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Sulphur River, Malden Lake Park, Wright Patman Lake, A

Wright-Patman Lake is about 15 miles or so southwest of Texarkana and just south of I-30. This paddle route starts from Malden Lake Boat Ramp on the north side of the Highway 8 bridge. The launch is at the west end of the lake and allows access to the Sulphur River. It’s initially a bit confusing how to work your way up into the Sulphur River, but you eventually see how the current is flowing and make your way there. There are a lot of possible channels to explore, it’s a huge area, and for this trip I just followed the Sulphur River a ways, then went west and north along a random channel. There might be another possible launch point further up the River. The feel of this area is much different from the cypress swamps in Caddo 30 miles to the south, it feels more ‘northerly’, which is kind of interesting. The water and scenery is more open, all flatwater paddling, as can be seen in the pictures below. I didn’t see any alligators. At the launch there was an old beat up self-pay kiosk, broken and no longer used. It was filled with leaves, sticks, spiders, and a 10 dollar bill, which I

Above: Glassy reflections.

Above: Not too exciting.

Above: Taking a break on the shore somewhere deep in the route.

Above: Several beavers were busy near the turnaround point.