Hell’s Half Acre Paddling Trail

Description

Among Caddo Lake's numerous exceptional paddling trails is the 8.8-mile loop trail known as the Hell’s Half Acre Trail, winding down Big Cypress Bayou and into Caddo Lake. Hell’s Half Acre Trail meets the Carter’s Chute Trail at boat road marker 19 (clearly marked) and shares the route until boat road marker 31. The Hell’s Half Acre trail turns to the right at boat road marker 31. From the canoe launch in the Caddo Lake State Park, visitors paddle downstream to Carney Canal and the beginning of Boat Road C, one of the major boat roads that winds through the Caddo Lake to the primitive campsites in the Caddo Lake WMA on its north shore. Paddlers enjoy the tight pass through the bald cypress trees or stretching their legs at the sandy banks the locals call “Sandbar”.

Location: Put-in and Take-out: Mill Pond Canoe/Kayak Launch at Caddo Lake State Park. 

Directions: From Hwy 43 southwest of the Big Cypress Bayou Bridge, turn right onto FM 2198 for about half a mile, then turn left onto Park Rd 2 at the entrance of Caddo Lake State Park.  Follow the park road to the canoe/kayak launch at Mill Pond.

Float time: 3 to 4 hours (depending on time spent on the bayou, water level, and wind speed)

Hell's Half Acre Paddling Trail - Info

Outfitters:
This list may not comprehensive; inclusion in this list does not constitute an endorsement.

* East Texas Sonar, 3200 N. Eastman Road, Longview, TX 75605
903-663-4648   

* Johnson's Ranch Marina On Caddo Lake, 5131 East Cypress Drive, Uncertain, TX 75661
903-789-3213  jrmarina.com

* Riverbend Outfitters, LLC, 2019 FM 726, Jefferson, Texas, 75657
903-746-7068 or 903-926-0203   www.riverbendoutfittersllc.com

Important note: Many paddling trails flow through private property. When the land along a trail is private, paddlers may take out on sandbars within the riverbed, but exiting a canoe or kayak above the riverbed is trespassing.

Care must be taken when paddling to provide for the safety of all passengers.  State and federal laws require operators of paddlecraft to have a personal flotation device for each person on, an efficient sound-signaling device, and, if paddling after sunset, a light source visible from 360 degrees.  Texas Parks and Wildlife Department offers safety tips for paddlers and, with its Texas River Guide River/Stream Flow Application, utilizes data from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to provide real-time flow levels for rivers and streams.