Sabine River, Hwy 271 Launch, Gladewater, up
Kayak paddle route map on the Sabine River in east Texas launching at Highway US 271 just south of Gladewater. The route is an up and back, about 22 miles total. The USGS gage for the Sabine River at Gladewater read 193 cfs, very low, slight flow. I got to about 11 miles up at my designated 3 hours turnaround time. Amazingly, by chance, and at the turnaround exactly, I happen to see Luke P. doing a point to point downstream paddle in preparation for TWS. So I paddled the return stretch with him, he is fast. Unlike the upstream sections of the river this region is quite wide and at this level can even be a bit shallow in places. But no log jams. Probably the only issue is one of convenience, the upstream put-in at SH 155 is not so great and the better one at State Park Highway/FM 14 makes for a longish trip. The paddle today included one pig climbing a steep bank, a (regular) snapping turtle, a few deer, one bald eagle, and a few motorboats. Perfect spring day for paddling, not much to say about the pictures, just pretty.
Above: The Highway 271 launch.
Above: Perfect.
Above: Slight current at some spots.
Above: Lots of sandbars to take a break if desired.
Above: Spring happens fast. Trips a few weeks earlier are brown and bare.
