07/03/2011 - Hals Lake

Launch: Olin Boat Launch in McIntosh, AL
Launch Cost: Free
Destination: Hals Lake. The entrance to Hals Lake is 3.5 miles south of the Olin boat ramp on the Tombigbee River. About the first 2 miles on Hals Lake, willows along the bank are dominate. Then bald cypress begin to appear and some are majestic. Hals Lake would not be good for a pedal boat due to all the downed tree limbs lurking beneath the surface.
Distance: 20 miles (round trip)
Paddle time: 6-1/2 hours
Weather: Warm morning to Hot afternoon. Almost no wind. Tide was low and beginning to come in. Current both on the Tombigbee and Hals Lake was about 1 mph.
GPS Track: To view or download the GPS track of this trip, Click Here.

Header Image. Yes, there are alligators in Hals Lake.

1) Steamy sunrise on the Tombigbee River. It looks like heat vapors are rising from the sun and that is the way it felt today as temperatures rose to almost 100.

2) There are plenty of bald cypress knees in Hals Lake to keep your imagination working. Hmm, a unicorn with teeth?

3) It was cool to see good sized trees growing from the inside a sunken vessel.

4) One hazard of a non-maintained trout line is YOU can get hooked. As you can see, water levels are low. Trout lines should be illegal.

5) Not many places to get out of the kayak in Hals Lake without getting muddy right now. I used this fallen tree to get on and walked on it to dry land, only to get stung by fire ants that had nested in the tree trunk.

6) On land, signs of a drought are visible.

7) Not many flowers in bloom now. There were a few displays from swamp milkweed (Asclepias perennis).

8) Also saw an Indian Heliotrope (Heliotropium indicum) which has a cool looking flower stem that unfurls.

9) The trunk of this bald cypress gets much wider at the bottom.

10) The deep woods of the delta are ideal for Barred Owls.

11) Even though the tree is dead, it still brings forth life.

12) The Olin boat launch ramp in McIntosh is about 250 feet long because water levels can vary widely. Can you see the kayak?