Village Creek / Larsen Sandyland Sanctuary in Texas - Weekend Trip Report

Trip Overview

My stepson Jeff and I did this trip on Jamuary 18-20th, 2011. We were provided excellent shuttle service by David at Piney Woods Outfitters in Lumberton, Texas. His Blue Heeler dog "T-Boy" provided excellent entertainment as well. That dog is a hoot. We were able to leave our car secured at Piney Woods in Lumberton and David shuttled us to the put in on Hwy 327 a short distance away.

The purpose of the trip was mainly to spend a few days filming videos for my website at www.campacopia.com. The trip was more about that than about paddling, so we opted for the 10 mile route so we could spend more time filming than paddling.

The water conditions were fine with the water being clear but having a tea color tint due to tanic acid from the leaves of the surrounding forest. We saw plenty of wildlife along the way including beaver and several otter playing in the creek.

This is one of the most desirable paddling destinations in Texas with many beautiful sugar white sandbars for camping along the way. We setup camp on a huge sandbar using only our Equinox Tarps rather than tents so we could use our Trangia Cookstoves while still being sheltered from the rain. We didn't get as much filming done as we had planned because we had several rainshowers, but we still had a wonderful time just kicking back and enjoying this beautiful place.

This is a great trip for families as well and even novice paddlers should have little difficulty. Piney Woods provides not only great shuttle service but they have a nice rental fleet as well.

Accommodations:

There are both longer and shorter trips offered and Piney Woods also offers extended trips on the Neches River as well.

Resources:

For more info see: www.canoetexas.com/Pineywoods.htm