Friday, December 29, 2023
The Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge is located in southern Georgia. It has 407,000 acres, most of which has been designated as wilderness. it is home to many thousands of animal species, including several that are endangered. It is home to an estimated 15,000 alligators!
There is a 11-mile entrance road into the Refuge, which continues another 6.5 miles into Stephen C. Foster State Park, which is where I camped. That 6.5 mile stretch was good for bicycling, and when combined with the 1.5 mile road along the Suwanee River Sill, it made for a nice 19-mile loop.
The Suwanee River Sill is a water control project built in 1960. It is about five miles long, and it releases water into the Suwannee River, whose origin is at that point. The image above shows water on the swamp side of the Okefenokee. Water is released at a point about 1.5 miles from the entrance road, and one can ride a bike to this point on a single lane, paved road. There were numerous birds here, but I did not see any alligators, likely due to the chilly temperatures (daytime highs low 50s).
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