Big Shoals/ Little Shoals portage

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Big Shoals/ Little Shoals portage

(19 posts) (12 voices)

Started 4 years ago by Cwolfe
Latest reply from whitecaps

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Cwolfe
Member

Being from the Northland, I will have no way to scout out any of the UFC in advance. So it will all have to be based on research, talking to veterans and cerebral visualization.

So are the portage trails around Big Shoals and Little Shoals travelable via portage cart or do you need to carry boat and gear? What is the terrain like? Smooth path? Stairs?

Thinking about portage cart ideas.

Thanks

Cwolfe

Ps Jarhead. I liked your upper St. Mary's video. Hmmm. Let me rephrase. Jarhead, I appreciated your upper St. Mary's video. Thank you.

Posted 4 years ago #
Sundance
Member

No need to portage around Little Shoals unless there is no water. Big Shoals has a steep exit and re-entry. About 300 feet of path at the top of the bank. Depending on the water level you can run Big Shoals and not need to portage.

Posted 4 years ago #
Cwolfe
Member

Thanks Sundance but I need to be prepared to portage. Is the portage trail amenable to a cart or do I need to tote?

Cwolfe

Posted 4 years ago #
Chief
Coastal Vagabond

I didn't use a cart to do this portage. But remember that you will have a cart with you anyway due to the 40-mile portage between the St. Marys and the Suwannee. You can decide when you get there what makes sense to you.

Also, depending on water level you may just decide to run it. I suggest getting out at the portage and taking a good look before you make this decision.

Posted 4 years ago #
Sundance
Member

Cwolfe, in my opinion the portage is not very cart friendly. You'll probably need to unload your boat to get it up the bank to the path. As Chief said, you'l have your cart with you anyway.

Posted 4 years ago #
Cwolfe
Member

Thanks Sundance. Your info does help me plan to have to unload and carry boat and then have an efficient way to get gear from A to B.

Cwolfe

Posted 4 years ago #
GatorBaitsMate
Member

My wife and I do the Suwannee river 50 miler each year.

The portage around big shoals is as follows (but this can change due to high water).

Take out is on river left. There is normally a tiny beach about five or six feet long. then a few feet of shore line before coming to a steep about four foot high embankment. If you are by yourself, just get your bow up to the top, and then it is an easy climb up on the right side. Then pull your boat up.

Once you are up there, the trail is nice and easy. It is mostly soft pine needles over hard packed sand with a few pine tree roots here and there. It is about a quarter mile or less long.

Unfortunately there are several places to put back in and you'll have to scout off to the right to find the best for you. They are all steep over slippery shale, so when you find the one you want, you will have to take your wheels off and slide the boat down

We usually take the large trail to the left and after several hundred yards bear to the right and ease ourselves down a slippery but doable embankment. It ends where a small side creek flows into the Suwannee.( it is also the last place to put back in)

Caution: the main trail continues off to the left after this area away from the river, so if you feel you have gone more than about a quarter mile, make sure you back track to find the correct way.

On Little Shoals: Hopefully you will have decent water, and just run them on river left. They have never presented a danger to us. If the river is low, you might run aground or have to pull you boat through.

I sure hope you have decent water above Big Shoals.Several times we have encountered shallow water

Gator Baits Mate (AKA Jack L)

Posted 4 years ago #
Cwolfe
Member

Thanks Jack. That is very helpful information.

Cwolfe

Posted 4 years ago #
MicroTom
Key Master

All good info. The portage is not bad. Just stay left and pull over at the stop sign. Other tid bits

There is a small campground/park a mile above the shoals. You will see a stair case when you are there. Its a good place to use a bathroom and get water.

If you get a late morning start the day you make it to Fargo then Big Shoals is a great place to camp. Beside you will mostlikely be loading and unloading stuff anyways! Its about 43 miles from Fargo.

Posted 4 years ago #
SandyBottom
Member

I used cart in 2006 (I believe Dr Kayak and Ripver John did as well even though we all helped each other). That year there were campers there who also helped a bit. Alan and I also used cart in 20011, a bit of work, but very doable. The portage Trail is rooty and rocky. It's a bit of an uphill at the start. If not in stronger Kruger you might need to consider removing much of gear before putting on cart for this portage. My recollection was 2 places to put back in, one a bit of a drop, the other required longer portage (we're only talking 100s of yards), but can be really muddy. Great campsite, but timing never worked out to stay there. Little shoals is not a worry, you can paddle through it easily, and it's fun.
Dawn

Posted 4 years ago #
JollyRoger
Member

http://rogermannadventures.blogspot.com/2011/11/ufc-2012-river-scouting.html

Here are some photos for you guys that have not seen it. From 2012 at very low water. From a very old blog that I do not use anymore.

Good photos of big shoals "beach" and little shoals. Note that big shoals and little shoals had almost no water at all. It would even had been very hard to launch at Fargo in less than one foot of water and where the water level is usually up near the bridge height.

Compare these photos to when there is plenty of water and you will be shocked! It can be very big and very rough water conditions.

And a few more. http://rogermannadventures.blogspot.com/2011/11/ufc-scouting-more-photos.html

Hope these help. Roger

Posted 4 years ago #
Scareman
Member

I recall the Big Shoals portage as a bumpy cattywhompassed pine tree root ridden trail covered in ants, grasshoppers and pine straw. I have carted and dragged my tandem loaded to EC expedition weight on this portage many times.

Pine straw is a clue! Low friction if you drag.

Roots wreak havoc on a cart.

I have ferried over with a bike and ridden the portage trails while filming' but I cannot find that video footage.

Have you seen this? https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ozWsfaR_7LY

Depending on water levels, Little Shoals may force you to avoid the rock between two channels on river left. I made it...

There is a state park on River Right after the bridge in White Springs with a shower head and a neat place to stop, or stop by the bridge.

Look at the old stuff on the Suwanee, I listed many resources and details in years past.

Posted 4 years ago #
JollyRoger
Member
Brad, Here is your info. And I still have all the gps coodinates for all the parks if anyone needs them I can post, Brad just supplied a bunch of information, to much to share all at once here.

http://www.srwmd.org/documents/Land%20Acquisition%20and%20Management/Recreation/CanoeMap070609.PDF
1. Website – aca1.com
2. ACA Map – http://aca1.com/map.htm
- Website - http://www.floridastateparks.org/wilderness/default.cfm
- Website – http://srwmd.org/
- Current River Levels - http://srwmd.org/realtimeriverlevels/realtimeriverlevels.aspx
- Historical River Levels - http://srwmd.org/index.aspx?nid=105
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/suwannee/
- Crazy Russian Runs Big Shoals
- Scareman’s Photobucket Link
- Hunt for RunningMouth
OKE Trailmasters
- These folks, Marty and Lisa Johnson I believe, answered RunningMouth’s call for help after his portage trailer failure during UFC 2010
- Website - http://oketrailmasters.com/
Posted 4 years ago #
Bermudaboy
Member

Wow JR, could you please not post such great and voluminous stuff during Work Hours, concentration & efficiency in making a living is already suffering enough!

Posted 4 years ago #
JollyRoger
Member

Understood BB, will do but breaks and lunch are about all the time I have left over from all the other "getting ready" activities!

Posted 4 years ago #
SnoreBringGator
Member

I did this portage in very short time during my UFC it is relatively easy if you plan it out. If the tracker is still up for that year look at the times yourself. Remember this will be the last time you need the cart during the UFC so if it gets bent- it will not hinder a finish.

First have your portage cart easily accessible. Second have a rope or the tree bigger straps from your hammock ready to wrap around one of the stout trees at the top of the hill where you land. Also 50 feet or so of rope. A pulley would also be great. Got it? Great.

When you land pull the boat up and get the wheels under the stern area. Don't worry about balance just get her butt up. Set a belaying point on a thick tree at the top of the hill using the tree hugger straps. Attach the pulley and run a line from the boat to the pulley and back. Now pull using your weight going down the hill to help, pull the boat up the hill. Once the boat is at the top of the hill, keep the wheels on it and pull the boat to the hill above the launch point. You will need to remove the wheels and slide her down to the launch point on her bottom, I believe I used the same line as a safety so I wouldn't loose the boat.

Pack up everything and eat before launching as this is the best spot to grab a bite for several miles.

Posted 4 years ago #
Archangel
Member

Has anyone ever "lined the boat" down big shoals? Growing up doing whitewater in New England, if a drop was too rocky or beyond your skill level, we'd just attach a line to the stern and walk in the shallows or the bank, guiding the boat down in front of us, much lightened. No worry of flipping, no worry of puncturing the bottom if water level is low.

Or is the geography such that it's either the aforementioned steep bank drops directly into water too deep to wade in?

Posted 4 years ago #
Scareman
Member

Historical data suggests it has been done, but I have heard of trips to suture victims of the slimy slippery limestone shelves.

If you dare ask about River right, you may hear some war stories. If you want to finish the UFC, the take out River left at the stop sign on the portage hill when you hear the roar and barely see the white water ripples upstream of the shoals.

Posted 4 years ago #
whitecaps
Member

If doing a Kruger Doc just portage with wheels at Big Shoals and drag Little Shoals if needed. Rocks in the river stream are rounded most times like anywheres except here where they are sharpened.

Ya get this far you can handle it.. Linning sucks for me at Big Shoals as risk of injury is to great for this event

This stuff on this river is limestone and cuts and has holes that go further then your leg is long, not even close to the round rocks you are used to.

toby .

Posted 4 years ago #

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