HCC member Michele Zacks and I had a delightful half day paddle on the Navasota River. The Limestone Bluffs Paddling Trail is a 10 - 11 mile out and back on such flat water that your Mother-in-Law would even enjoy it!

The route begins at the outlet end of the lake in Ft. Parker State Park and crosses the lake to where the river enters it. There is a boat launch at that alternate put in and that is where we started. This was not deliberate, it was just where I ended up in the car ;=)

Limestone bluffs describes it pretty well as the banks range up to 20 feet above river level. It is a winding river and almost still. Leaves and twigs were motionless. After passing under FM 1633 bridge we came to a broken dam that had some visible concrete chunks in the gap but the water was deep enough that I had to reach for bottom with my paddle. We stopped for a snack by putting Michele's 10-foot Dagger Zydeco and my 10-foot Wilderness Pamlico 10 together with us facing each other and stuck our paddles under each others bungees. The water was so still that during our snack of crackers, summer sausage, cheese and grapes I don't think we drifted 20 feet!

We went on and around a few more bends to another dam at the Confederate Reunion Campground. We stretched, took a pit stop at the restrooms, looked at some Civil War re-enactors and re-traced our paddling trail. The outing lasted 3 1/2 hours including our lunch and sightseeing. This paddle was on a Sunday and we saw one group in some of the parks rented canoes but they did not paddle the trail. We meet one solo kayaker and no power boats on the river.

Ft. Parker State Park has an admission fee and the Campgrounds is a state historical location and has a sign informing boaters of the $2.00 fee for that stop.

Web site: Limestone Bluffs Paddling Trail

The author, Carl Alexander	Michele Zacks