Okefenokee Swamp
 

anyone been there in spring? any comments.

thinking of exploring coast of Ga and maybe St Augustine Fl and Okefenokee Swamp in late april.

thanks

It should be a lot better time than waiting until the summer. Summertime in the swamp is hot, muggy, hot, steamy, hot, humid.

Oh, and did I mention HOT?

If you come to the Georgia Coast in early April, be sure to stop in and see Savannah. In April it is a fantasy land with azaleas and other spring blooms.

I assume you are a real swamp lover or you wouldn't want to visit Okefenokee at any time. If you are a nature lover and you like wildlife such as alligators and mosquitos, the Okefenokee is a real education. But it's not a typical tourist destination, so be sure you want to do it before going. Otherwise, the Georgia coast and the Florida coast in late April should be lovely. Good luck.

A few years back, we went in the west entrance in April. Rented a boat, explored the swamp, saw tons of alligators, docked at a island and hiked around (historical stuff on the island). Secluded, beautiful, really interesting. I don't remember a ton of mosquitos at that time - but bring your Off! just in case, also don't recall it being too hot. I would imagine it gets nasty in the summer!

If I remember, the west entrance is the LEAST touristy, which is why we picked it, and we were very happy with the choice.

Thanks for the info. Assume there is a place to rent boats, or for guided tours at that entrance?

April is a great time to visit the swamp. It's not hard to find boat and canoe rentals as well as tours in the towns near the swamp. Take a look at Waycross, GA.

We took a guided tour with a Park Ranger in a flat-boat (probably about 20 aboard), in March. It was fascinating. I'd definitely recommend it.

where did you access the park? where did you find this boat ride - what town?
thanks

Here is a site for the park. It lists some phone numbers so give them a call for more information:

http://www.fws.gov/okefenokee/AvailablePrograms.htm

We went in the East Entrance (as on the above-mentioned site). As I recall (it was a few years back), we made a nice day-trip from Jekyll Island.

Flew in and out of Jacksonville, FL.

Any chance you have a tent/fold down/
trailer? There is a very nice secluded camp ground in the middle of the state park in Okefenokee where we stayed a couple of years ago.
ozarksbill

The spring can be hot but not always. Waycross is a very small city and there is nothing to do except see the swamp. If you are also thinking about going to Florida, you can see Okefenokee in Folkston, Ga. It's right on the Ga/FL line and very close to Jacksonville. Folkston is about 1 1/2 hours from St. Augustine. This town is even smaller than Waycross and the motels are very old. I suggest staying in Jacksonville or St. Augustine and then driving to Folkston. Also if you are in the area, I would go to Jekyll and St. Simons Island and Savannah.

planning to stay 1/2 in st. augustine and 1/2 on jekyll island. just going to visit the swamp. anything worth doing in Jacksonville, since will be flying in and out of there?

I'm not a big fan of Jacksonville. However there is a beach and the Riverwalk is popular.