and Creeks in Georgia
Related Blogs
Okefenokee Swamp Paddling Guide by Claude Terry
When I finally opened my eyes, I remembered we were sleeping on the board dock of an overnight shelter in the heart of the Okefenokee Swamp.
Okefenokee Swamp Paddling Guide by Suzanne Welander
If Georgia consisted only of the Chattooga River and the Okefenokee Swamp it would still be a water wonderland, beautiful and exciting beyond all expectation. As it is, of course, Georgia is rich in watercourses foom top to bottom, and offirs paddlers an almost inexhaustible opportunity for exploration. Even so, the Chattooga and the Okefenokee occupy positions of exalted prominence not only in Georgia, but among the natural treasures of the entire United States. The Okefenokee is particularly special. It is unique: a se/fcontained microcosm of ongoing evolution, an incredible miniature ecosystem in which the drama of the survival of the fittest is performed countless times each day. But more than an ordeal in survival, the Okefenokee is a joyous celebration of everything right and beautiful in nature, and a living testimony to the ability of the citizenry to preserve rather than destroy nature when stirred out of their complacency.
Suwannee River Paddling Guide
Thanks to Stephen Foster, there are few streams in American folklore and culture better known than the Suwannee. The mere mention of its name stirs fanciful visions of stately moss-draped cypress and sultry Southern days. No more beautiful than several dozen other southern Georgia rivers, the Suwannee is, nevertheless, a living legend in the most literal sense, and therefore something special. The river originates deep in the bowels of the Okefenokee Swamp and winds its way southeast, escaping into Florida and its terminus at the Gulf of Mexico
Alapaha River Paddling Guide
Jungle-like in its remoteness and luxurious with exotic vegetation, the dark reddish-brown waters of the Alapaha wind through a swampy wonderland teeming with wildlife. Signs of habitation are rare along the river's course; only a few isolated cabins intrude on the remote tranquility. An underlying strata of limestone creates small shoals that approach Class II in intensity, enlivening the paddling. This is, however, mostly a smooth-water run, complete with trees that grow profusely in the river channel, often blurring the dividing line between river and swamp.
Withlacoochee River Paddling Guide
A list of Georgia's truly beautiful scenic rivers includes the Withlacoochee. Originating in Tift and Berrien counties, its dark waters flow south along the Cook County line into Lowndes County, where it is joined by its largest tributary, (ironically) the Little River. Intimate, shaded in its northern reaches) mysterious in its beauty - the Withlacoochee is one of the few Coastal Plain streams in which limestone ledges form small shoals. A second distinctive feature of the river is the occasional white sandbar on the insides of bends, which are perfect for swimming or camping.
Little River of Southern Georgia Paddling Guide
The Little's tannic acid-stained water bubbles play folly over small limestone ledges and between brilliantly contrasting white sandbars along the way to its juncture with the Withlacoochee River southwest of Valdosta. Remote and enticing, the Little is canopied with Ogeechee lime, water elm, and scattered cypress. The river's course is substantially less convoluted than that of similar blackwater streams in the Coastal Plains.
I enjoyed reading your post. We are both Suwannee River lovers but in Florida, between the gulf to Santa Fe areas. Our full time home is in Ga. so we have got to get to the Ga. part and Okefenokee to see it.