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Clapboard Creek
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Click on an Area of the Map to go to the
description of the run |
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Clapboard Creek is my backyard - literally. I have lived on the north bank of Andrews Island for 20 years and it was the view out my backyard that led me to become the paddling enthusiast that I am today. I bought my 17 ft Grumman 19 years ago and began dragging it through the marsh to the water where I would explore the area between Andrews Island and Pelotes Island. I rarely ventured much further than that, so I got very familiar with the area. Since the developers "stole" the narrow strip of land behind the houses on the north side of Heckscher Drive, I don't go back in that area much because the pain of seeing the "McMansions" is too great. The rest of Clapboard Creek, which is one of the major streams flowing through the Timucuan, is a wonderful place to explore and, along with the Intracoastal, is one of the primary drainage points for the entire preserve. Many of the creeks in this part of the Timucuan empty into Clapboard Creek and the headwaters of the stream itself is located miles to the west of where it empties into the St. Johns. Update 8/18/06: On the positive side - The Spencer family who owns the land across Bogey Branch from the Tidewater development has sold a prime piece of deep water property to the Land Trust thus preserving it forever. Also - the city did indeed take over ownership of the Palms Fish Camp and made it a public boat ramp. They also put in a canoe/kayak launch behind where the old restaurant used to be. It's a wonderful addition to the preserve although there are some issues with it. The city also announced that they were taking over ownership of the Dale Joyner Preserve - better known as Pelotes Island and they have plans to open it to the public on weekends. No details on what kind of access will be allowed but this is good news.
Put-In : Palms Fish Camp
Now that the city owns the Palms Fish Camp on the NE bank of the mouth of the creek, this is the prime place to put-in to access Clapboard Creek and from here you can go just about anywhere in the Timucuan Preserve. They re-did the boat ramp and added a floating dock for power boaters which unfortunately also encourages the PWCers to access the preserve. They also added a canoe/kayak launch at the east end of the man made cove north of the ramp. It sounds like a great idea except that they obviously didn't think it through and it is basically unusable from mid-tide to mid-tide - 6-8 hours out of every 12. The good news is that there is a sandy beach around the north side of the cove that allows fairly easy access to the creek and the put-in is not that bad. Be aware also that on weekends the main ramp is extremely busy and the power boaters park their trailers everywhere including right in front of the canoe/kayak launch. Once you have put-in, you can access all of the areas that I have listed below and it is quite easy to find the connecting streams that will lead you into the creeks to the east - Cedar Point, Hannah Mills and on to the Intracoastal. As you can see - from that point your access to the rest of the preserve is unlimited.
Put In : Palms Fish Camp, Browns Creek, Cedar Point
(at Heckscher Dr.)
I won't go into a great detail here. As I mentioned above, this was my primary haunt when I was active with my canoe. There is not a stream that you can find on a map in the area on either side of Little Clapboard Creek that I have not explored. Now, I rarely go there. If I am going to explore Little Clapboard Creek the quickest way would be to put in at the Palms Fish Camp and paddle about a mile north. Little Clapboard Creek enters Clapboard Creek about halfway up the marsh to Pelotes Island. You can also put in at Browns Creek and paddle east past Bruener's Island and enter the creek where Browns and Clapboard join between Pelotes and Bruener's. Another way would be to put in at Cedar Point and paddle about 45 minutes until you enter the creek east of Pelotes Islandand then head south where Little Clapboard joins with Clapboard.. Once you get in, the best area to explore is from Little Clapboard Creek north to Pelotes Island. There are dozens of streams that meander back in there, most of them joining back up with the main channel that eventually empties into Browns Creek. There is a little lagoon located where the old Sands house is located on Pelotes which is nice place to rest although, of course, don't trespass. It's a relatively protected creek so current and wind are not usually a problem here and boat traffic is normally rare. It is only accessible at high tide so be sure you plan accordingly.
Put In : Palms Fish Camp, Browns Creek, Cedar Point
(at Heckscher Dr.)
If you are exploring the east side of Pelotes Island, the best place to put-in is probably either the Palms or Cedar Point. There is not a whole lot here but there are a couple of streams that go up into the island that are fun to explore. The Island is a preserve maintained by SJRPP (recently transferred to the city) and technically you are not supposed to get out unless you have scheduled a tour with the preserve naturalist so be aware of that if you need to disembark for any reason. This area can be accessed at all tides but beware that this is a very exposed area and the wind can channel along the side of Pelotes and really pick up speed. I've encountered some high winds, strong currents and large swells in this area.
Put In : Palms Fish Camp, Browns Creek
The easiest way to access this area is to put-in at the Palms Fish Camp and head north and then west around Pinders Island. You can also access this area by putting in at Browns Creek and follow the path to Shrimpers Creek and then head east. There are several islands and coves along the northern edge of Pelotes : Magnolia Island, Pinder's Island and Clapboard Point. Between Clapboard Point and Pinders is a huge cove that can be explored at high tide. Although many of the islands look promising for camping and picnicking, they are pretty overgrown and not very accessible. They are also blocked by oyster beds at low tide. This area can be accessed at all tides, although the route via Shrimpers Creek may not be navigable. Once into Clapboard, there is plenty of water. Again, this is a very exposed area and there are some strong currents and winds on this part of the creek.
Put In : Palms Fish Camp, Browns Creek
As you enter Clapboard Creek from Shrimpers Creek, you can head to the east once you are in the main channel. To the north you will see a creek called Fitzpatrick Creek emptying into Clapboard and you can see the land that is to the south of Cedar Point Road. There are a few houses on a point the extends into Clapboard and directly to the south of that is a peninsula called "Buckhorn Bluff" that is a part of the Pelotes Preserve. Actually, according to the study I've seen, it was supposed to be a much more important part of the preserve but, for whatever reason, it's not so it is essentially an unused area that appears to have had a couple of fish camps at one time. It's a great place to pull off and picnic but, as always, since this is preserve property, use your own judgment. There is a road that eventually leads to Island Drive but be aware that this is a secure area so do not trespass. Directly north of Buckhorn Bluff is an island that the North Florida Land Trust recently purchased and it is a great place to visit. Hopefully, in the future, it will be opened up for more activities. Directly west of Buckhorn on the south side of Clapboard is another geographic feature that I have only seen mentioned in the aforementioned study. It is a pool of water that is called "Heron Pond" and it took me several years before I found a way into it. It's not easy to find and even at high tide it is barely accessible but it looks like it might be a spring fed pond that I suspect is well visited by birds and other wildlife in the area. You can read the account of my first visit here. As you continue west from Buckhorn you will pass the houses to the north and then a small stream called "Bogey Branch" that leads up between an old ranch that has recently been developed (Tidewater) and The Spencer's property. You can follow it for quite a ways before it peters out close to Cedar Point Road. Clapboard Creek begins to wind quite a bit as it heads west and you will pass the development. The creek gradually gets smaller and smaller and really begins to resemble more of an inland freshwater swamp like the Okefenokee than it does a coastal estuary. You can go quite a ways into the interior of the land to the south of Cedar Point road. At one point, approximately a 1/2 mile from the beginning of the creek, there is a man made channel that was obviously dug to drain this land for farming. It is mostly overgrown, and very dark and spooky. This run is not for the beginners as it is pretty long and offers few places to get out and stretch your legs. Except for the area where Shrimpers Creek joins Clapboard, this area is pretty protected and wind and current are not much of a problem. Northeast Clapboard Creek
Put In : Palms Fish Camp, Cedar Point Another interesting run that you can take off of Clapboard creek is a small branch that runs to the NE just as Clapboard makes its turn west around Pinders. There are two branches - the easternmost will eventually connect with Cedar Point - the western one will meander up into the mainland and take you close to some interesting small islands. There are many branches off of Cedar Point so refer to that page for further details.
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