Half-Mile Rise

Nature joins the cool, clear waters of the Wacissa River to the dark, tannin-rich waters of the nearby Aucilla River at a mysterious and storied junction known to locals as Half-Mile Rise.

This outstanding paddle begins on the lower Wacissa at Goose Pasture. Venturing down the Wacissa, explorers weave their way through an extensive network of braided streams and paths as the water passes through ancient forests and swamp hammocks. Paddle on to the confluence of the waters at Half-Mile Rise, a section of the Aucilla River that rises up from the underworld, flows for a half mile, and returns to its subterranean flow via a series of sinkholes.

This primitive wilderness is home to the Page-Ladson site, an important archaeological site that holds evidence of permanent human habitation reaching back over ten millennium.