First Saturday Paddle - Lost Swamp Section

First Saturday Members Paddle

The “Lost Swamp Section” of the Wolf River

Saturday, February 1, 2025

Launch Time: 9:00 AM  │  End Time: 3:00 PM (approx.)

This program is free to WRC members. Non-members will be charged a paddle fee of $25.00 which can be paid on registering. Please register on-line by noon on Thursday, January 30.

Come on along and join our River Guides as we paddle one of the most inspirational sections of the Wolf River, “The Lost Swamp”. This section of the river is approximately 6 miles in length and a beautiful, Class 1 meandering water trail. It is still very wild and natural. Your boat handling skills will be challenged as we paddle through a pair of swamps filled with mature bald cypress trees and their associated cypress knees.  

High points of the trip include quietly paddling beside the Gnome tree, the Wolf River black sands spa and a cypress filled swamp called the cathedral because of its column-like tree trunk and high canopy.  Often as you pass through this majestic area, you are serenaded by the church bells of the Moscow Methodist Church heralding your arrival into town.  

The put in at Bateman Road bridge consists of a graveled access ramp and parking area.  The take-out at Moscow, Tennessee is at the rear of the car wash and is an improvement of our earlier exit area although it is often muddy.  

Special note: There is a $5.00 charge to park at the car wash. Jim Gafford will collect the parking fees. If you wish to avoid this charge, you can park at the river access point on Bateman Road. We will conduct both pre and post trip shuttles

This is a "Cold Weather" paddle.

The water temperature is cold, and the outside air temperature will most likely also be cool. We ask that a beginner paddler save their initial adventure with us until this spring when the conditions would be more favorable. Dress in layers of quick dry (no cotton) clothing and bring a full change of clothing in a dry bag. Head covering, gloves and wool socks are valuable assets. If you have any doubts about whether you are experienced enough to paddle this section, please check with Jim Gafford, Activity Coordinator Extraordinaire, prior to registering. Jim can be reached via email (jim.gafford@wolfriver.org) or 901-573-2353 (cell/text) and will be glad to discuss the trip with you.  

Our River Guides will share the trip leader responsibilities on this paddle. They are a great bunch of volunteers and will ensure you have both a safe and enjoyable adventure. If you have questions about the trip, please contact Jim Gafford (info above).

To assist with planning, please register early for the event. If this is your first trip or if you want to learn more about the Wolf river, please review the paddling section of our website (www.wolfriver.org/explore/paddling).

For Those Renting Boats:   Our recommended outfitter for this trip is Mike Dawkins. Contact Mike by email (dawkinsjm01@gmail.com) or call/text at (901) 485-2531 as soon as you register to discuss equipment rental.

For Those Bringing Boats:  You will meet our river guides at the Bateman Road ramp. To reach the ramp, drive east on Hwy. 57 out of Moscow, Tennessee about two miles. Turn right onto Bateman Road and continue south about one and half miles down to the parking lot on the northeast side of the bridge. If you cross the bridge you probably saw us waving to you from the parking lot. Please arrive around 8:00 AM to unload your gear and participate in the frontend vehicle shuttles.  The last shuttle will leave at 8:30. We will also run a shuttle at the end of the trip as needed.

Parking Disclaimer: Both the access and takeout parking areas are relatively safe but are unmonitored. You should be able to leave your vehicle in these parking areas. Please note that the Wolf River Conservancy is not responsible for loss of or damage to private property.

Safety and PFD Requirement:  Participants in Wolf River Conservancy on-river programs will be required to wear a US Coast Guard-approved Personal Flotation Device (PFD) while on the river.  Children must wear child-size-approved PFDs.  If you are renting a craft, the outfitter will provide you with an approved PFD as part of the rental package.  Those using boats provided by the Conservancy will be supplied PFDs and paddles as well.  There are no exceptions to the PFD requirements.  Please note that they must also be securely fastened at all times.  Please do not use the "belt-type" units popular with the SUP community.  These are single-discharge units and cannot easily be reloaded once deployed.

Google Map Links:

Put-In Point: Ghost River Canoe Run (Outlet)

Take-Out Point: Wolf River Kayak Access Point