Angelina, Rayburn, 539 Tram Boat Launch
This kayak paddle map route launches at what Google maps calls ‘Tram Boat Ramp Angelina River Bottom’, at the end of County Rd 539. It’s about five miles south of Nacogdoches Texas but it takes a while to get there, it’s out of the way and down a long dirt road. The launch is at the interface of a loose, meandering, braided set of Angelina River channels at the north end of Sam Rayburn Reservoir. There was some current on the main channel but it was still fairly easy to paddle upstream. This is not the big wide Angelina, this is a sprawl. The route goes west until hits a long straight canal, then turns around at an upstream put-in site off of County Rd 529. A linear out and back but a really interesting area and not a common paddle. I surprised an enormous alligator on the return leg. It was resting in the sun just around a turn in the stream. It was one of those like you see on the internet with the huge saggy throat area hanging down where your arm would fit. Good paddle.
Above: The launch at the end of 539.
Above: Leaving early, in the rain, just outside Dallas.
Above: Find the pig.
Above: Some current, some logs, but ok.
Above: A long channel near the 529 turnaround.
Above: Resting for moment at the turnaround.