Take a Virtual Paddling Tour of a Flooded Forest

Welcome to our virtual tour of a spectacular wetland forest.  I’m Tom, and, along with several other experienced paddlers, I’ll be your guide today.  We will concentrate on setting you up with a canoe- or kayak-based outing that will be just right for you.  

Tom Douglas, photo by Natalie Wiest

A forest such as this one is classified as a swamp because it is dominated by trees and other woody plants. It differs from a marsh, which is dominated by herbaceous plants. This particular one is the largest of its kind on the Texas Gulf Coast.  Let me suggest that you begin your exploration with our special time-travel tour.   

We will have a lot of variety to choose from, because conditions here are constantly changing. What time of year would you prefer? You can choose from a day when the temperature rises into the 90s, or even one when you will eventually be turned back by an impenetrable sheet of ice. One advantage of a virtual tour is that you can avoid the wind, if you would like.

In this swamp, the average water depth is about 8.4 feet on the local USGS gauge. When the water is at that level, you will be able to paddle through a series of several lakes, interconnected by winding, shaded bayous. Any water level below about 7 feet is considered quite low, so you may have an opportunity to hike through parts of the forest that are sometimes only explored by boat. On the other hand, levels above about 9 feet are relatively high, which will allow you to paddle through many more parts of the flooded forest.

This is a world-famous birding location, so you can expect to see birds on many of the itineraries.  There are fish, reptiles, insects, and spiders, too.  (A widely-published authority on butterflies and moths once spotted a particular moth here, for the first time ever seen by him in its natural habitat.)  You can enjoy wetland plants in bloom, and also see some of the problems that are posed by invasive plants.  On two of the trips, you and your guide will be joined by an expert resource person: a member of a family that has lived here for generations, or a historian who can recount tales of how Spain and France once vied for control of this very spot.  Our other paddling companions are a diverse and interesting bunch, happy to share special food during or after a day of paddling.   

As is often the case when we venture outdoors, there are many place names, both official and unofficial, that can be bewildering to a newcomer. The following map is intended to help with this. Some of the places shown on the topo map don’t really exist any longer, or they are all but impossible to find. On the other hand, some really interesting features such as Ghost Bayou or Mud Lake Cut don’t appear on it at all. Still, the trip itineraries should offer enough clues to help you find your way. Be sure to wear your life jacket, and don’t get lost out in the middle of the swamp! Don’t worry, though – you will be accompanied by one of our experienced local guides.

So, here is our menu of more than 50 trips, going back to 2010. The launch site for most of them is either the Interstate 10 Bridge over the Trinity River, at the south end of the system, or Cedar Hill Park, on the northeast edge of Lake Charlotte. Just pick out a trip that appeals to you, and head right to the put-in by clicking on the date. Happy paddling!

Here is an explanation of terms that appear in the table.

Date: Click on the date to launch your outing.
Guide: Our panel of experienced guides includes Bruce Bodson, Joe Coker, Tom Douglas, Dave Kitson, David Portz, Natalie Wiest, Paul Woodcock, and Matt Woodruff.
Launch: “C” for Cedar Hill Park, “I” for Interstate-10 Bridge over the Trinity River, “T” for Trinity River National Wildlife Refuge, “H” for an armchair at home.
Miles: Length of today’s paddle (if known).
Depth: Water depth, in feet, at the Lake Charlotte USGS gauge  (if known).
Temp.: Temperature recorded at noon, at the Fishers Landing Personal Weather Station in nearby Mont Belvieu, TX.
Wind: There is a “W” in this column if wind will be a factor for your trip. “R” indicates rain.
Plants: “F” for flowers, “I” for invasive plants, “M” for mushrooms.
Animals: “B” for birds, “I” for insects, “R” for reptiles, “F” for fish, “S” for spiders, “A” for amphibians, “M” for molluscs.
Amenities: “L” for a member of a long-time local family, “H” for history, “P” for links to Photo Albums, “V” for links to videos, “F” for special food, “B” for ballet, “U” for haiku.

Date	Guide	Launch	Miles	Depth	Temp.	Wind?	Plants	Animals	Amenities
02 Jan 2010	Paul	C	-	-	55 F	-	-	B	F
08 May 2010	Joe	C	10	-	76 F	-	-	R	F
27 Jun 2010	Dave	C	-	8.7	92 F	W	-	B, R, F	-
11 Jun 2011	Joe	C	10	<7	90 F	W	-	B, R, F	P, F
09 Jul 2011	Joe	C	10	9.4	94 F	W	-	B, R, S	P
31 Jul 2011	Joe	C	10	9.6	91 F	-	-	S	-
01 Oct 2011	Paul	C	-	8.9	80 F	W	-	B, R	P
03 Dec 2011	Tom	C	-	8.9	74 F	W		B, R	P
12 Feb 2012	Paul	C	-	11.0	43 F	-	-	-	F
06 May 2012	Tom	I	8.1	8.3	82 F	-	F	I, R	H
09 Jun 2012	Joe	C	11	8.3	83 F	-	F	B, I, R, F	F
07 Jul 2012	Joe	C	-	8.4	87 F	-	-	B, R	-
01 Dec 2012	Dave	I	7.6	8.4	77 F	-	F,I	R	P
17 Feb 2013	Dave	I	7.1	6.8	71 F	W	-	B,R	P
17 Feb 2013	Paul	I	7.1	6.8	71 F	W	-	B,R	-
20 Apr 2013	Joe	I	12	8.5	66 F	-	I	B, R, F	-
11 May 2013	Joe	I	10	8.0	80 F	-	I	B	P
19 May 2013	Joe	I	-	8.0	84 F	-	F, I	R	L, P
15 June 2013	Joe	C	-	8.1	90 F	-	I	B	P, F
07 July 2013	Joe	C	8.5	8.2	87 F	W, R	I	B, R	F
03 Aug 2013	Dave	C	9	8.5	93 F	-	F, M	-	-
28 Sep 2013	Joe	I	9	8.7	87 F	W	F, I	R, A	P
04 Dec 2013	Joe	C	5	10.8	72 F	W	I	R	P
03 May 2014	Tom	I	9.7	8.3	81 F	-	I	B	H, P
14 Jun 2014	Matt	I	-	8.3	85 F	-	I	B, R	-
15 Jun 2014	Natalie	C	9	8.3	88 F	W	F, I	R	P
06 Dec 2014 06 Dec 2014	Tom	I	-	8.2	67 F	W	I	-	P, V
03 Apr 2015	Dave	C	8.4	8.5	77 F	W	-	B, R	-
20 Jun 2015	Joe	C	8.8	14.1	88 F	-	I	I	P
01 Nov 2015 01 Nov 2015	Tom	C	5.7	11.7	69 F	R	I	-	-
05 Dec 2015 05 Dec 2015	Tom	C	7.6	10.6	64 F	-	I	I	H
08 Jan 2016	Joe	C	8.5	13.2	61 F	-	I	I, R	P
25 Oct 2016	Natalie	C	-	8.5	79 F	-	F	B, R	-
01 Dec 2016	Tom	C	7.4	8.8	64 F	W	I	B	-
03 Dec 2016 03 Dec 2016	Tom	H	0	9.2	54 F	W, R	-	-	B
26 Mar 2017	Natalie	C	-	7.7	77 F	W	-	R	F
07 Jun 2017	Natalie	C	-	8.8	86 F	-	F, I	F	P, V
10 Jun 2017 10 Jun 2017	Tom	C	8.1	9.2	85 F	W	F, I	-	H, P, F
03 Dec 2017 03 Dec 2017	Tom	C	8.0	8.2	68 F	W, R	-	B	P
18 Jan 2018 18 Jan 2018	Tom	C	7.1	7.8	33 F	-	-	B	V
24 May 2018	Natalie	I	11.5	7.4	86 F	W, R	F, I	I, R, F	V
02 Jun 2018 02 Jun 2018	Tom	I	9.8	7.6	92 F	W	F, I	I, R, M	P
30 Jul 2018	Bruce	I	10.9	7.5	92 F	-	-	B, I	P
01 Sep 2018	Natalie	H	0	-	-	-	-	-	P
29 Nov 2018	Natalie	C	9.0	12.2	73 F	-	F, I	-	-
01 Dec 2018 01 Dec 2018	Tom	C	8.6	11.9	78 F	W	F	B	H
22 Apr 2019	Bruce	T	17.1	10.0	75 F	-	I	B	P
05 May 2019 05 May 2019	Tom	C	8	11.8	80 F	-	F	B	-
19 May 2019	David	C	10.5	13.7	85 F	W	I	B, I, R, F	H, P
25 May 2019 25 May 2019	Tom	C	8.1	12.9	86 F	-	F	-	-
01 Jul 2019 01 Jul 2019	Tom	H	0	-	-	-	-	-	H
02 Dec 2019	Tom	I	7.6	6.6	58 F	-	F	B, R	-
29 Mar 2020	Tom	C	4.9	11.2	77 F	-	I	B, I, R, S, M	H, U
29 Mar 2020	Bruce	I	15.5	11.2	77 F	-	-	-	P
16 Apr 2020	Natalie	C	6.4	11.8	71 F	W	F, I	-	P, H

This Virtual Tour could never have been put together without the patient, good-natured, and expert assistance of two newsletter editors: John Rich at the Houston Canoe Club’s Waterline and Carol Woronow at the Houston Sierra Club’s Bayou Banner. 

With heartfelt thanks from your virtual guide, 

Tom Douglas 

 

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