Segment 13 - Bethel Park to Vann's Tavern Park

Total Distance: 8.8 mi
Total Time: 4:12:06
Moving Time: 2:36:06
Average Moving Speed: 3.4 mi/h
Max Speed: 5.0 mi/h

Another late post! And another loop, due to great laziness! We did this paddle on September 27th. Rather than doing Bethel Park to Vann's Tavern, we looped from Bethel.


View Lake Lanier Shoreline Segments in a larger map
Projected Route


View Kayaking in a larger map
Actual Route

As you can see, we also swung a bit out of the way to investigate some islands and look for geocaches. The GPS dropped a bit of the route at the end, but I assure you we made it a full loop, rather than magically teleporting from the islands back to the car.

The day was beautiful, and Bethel Park was another nice, quiet put in. No parking fee, good restroom and drinkable water. JD also claims to have run into a friendly kitty while I was loading the car.



This loop didn't have quite as many cool features as Little River, and the boat traffic was much heavier. One nice thing is that the route could be as long as you wanted it to be - a plethora of inlets meant we probably could have added another 2-3 miles if we had followed each one.




The islands were very cool and much larger than we had expected from the map. There are 5 or more geocaches on the islands - we'll definitely be going back when we're not quite so tired. This may also be a good spot for a rustic over-night.




Fun time, happy paddlers!

Segment 33 - Little River Loop

Total Distance: 8.0 mi
Total Time: 3:06:27
Moving Time: 2:26:15
Average Speed: 2.6 mi/h
Average Moving Speed: 3.3 mi/h

A late post! Finally! We actually did this segment back on August 29th and started a review but never finished because we were slackers about unloading pictures. So without further ado - the Little River Loop!

We've been picking and choosing routes that we can easily turn into loops, largely because I (Lisa) am a lazy slacker about driving and don't feel like shuttling the cars. The Little River segment was a great candidate for looping, since it follows a little inlet waaaaay back.


View Lake Lanier Shoreline Segments in a larger map
Projected Route


View Kayaking in a larger map
Actual Route

Little River is small but nice park with no parking fee and a well-kept restroom. There's a little space for picnicking and a floating doc for fishing. Quite nice!


JD Getting Ready and the Ramp


Fishing Dock

The day started out absolutely beautifully - balmy and warm and sunny. The paddle itself had a lot of cool features - and did I mention that this was the first trip with our new waterproof camera? Below are some of the cool sights we saw.




Lisa Finds a Bridge


And a large tree. In the middle of the lake.

The very tip of the loop meets up with a small stream - we probably could have paddled another few miles up it. It was a wonderful, tranquil place to paddle, with smooth, green water and nary a speed boat in sight. Also some weird algae, but we'll overlook that.





The clouds came rolling in at the end of the day, which made for some spectacular skies... and then a fast dash as we tried to make it back to the car before the heavens opened up. We got drizzled on a bit, but made it off the water before it could pour.




All in all, a gorgeous, quiet section of the lake, and one I would be happy to paddle again sometime.