Sunday, October 2nd we did the much-anticipated Picketts Bayou to Cedar Hill paddle. Wonderful! The Six-Venue Special! Picketts Bayou (3mi)—The Cutoff (1 mi)—Trinity River (4.5 mi)—Sulphur Cut (0.5 mi)—Mac Bayou (0.75 mi)—Lake Charlotte (0.6 mi)—plus some meandering! Total about 12 miles through the Gems of the Trinity Basin.
First Portion of Trip
Second Portion of Trip
This was a Houston Canoe Club event co-coordinated by Natalie Wiest and yours truly. We were an experienced group of 12 enjoying great camaraderie! A special thanks goes to Constantine Platon for graciously providing his trailer and van for the shuttle from Cedar Hill back to the put-in at Picketts.
Conditions were great with sunny skies, temps in the 80’s and a 7 mph NE breeze. Although the Trinity was at a low 1,500 cfs, there was plenty of water. Charlotte was at a healthy 9 ft.
Shuttle. (Photo Credit, Constantine Platon)
Picketts Put-in Ramp
The Group
After arriving and unloading at the convenient Picketts ramp and gathering for the requisite group pic, we were finally underway by about 10:30. Our 1st Segment, Picketts Bayou, was smooth and verdant as ever, and we made good time. The mysterious buoy and a couple other items hanging high from cypress branches over the water still prompt speculation. Who hung them there and how?!? Anybody know?
Picketts Bayou
Mysterious Hanging Things
Linda’s Narrows
In no time, we reached the famous “Linda’s Narrows”….a lush green tunnel and worthy favorite! All good except this time there was a serious obstacle to contend with. A large fallen tree blocked the way and threatened certain portage. However, fortunately we were all able to artistically squirm our way through. “Linda’s Limbo”!!
Limbo Fran. (Photo Credit, Constantine P.)
Limbo Joe. (Photo Credit, Natalie Weist)
Limbo Greg. (Photo Credit, Constantine P.)
Shortly thereafter came the intersection with our 2nd Segment, The Cutoff. We arrived on schedule at about noon having covered the approximately 3-mile long Picketts Bayou in about 1.5 hours (2 mph). The Cutoff itself is a rather narrow, circuitous channel totaling about 7.5 miles connecting Old River on the West end with the Trinity on the east. From Picketts, we turned left into mildly opposing current on the Cutoff and quickly covered the approximate 1 mile hop over to the Trinity. At about halfway, we passed through the Flow Restrictor which can be closed to control the salinity threat at low flows on the Trinity. Luckily, it was open as the USACE had confirmed thus saving us the hassle of a troublesome portage.
Cutoff
Flow Restrictor
In no time, we reached the Trinity, wide and grand in comparison. We paused momentarily to take in the pretty views and then were lucky to find a perfect lunch spot just a bit downstream on river left….lots of shade and a long sand bank on which we all perched like birds on a wire. The time was about 12:45, a little over 2 hours into the trip. We were hungry and ready for a break.
Trinity River
Lunch Stop. (Photo Credit, Constantine P.)
Sulphur Cut
Refreshed and ready to go again, we continued on down the Trinity, this being the longest segment at about 4.5 miles. It was a bit of a slog with no helping current, but at least there was some shade to duck into and a welcome breeze at our backs. A couple boats passed us along the way, but otherwise it was a very peaceful and quiet float. We maintained a comfortable pace a little under 2 mph, hydrated regularly and reached our 4th Segment, the Sulphur Cut, at about 3:15 pm.
The Sulphur Cut is a man-made channel dredged to service the now defunct sulphur mill about half a mile to the east. It’s a beautiful, willow-lined stretch, a favorite of nesting gators! About halfway down, it is transected by Mac Bayou, our 5th Segment. At this point, some of us meandered briefly north to glance at the Secret Cut and Mac Lake before hopping onto the south section down to Lake Charlotte. At times the current on Mac Bayou can be swift, even a bit treacherous when the Trinity is high, but on this day, it was negligible and we enjoyed a trouble-free, pretty float down to Lake Charlotte, our 6th and final segment.
We reached Charlotte at about 4:15. The water level, at about 9 ft. on the gauge, was significantly higher than it has been in a while. It was also interesting to see how much bigger and more vegetated the sand islands at the mouth of the bayou have become. It won’t be long before the silt flowing down will constrict that entire area!
Mac Bayou
Lake Charlotte
Lake Charlotte
Lake Charlotte from Cedar Hill Park
Charlotte can be bumpy in the afternoon, but fortunately we had a smooth 0.6 mile crossing over to Cedar Hill Park, our final destination! It was close to 5:00 as our tired but happy crew finally paddled ashore….the end of another great day on the water!!
*See additional photos on the HCC website. Picketts to Cedar Hill 10/2/22