The Okefenokee Swamp along Georgia-Florida state line is a region characterized by diverse ecological and cultural history. This incredible landscape is one of live oaks and palmettos with hanging Spanish moss, diverse wildlife ranging from alligators to roseate spoonbills, and an array of aquatic ecosystems. The fascinating cultural history highlights the Timucuan Native Americans, Spanish-British colonialism, Gullah Geechee communities, and powerful families like the Carnegies. It’s truly a magical area to behold!

You are invited to join our hosts, the GRITS (GA) and Nor’easter (MA, NH, VT, & ME) Broadbands, for the unique and exciting Oke to Ocean National Broadwalk!

Scheduled Activities:

Monday, November 10th: Check-in at Group Shelter Site #1 within Crooked River State Park from 1:00-5:00 PM Eastern Time. Then, we’ll have an orientation for the week and dinner.

Tuesday, November 11th: This will be Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge day with many thanks to our partner Okefenokee Swamp Park & Adventures Executive Director Kim Bednarek. The Okefenokee Swamp, the largest blackwater swamp in North America, serves as the headwaters to the Suwanee and St. Marys Rivers. We will be meeting with a refuge manager, enjoying a boat tour, visiting a historic homestead, and walking along one of the boardwalks with an observation tower. We will end the day with dinner at a Folkston, GA restaurant, one of two rural gateway communities to the Okefenokee Swamp.

Wednesday, November 12th: This will be our St. Marys River day with many thanks to our partner St. Marys Riverkeeper Executive Director Emily Floore. Emily will be guiding us along various river stops by charter bus to discuss river management and proposed mining history. We will end the day at Crooked River State Park with Georgia-based author, Janisse Ray.

Thursday, November 13th: We will end our watershed tour at the Atlantic Ocean with a Cumberland Island National Seashore day. We will be taking a passenger only ferry to Georgia’s southernmost barrier island to learn about its natural and cultural history and complete stewardship projects.We will end the day at Crooked River State Park for an advocacy night.

Friday, November 14th: Check-out from Crooked River State Park before 11:00 AM Eastern Time.

Lodging:

We’ve booked pioneer tent camping, RV, and cottage spots at Crooked River State Park (6222 Charlie Smith Sr Hwy, St Marys, GA 31558). Registration costs are all inclusive, but do vary depending on lodging choice.

• Pioneer Tent Camping: $400.00
  • There are 30 tent spots available. This is a primitive camping site with two pit toilets and a cold water, rustic shower bathhouse (Hot water shower passes are available for purchase in the visitors center during regular business hours.). The parking area is in the middle of the camping site (within 20 to 100 feet, depending on where you pick a spot), and there’s plenty of room to spread out.

• RV: $550.00
  • We only have 5 RV spots. If you would like multiple people in one RV spot (Max vehicles is 2.), then please contact the main office to add them for an additional $350.00.
  • These are electrical hook-up sites with access to nearby full restrooms.

• Cottage: $650.00
  • We’ve reserved Cottages 01-04 with a total of 17 beds.
  • Each cottage has two to three bedrooms with shared living space, kitchen, and outdoor seating with views of Crooked River.

Please check out Crooked River State Park’s website for photos and more details of the lodging options.

Handicap Accessible:

There are handicap accessible lodging options available, and the majority of our activities are handicap accessible (Example: We can reserve a track chair for our day on Cumberland Island National Seashore).

Transportation:

Driving: We will be based at Crooked River State Park (6222 Charlie Smith Sr Hwy, St Marys, GA 31558). If you are driving, we will be inquiring if you are comfortable driving and carpooling others to activities.

Flying: The closest airport to Crooked River State Park is Jacksonville International Airport (JAX) in Florida.

• We will be coordinating rides/pick-ups from JAX to Crooked River State Park and back.
• If you would like to borrow tent camping equipment, please let us know as we can arrange that.

Weather:

While most of the country is chilly in November, we’ll be enjoying high temperatures in the 70s. November is one of the best times to visit this beautiful area!