Georgia Natural Wonder #48 - Big Hammock Natural Area. 600

[Top Row Dawg]

Georgia Natural Wonder #48 - Big Hammock Natural Area

Big Hammock Natural Area & WMA provide public access to some of the most pristine land on the north side of the Altamaha River, featuring vast hardwood bottomlands, sand ridges, and numerous oxbow lakes (such as the one pictured here) and sloughs. Part of the property was designated a National Natural Landmark by the National Park Service in 1976, because of its rare plants, animals, and unique qualities, including a large population of the rare Georgia Plume (Elliottia racemosa).


Taylor Lake is a large oxbow near the access point.

The primary purpose of Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) is to support wildlife conservation in the state and allow public access to hunting, fishing and other outdoor recreational activities at the bargain price of a WMA license or a Georgia Outdoor Recreational Pass, which ranges from $3.50 for a three-day pass to $20 for a year.



The Big Hammock Natural Area includes an adjoining 800-acre sand ridge with a variety of habitat types, ranging from a cypress/gum forest to a turkey oak/longleaf pine forest.



The sandhill formation found here was formed by depositions of sand from the Altamaha River. Although the WMA is comprised primarily of bottomland hardwood forest with oxbow lakes and sloughs, the natural area is a sand ridge that includes a variety of habitats such as cypress/gum forest and turkey oak-sand live oak forest. The natural area is host to several rare plants and animals.


Turkey Oak acorn.

Big Hammock has three boat ramps that provide access to the Altamaha and Ohoopee Rivers.



Camping is allowed. All camps must be in designated campgrounds, unless otherwise indicated or posted at the WMA check station. Camping or establishment of a campsite shall be limited to a period of time not to exceed 14 consecutive days unless the campsite is vacated and all personally owned property or physical features of the campsite are removed for a period of not less than seven days. A new campsite may not be re-established within one mile of the vacated campsite. Loaded firearms are prohibited in camping areas, except for those with a valid weapons carry license. Campers are responsible for their own trash.



Unless otherwise posted, fishing is allowed on WMAs according to statewide regulations. A WMA license is not required for anglers possessing a valid 1-day, Honorary/Disability, Sportsman or Lifetime License. The trail system is largely un-maintained roads and limited foot paths. Those exploring off trails should take a map and compass.



Deer, turkey, small game, furbearers and alligators are among the animals hunted in the WMA. Contact Georgia DNR for more information, regulations and seasons.



Camping, pre-season scouting, hiking, picnicking, canoeing, and other recreational uses are allowed year-round, unless otherwise posted at the WMA check station or at a specific recreation site.


The cavity of this ancient Blackgum, or Tupelo, was at least fifteen feet in height.


From the smallest skippers and wildflowers to alligators, wildlife abounds throughout Big Hammock.


The road varies from open to canopy. The canopied sections are the coolest, but beware the mosquitoes.


You’ll need a four-wheel-drive vehicle on most days if you’re driving to the river but these road signs probably won’t be much help.


Old Field Lake is a small slough surrounded by Tupelo trees which can be a clue as to past high water marks.


If you make it all the way to the river, you’ll be afforded a view like this one, at J. E. Stanfield Landing.

From the Sherpa Guides……Big Hammock Natural Area and Wildlife Management Area

Viewing Information: Many wildlife species can be seen on the WMA and Natural Area. Songbird viewing is especially good in May and June when a variety is present in the areas.Late May and June is also the best time to view the showy white flowers of Georgia plume.



One wading bird rookery containing white ibis, common egret, anhingas, and great blue herons exists on the WMA.


Ibis in slough.

Sightings of wood storks, Mississippi kites, swallow-tailed kites, and osprey are common.


Wood Stork

Sand hill reptiles such as the gopher tortoise, diamondback rattlesnake, and eastern indigo snake occur on the Natural Area.

Tangent on Georgia State reptile…….

WHEREAS, the gopher tortoise (gopherus polyphemus) belongs to a group of land tortoises that originated in North America 60 million years ago, thus making it one of the oldest living species native to Georgia; and

WHEREAS, the gopher tortoise population is scattered throughout the southeastern United States, with most being found in southern Georgia and north central Florida; and

WHEREAS, the gopher tortoise benefits the ecology by digging burrows up to 40 feet long and 10 feet deep which provides year-round shelter from predators and weather for more than three dozen other animal species, including some threatened species; and

WHEREAS, recent studies indicate that the gopher tortoise population is in decline due to mankind’s activities, and that by the year 2000 the gopher tortoise may not exist outside of protected areas; and

WHEREAS, this ancient and ecologically beneficial reptile is deserving of the attention and appreciation of the citizens of this state by designation as the official state reptile.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:

... The gopher tortoise is designated as the official Georgia state reptile.



American alligators and various water snakes may be seen in many of the oxbow lakes on the WMA.


Just assume gators are everywhere and no swimming.

Mammals that a visitor may encounter include white-tailed deer, raccoons, river otters, bobcats, feral hogs, and small mammals such as rabbits, gray and fox squirrels.


River otter.

The presence of a variety of small rodents is evidenced by their bones and hair in owl pellets, which can be found around the bases of cavity trees.



Road access may be limited at times on the WMA due to excessive rain or if the Altamaha River is at or above flood stage. A 1.3-mile hiking trail is located on the Natural Area and no vehicles are allowed in the Natural Area.



Hiking the magical trail, my path crosses an ancient sand ridge that rises above our powerful Altamaha River. I can taste the heat. Soon I find myself in another world, cooler and shadowy, walking a tunnel through a lush forest imbued with a strong tropical vibe. Ogling limbs heavy with ferns and epiphytes, I wonder, “Am I in South Georgia or Costa Rica?”



My mission: to spot the showy white blossoms of a rare heath, a plant found only in our state, the wonderful Georgia plume.



In the 1970s, ecologists Carol Ruckdeschel and John Bozeman championed the conservation of a unique evergreen hammock they had discovered on the north side of the Altamaha, in Tattnall County. Big Hammock Natural Area, an 801-acre state-owned tract (it adjoins the 5,566-acre Big Hammock Wildlife Management Area), was subsequently protected. The site, designated a National Natural Landmark in 1976, was one of the first natural areas in Georgia acquired to protect rare and endangered species.



Today, stewardship of the natural area is led by Lisa Kruse, botanist with Georgia Department of Natural Resources. Kruse speaks with considerable passion when she tells me, “Big Hammock is a fascinating site by virtue of the wide variety of natural habitats present. With subtle changes in topography and elevation, one can observe a huge diversity of plant species over a short distance.”





Kruse helped design the two-mile nature trail that leads through the hammock, around pine flats, over aeolian “sugar-sand” dunes, and past a cypress-tupelo slough (where the same female alligator regularly nests, under a monster loblolly pine).



The evergreen forest that reminds me of the neotropics is probably the largest undisturbed hammock along the Altamaha. The dominant shrubs/trees here include: sand live oak, devilwood, horse-sugar, sparkleberry (a tree-sized blueberry), and Georgia Plume. The songs of a wood thrush, Kentucky warbler and a white-eyed vireo (“Quick, three beers, chick!”) accompanied me on my recent trek.



Elliottia racemosa (Georgia plume), the only species in its genus and a type of heath (Family Ericaceae) is related to rhododendrons, azaleas and blueberries. With over 300 acres of prime habitat, Big Hammock supports the largest population known. According to Kruse, “Although typically a dogwood-sized tree of the subcanopy, there are some 70-foot-tall giant Georgia plumes on site.”



Kruse tells me Georgia plume relies on its pollinators (moths, bees and wasps) as different genotypes must be crossed for the plant to successfully fruit. Some smaller populations are comprised solely of clones. Flowering peaks in June.



Kruse recommends visiting the tract in late September-October when wildflowers (numerous species of asters, including honeycombhead and the rare woody goldenrod and blazing stars) carpet the ground.


Cladonia evansii - This is powder-puff lichen. If forms extensive colonies on sandy habitats on the ridge.



As autumn takes hold, the turkey oak leaves burn wine-red.



The Altamaha River is the source of one of the most mysterious plant species ever found in North America, the Franklinia alatamaha, or the Franklin tree. The Franklin tree or lost camellia (Franklinia alatamaha), once native only to Georgia, was discovered along the banks of the Altamaha River in the mid-eighteenth century and was last recorded in the wild by nurseryman and plant collector in 1803. All known specimens today are in cultivation.The species is a tree in the tea family (other examples ares asanqua and the camellias).



Franklinia, the only representative of its genus, disappeared from the wild some time before the early nineteenth century (it was last sighted in nature in 1803). In October 1765 John and William Bartram discovered a small grove of trees with white flowers found only along the southern reaches of the Altamaha River. Bartram sent seeds from the tree to England, where they were planted by his research patrons. Bartram also planted some of the seeds in his garden in Philadelphia. Although no longer found in the wild, one can now buy the Franklinia at garden centers. The tree is a reminder of the wealth of biodiversity and ecological intrigue that awaits visitors to the Altamaha River.



Driving Directions:

From Glennville: Take Hwy 144 south 12 miles to Altamaha River. Area lies on both sides of Hwy 144.

From Jesup: take GA Hwy. 169 north, apx. 24 miles. The WMA entrance will be just north of the Altamaha River on the right.



It helps to have a Georgia Natural Wonder Gal hiking buddy when you find these out of the way places. Upon edit, I added three more GNW Gals in Hammocks of course, how did I miss that theme the first time around. Another National Natural Landmark in Georgia tomorrow.