MBCKC Paddle Reports

Little River, Escambia Co from Hwy 59 to Dixie Landing
Little River is beautiful, if you are adventurous this is a great paddle. Although it required portages around/over at least 3 log jams that I encountered it was well worth it. I do not believe I could have paddled this alone, I had a buddy of mine in his 14.5' Ultimate and I was in a 12' Manta Ray. The trip was 5 miles and took 5 hours to complete with about 30 minutes of fishing included.


Little River looked like most slightly stained rivers in south Alabama. The flow of the river for the first mile was perfect. I estimate the flow at 150 to 200 cfs and we had enough water that sandbars (and there are plenty) were not an issue. We encountered the first of 3 log jams at 0.4 miles. It was initiated by a large fallen tree that wood and debris had piled up against. The water had wallowed out the sand to ~ 6 ft or better under the jam. My friend was able to pole his way across the debris on the right side of the river and pulled my kayak across once he made it to the other side. I made my way up the right bank and around the debris to the other side. It appears at ~ 1 mile the river has been diverted from its original path and now flows to the left with increased swiftness and is much more narrow (from ~35 ft to 10 ft wide). Immediately after this turn we encountered the second of the log jams. While my paddle buddy pulled his kayak up and over the 4 or 5 ft high jam I found a path on the left side to pull my kayak around the log jam.

The downstream side of this second log jam will test your navigational skills. It is a continuous winding and turning, in and out, of fallen trees and bushes. There are intermittent deep holes and shallow sandy/pebble bottom for the rest of the trip to within 0.5 miles of the confluence with the Alabama River. The sand bars below this second jam are not as common. This section is mostly mud banks with plenty of foliage, little sign of people. For the most part the river is 20 to 30 ft wide and ~ 2 to 4 ft deep. We encountered the last and easiest of the log jams about 1 mile below the second jam. It too is made up of a fallen tree but debris has not piled up. This jam was ~ 2 feet high and only 1 large branch to traverse. We simply pulled our kayaks up and over the jam on the right side and kept going. The water was ~ 2 ft deep on both sides.

All the while we were amazed at the scenery. We saw wood ducks, mallards and many deer. In the deeper pools we saw a number of 18" to 36" gar and scores of minnows and small fish. Using my trusty fly rod I was able to coerce a 2 lb bass out of the shadows. Approximately 300 yards from the confluence with the Alabama River we encountered a swarm of Mayflies and the brim/bass were boiling the water. Again, with my fly rod I had a catch and release party with the extra large brim feeding on the Mayflies. After about 20 minutes we leisurely moved on to pull our kayaks out at Dixie Landing.

This was an incredibly satisfying kayak trip. Even though it was riddled with logjams and navigational tests, to make it through an area obviously not often traveled by humans was gratifying. I would not recommend this trip as a solo or for kayaks longer than 12 to 14 feet, the shorter the better. Bring plenty of water and be ready for a William and Clark type of adventure. BEAUTIFUL!!
Charles Barber