Craigheads Pond Canoe Trail

[Terry]

The rain has spiked water station 251432080444100 up from -0.35 to 0.00.

This makes Craigheads Pond Canoe Trail paddleable.   The water will run off the tip of Florida

quick but with beautiful weather expected, this weekend is a rare opportunity to enjoy this

excellent advanced trip once more.

 

[Keith W]

I'll be down this weekend, might make a good day trip for Saturday.

[Esther Luft]

Please post the conditions upon your return.  I may head out there Sunday, instead of my scheduled paddle.  Enjoy!  It truly is a spectacular area.

[Daniel Madrigal]

Esther my brother, Keith, and I made it all the way out today. Sucky gloomy weather but awesome paddle. Water levels are good, no portaging at all.

[Keith W]

Thanks Daniel and Alex for coming out for the Craighead Pond Trail inaugural paddle!

Esther, count on a 6 hour round trip if it's calm, and tack on an extra half-hour if the wind is up. We had a stiff breeze on the way back in yesterday.

I'm posting the aerials that Terry gave me, I hope he doesn't mind, but they will come in very handy for finding the most direct route along the airboat trail. Once you locate the first pipe out from Nine Mile Pond marker 65A, the rest will be in line-of-sight view the rest of the way out.

 

[Esther Luft]

Thanks Keith, Daniel.  That is such am awesome area.  I'm going to have to do to work today, 

 

I should still be able to access from Nine Mile, correct? If we still have enough water next weekend? 

[Terry]

 

For your own records, keep track of it, Craigheads Pond Canoe Trail requires high

water levels.    Keith, Dan and Alex did it Saturday and reported a good paddling.

Water Station 251432080444100, the one on the route, reported -0.03 feet for

22 January.   Write it down in your journal.

Esther, report back if you try it next weekend and we'll record the water level.

Quickly we'll all know just what level is necessary to paddling it, there's no reason

to guess.

[toofaraway]

Bing aerials show the pond then connected to the airboat trail heading back up to Ingraham Hwy area/Anhinga Pond/Taylor Slough?  Bing Birdseye works when you get up to Ingraham area.

[Esther Luft]

There are some road closures on the old Ingraham trail.  The park is putting in culverts to help improve natural water flow. 

We went down the slough in October.  Awesome paddle. I took large scale printed aerials, laminated.  Now I found waterproof printer paper, two-sided.  Haven't tried it yet but will soon.  We all know how bulky laminates are.  Off trail is where my DeLorme GPS shines.  I can load aerials and layer them over the topos, charts, USGS Quads, etc.  I just wish they screen was larger.  These old eyes are starting to fail. 

 

I will give it a go this weekend. Anyone who would like to tag along is welcome.  

[Esther Luft]

Links - Water Levels, Elevations

 

http://sofia.usgs.gov/eden/station.php?stn_name=NCL

http://sofia.usgs.gov/eden/station.php?stn_name=NCL

 

Daniel's SPOT Route from 1/22/2011

http://www.spotadventures.com/trip/view?trip_id=239593

 

Clarification, closures on Ingraham are way up near the park entrance.  Won't affect us this weekend. Just a random though.

[Terry]

The Taylor Slough Canoe Trail is an excellent trail, a must-do, first step for

anyone attempting slough trips.   It's the only one-day slough trip, there's

a lot of details of this trail on this website.  However, it's only paddleable

at the highest water, even then you will need to push at spots.  Careful

planning and serious study of the water stations is essential.

Any aerials work fine for these trips.

Taylor Slough Canoe Trail passes close to Ernest Coe backcountry campsite,

this trip is still waiting for some one to make it a 2-day trip and be the first

to camp at Ernest Coe by canoe.  That could earn an invite to the

Annual Canoe Invitational.

 

[Terry]

I go directly to the USGS site:

http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?site_no=251432080444100

There are water stations all over the place but this one has "real-time"

and it's the best for levels in the Craigheads, Nine Mile Pond and

Noble Hammock areas.

[Esther Luft]

Oh!  That's on my list.  For sure!!