Lake Burton, GA by Tom Lawton
Greg V and I drove to Moccasin Creek State Park on Saturday following Steve Cramer’s Rescue Clinic. We traveled the tourist route via Hollywood and Bear Gap Road to Lake Rabun then followed the scenic highway paralleling the Tallulah River to Lake Burton. Blooming white rhododendrons cascaded down the steep valleys on the lake side of Bear Gap. Monarch butterflies were abundant. The temperature was noticeably cooler.
The park, located on Lake Burton, would be best described as a trailer camp. Our tent and hammock were the only shelters without wheels in the park. Fell asleep to the murmur of Moccasin Creek flowing past the camp.
Sunday morning we set out from the State Fish Hatchery landing. This is directly across the creek from the park. We intended to explore the lake south of the park by kayak. Our destination was Billy Goat Island.
We had a favorable wind but met a lot of boat traffic, as expected. DNR launched as we were setting out and began enforcement activities. As noon approached the traffic thinned out. The lake swell subsided. Greg and I soon arrived at the spillway. We had paddled past the island.
Billy Goat Island is a level landing with a clearing on its southeastern tip. Most of the island is forested in typical hemlocks and hardwoods. The clearing was covered in ants!
We had the island to ourselves. Our kayaks pulled up on shore seemed to attract the attention of many passing boaters, who took great pleasure in circling the island. (Inflatable pull toys are big on Burton, with as many as four being towed at a time.)
Greg and I thought our kayaks were the novelty items on the lake until we completed our circumnavigation of the island and spotted a little red convertible chugging up the lake. This Amphicar was traveling on our heading so we had plenty of time to observe other boaters’ reactions to this craft. It was like the Pied Piper. She had a constant escort of interested boaters surrounding her. The captain’s destination happened to be the Fish Hatchery landing so we watched with amusement as he and his crew approached the ramp and without hesitation drove out of the water into the parking lot. Shades of James Bond. As it turns out, this beautifully restored German craft was manufactured in the mid-sixties. (See more at www.amphicar.net.) It is a rare and attractive craft.
We saw one other pair of touring kayaks as we ended the day. It was only their second time paddling the lake.
I enjoyed the day on Lake Burton. There are some narrow passages in the coves but other boaters were very cordial and there was plenty of room to maneuver. We only had time to explore the main channel of the lake’s lower half. From the hatchery landing cove it is possible to paddle to the main channel and proceed north. There appear to be fewer houses. The map we were using does not show a landing like Billy Goat Island on the upper end of the lake. The waterfront is private property, so this could limit one’s enjoyment of a trip in this direction. Also, note that Billy Goat Island is designated for day-use only, with no fires permitted.
This would be a perfect early morning day trip, especially when the seasonal boat traffic drops off (after Labor Day).
