Paddling Alabama [Paperback]

Joe Cuhaj (Author), Curt Burdick (Author)

Book Description

Series: Regional Paddling Series | Publication Date: October 1, 2002

From the Appalachian highlands in the north to the Gulf Coast, this guide offers paddling opportunities ranging from classic whitewater rapids to meandering rivers, quiet lakes, and saltwater estuaries. Join authors Joe Cuhaj and Curt Burdick for a statewide tour of Alabama's premier paddling destinations for the canoeist and kayaker. Each destination is described and mapped in detail, with information on put-in points and take-outs, water conditions, and flora and fauna. Sidebars and at-a-glance data highlight local history, seasonal attractions and cultural events, restaurants, paddlesports organizations, and much more.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Explore the natural wonders of twenty-nine of Alabama's finest rivers, creeks, and coastal waterways. From easy afternoon paddles to extended trips, Paddling Alabama takes canoeists and kayakers on journeys through the most spectacular landscapes in the Yellowhammer State. Included are waterways known for wonderful Gulf scenery, marine and wetlands wildlife, and a range of technical challenges.
Whether you prefer fishing, wildlife viewing, running rapids, or quiet solitude, these waterways will take you there.
Inside you'll find: an overview of equipment, clothing, and how to transport your boat; detailed maps showing access points and routes; information on each waterway's character, difficulty, and the best times to paddle; lists of local paddling organizations and information resources.
This invaluable guide has trips to thrill experienced paddlers and novices alike. Before you push off, be sure to consult Paddling Alabama.

About the Author

Curt Burdick, a veteran paddler, grew up in Michigan and today lives with his wife and their two sons in Daphne, Alabama. He is a programmer in the software industry.
Joe Cuhaj, a former radio broadcaster, is the author of Hike America: Alabama. He is a seasoned outdoorsman living in Daphne, Alabama, with his wife and daughter.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Falcon; 1st edition (October 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0762721928
• ISBN-13: 978-0762721924
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #346,048 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #16 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Nature Travel > Adventure > Kayaking
  • #18 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Nature Travel > Adventure > Canoeing
  • #57 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Outdoor Recreation > Canoeing

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars bukhtan is a problem & this book is a waste of money!, October 11, 2009

By 

M. Case - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Paddling Alabama (Paperback)

First of all, I've lived in Alabama for the last fifty year's. I've been paddling for the last forty. I've paddle rivers, streams, and creeks all over the south. After looking at a copy of this book, I have to say what a waste of paper, ink, and time. Not to forget money if you bought it. I came to amazon to see what was here. Not much on paddling Alabama. One other book, Alabama canoe and float trips which I have not seen. If your just starting to paddle, join a local club. Ask people that have experience. And remember, "You may go a lifetime without a scratch or you might die your first trip, get some help!"
Second, this reviewer bukhtan, is an idiot. I'll bet money they've never been in the state of Alabama, let alone paddled one of it's rivers. Look at the number of reviews they've written. How can amazon lets someone write this many canned reviews? I feel sorry for bukhtan, he's like a mushroom, kept in the dark and you know the rest.

2 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Land of the belles rivieres, June 15, 2006

By 

bukhtan (Chicago, Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Paddling Alabama (Paperback)

The authors describe twentynine trips in the present state of Alabama, from saltwater trips by Dauphin Island, forays in the great delta of the Mobile and Tensaw rivers, still half intact, amazingly, various small rivers in the southern half of the state (Escatawpa, Magnolia, Hurricane Creek, Perdido, Styx, Big Escambia Creek, Choctawhatchee, Conecuh, Pea, Sepulga & Yellow), central rivers such as the Little Cahaba (the one toward Centerville), Hatchett "River" (we called it "creek" back in the day, though it is a big one), its onetime tributary Weogufka, the bit of the Coosa that's been left running by Alabama Power, a small bit of the Tallapoosa, and bits and pieces of the Locust Fork of the Black Warrior River, the Mulberry Fork of the BWR, Bear and Borden Creeks, the Flint, the Sipsey Fork of the BWR (not the Sipsey over by Mississippi) and the recently imperiled Terrapin Creek (I didn't know about that one).
No Cahaba, no Little River (in May's Gulf), no Tombigbee (eliminated by the Tenn-Tom, of course), but you can't have everything, especially when Falcon Guides pretty well standardizes the length of their books.
The descriptions are as detailed as they have to be, with good maps, lists of outfitters etc, and there are quite a lot of references, including websites.
The authors end their general introduction with a discussion "So who really owns the rivers?". I remember an old bird a couple of miles below US 280 on the Cahaba, now surely howling in She'ol, who used to run out screaming when he saw canoeists preparing to portage the three-foot dam on the river beside his (at that time) country residence. The ranting and raving didn't cease when the interlopers tried portaging along the near vertical opposite bank. They were trespassing when they were on the river itself, he said.
-How's that?
-This river isn't navigable!
-Why not?
(Alabama law held that waterways had to be "navigable" to be public.)
-I've dammed it up myself!
Anybody who grew up in the "state of Alabama" remembers encountering this kind of stuff.
The authors remark, offhandedly, that "some ... would just as soon take a shot at a passing canoe". In fact, when I was making my getaway from the Heart of Dixie, canoeists on the Locust Fork were occasionally the target of rifle and shotgun blasts. Did the natives believe the navigators were opponents of the local porkbarrel dam project, of stripmining or something else that paid? I couldn't tell you. Who knows whether these local patriots were the ones who burned down a couple of covered bridges thereabouts, or tried to dynamite a natural bridge up on Town Creek, or were involved in any of the rest of the idiocy and skullduggery so characteristic of the rural areas of this benighted state?
So, if you're planning to canoe on the beautiful creeks and rivers of this once very beautiful stretch of land, wrecked and befouled by the political entity called "Alabama", be prepared for some pretty savage stuff.