Story By John Mann

ark kicked off Labor Day weekend with a special ceremony on Friday morning as the Friends of Lake Guntersville State Park and Alabama Scenic River Trail cut the ribbon on a new kayak launch which will also be offering rentals.

“It looks great and is even better than I expected,” Friends President Indya Guthrie said. “This is the only place in the park now where you can get kids kayaks so kids will be able to come here and paddle with their parents. The grant we received provided us with kids kayaks, adult kayaks, the launch and then the park provided the labor.”

The launch, which is located at the park campground, was funded through the Scenic River Trail’s waterway enhancement program which provides microgrants of five thousand dollars or less to civic groups and clubs for plans involving waterway access. The program is currently in it’s second year, awarding seven grants which includes the one for the Friends, an organization that started in August of last year.

“Alabama Scenic River Trail is the state’s official paddling resource covering 6300 miles of trail across the state,” Director of Development and Growth Martha Grace Mize said. “We grew our of several smaller paddling clubs and are now one large organization, we’re trying to be that comprehensive resource that can connect local people to their waterways.”

The launch is one of three kayak launches on the lake currently in operation and one of two that offer kayak rentals. The other main launch is at Town Creek and also offers rentals while the third is at Short Creek but is launch only.

Rentals are available through the campground store seven days a week from 9 am until 4 pm and the price for a kayak is twenty dollars per hour. 

“This is a great place to start out,” Park Naturalist Anna Crow said. “It’s calm water but it’s also great for experienced paddlers too because we have amazing views and there is always something cool to see. It’s a really relaxed community and even if you’re paddling by someone that’s fishing they’ll strike up a conversation with you or you with them. It’s a great sense of community when you’re on the water and it’s such a great place to be because of the nature, the wildlife and the people.”

The launch got a chance to put into use right away as Crow led a guided Sunset Paddle on Saturday evening with just around thirty participants. Crow, who started as naturalist last November, has been doing guided paddles all summer at a rate of two a month since April. 

During her trips Crow shows people where to look for wildlife such as bald eagles, talks about the history of the area and the families that lived in the park, the Tennessee Valley Authority and how the lake was formed. For Saturday’s paddle the trip began at 530 in the evening, taking paddlers on a loop of just under two miles that ended with arrival back at the launch just as the sun was setting.

“This was the best turnout that we’ve had so far,” Crow said. “It was really exciting to have about thirty people show up and everyone seemed to have a great time. It was so exciting to use the launch for the first time and it’s wide enough for two kayaks so we were able to get everyone in the water really fast. It was a little choppy on the way out but everyone handled it like a champ, we made it as far as I had planned and the paddle back was beautiful and the water was nice and easy, it was perfect. I’m so happy these events have taken off like this, it’s turned out to be one of my favorite things I get to do in this job.”

There are two more guided paddles planned for the season with the first on September 13 at 2 pm at Town Creek. That event will take place during Girls Scouts Love State Parks Weekend and is mainly geared toward scouts and their families but is open to everyone. The final paddle of the season will be on September 26 at 5 pm at the campground launch. 

More information about Friends of Lake Guntersville State Parks, including upcoming events and volunteer information can be found on their Facebook page under “Friends of Lake Guntersville State Park” while Alabama Scenic River Trail can be found on their website at alabamascenicrivertrail.com.