River Snorkeling Is the Latest Thing — and It’s MAGICAL
You don't have to fly to the Caribbean to snorkel! The South is home to an array of freshwater bodies teeming with wildlife, and river snorkeling is fast becoming a beloved outdoor hobby. Here's where to try it! Image: USFS/Brandon Fair
Beneath the surface of rivers and streams lies a vibrant world teeming with life … a world hard to behold without goggles and complete submersion. Enter river snorkeling. Slightly dorky looking? Maybe. Completely worth it? Absolutely. The South boasts some of the very best river snorkeling in the country, and we’re just diving into this unique hobby.
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The Blue Ridge Snorkel Trail | Multiple Sites in North Carolina
For the choose-your-own-adventure enthusiasts, The Blue Ridge Snorkel Trail urges you to dip beneath the surface of North Carolina’s most pristine and wildlife-laden rivers. The North Carolina Wildlife Resource Commission, NCFishes, North Carolina Wildlife Foundation, The Glass Foundation, and other agencies have mapped out a collection of curated snorkel sites throughout the state’s mountain rivers.
PinA colorful Tangerine Darter male can grow up to seven inches long, making it the largest darter in the Blue Ridge. Image: Blue Ridge Snorkel Trail via Instagram
Sites generally open for snorkeling in early June and stay open until August. Access to the trail is free; you only need goggles and a snorkel. And in the case of the Little Tennessee River, they provide snorkel gear for you. Keep those goggled eyes peeled for otters, crayfish, trout, mussels, sunfish, turtles, and so much more. The site has a handy wildlife guide to make identifying easy.
PinThe current trail includes 10 pilot snorkeling sites throughout the Catawba River, French Broad River, Hiwassee River, Little Tennessee River, and Yadkin River basins. But a recent post said they received funding to add 25 more dive sites to the trail! Image: Blue Ridge Snorkel Trail via InstagramPsst! For another fabulous outdoor trail, check out The Kentucky Wildlands’s 17-spot waterfall trail.
Oxbow River Snorkeling | Lake Toxaway, NC
Oxbow River Snorkeling was among the first companies in the country to organize river snorkeling expeditions. Owners Kevin and Christie are passionate about sharing their knowledge of the natural world with the public and have spent innumerable hours exploring the rivers of Western North Carolina and Eastern Kentucky.
PinOxbow’s North Carolina locale is within and near several of the world’s most ecologically and biologically diverse watersheds: the French Broad River, Little Tennessee, and Savannah River. Image: Oxbow River Snorkeling via Facebook
The Oxbow guides lead you down the ancient rivers, pointing out and explaining the myriad life forms. During summer, chubs build nesting mounds, and numerous minnow species like saffron shiners, Tennessee shiners, warpaint shiners, and central controllers congregate to spawn.
PinMany wacky and rare species of turtles hang out underwater, so you’ll only see them river snorkeling. Image: Oxbow River Snorkeling via Facebook
Beyond oohing and ahhing at all the wildlife you’ll see, other positives come out of river snorkeling. Exploring nature makes us more invested in conservation efforts that bolster ecological diversity. Many of these expeditions also include the opportunity to pick up trash (and treasures!) found at the river bottom, and some, like Oxbow, offer wilderness first-aid training alongside the snorkel expeditions.
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Conasauga River Snorkel Hole | Ocoee, TN
Down in a remote pocket of the Cherokee National Forest in North Georgia/East Tennessee, the Conasauga River is renowned for its exceptional biodiversity. It has more than 70 fish species, several unique to the river. The water is especially clear and calm during the summer, and aquatic life is the most active.
PinWe recommend booking a ranger-led excursion to explore the Conasauga River Snorkel Hole. Seasoned and novice groups or individuals are welcome! Image: USFS/Holly Krake
Several thousand fish surround you on any given day, and it feels like swimming in a chock-full aquarium. Snorkelers can see little darters, larger fish like bass and sunfish, freshwater mussels, crayfish, and cool aquatic plants. You may also see turtles, salamanders, tadpoles, and freshwater drums as large as six pounds swimming through the deeper pools in schools.
Rainbow River | Dunnellon, FL
Florida, unsurprisingly, has lots of snorkel opportunities. And many include the promise of manatee spotting. We’ll dive into one favorite spot: Rainbow River. This is a spring-fed snorkel site, so water clarity is sometimes crystal clear up to 20 feet deep, and the water is a perfect 72 degrees year-round. Beyond the animals, you can also see an exciting landscape of bubbling underwater springs, cypress trees, other colorful native flora, and maybe manatees.
Snorkeling the headsprings of the Rainbow River is a favorite activity allowed only in the buoyed swimming area. However, you can snorkel from the campground or boats once outside the headings. Just make sure each snorkeler has a legally required dive flag for safety. Many cute lodgings like Rainbow River Bungalows will round out your Florida Springs visit.
The wild and scenic Cossatot River offers a coveted snorkel experience in Arkansas. The 5,600-acre rugged and spectacular river corridor is dotted with skilled kayakers tackling the Class III, IV, and even Class V rapids.
PinIn and out of the water, explorers ogle the river’s steep forested slopes, striking geological features, and cascading clear water. Image: Robert Nunnally
Snorkelers head to the river’s calmer sections, which comprise dozens of little swimming holes and great snorkeling coves. To learn about the underwater world of the Cossatot River and search for macroinvertebrates, embark on the “river safaris” the park leads each summer.
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San Marcos River and Spring Lake | San Marcos, TX
It’s widely known that tubing and boating in the Texas Hill Country is a rootin’ tootin’ good time. But in snorkel gear, you can see the San Marcos River from a new perspective. In the past, a company called Snorkel TX ran organized trips, but we haven’t found evidence that’s still the case. So grab your mask, snorkel, and fins, and follow the route from Sewell Park to the Rio Vista Falls Dam.
Spring Lake is another fabulous spot to dip in with snorkel or dive gear. It’s part of the Upper San Marcos River, one of the most biologically diverse aquatic ecosystems in the southwestern United States. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Department deems it a “critical habitat” due to its seven at-risk species. Keep your eyes peeled for Texas wild rice, an endangered strain that only grows along this stretch of the San Marcos River.
Other aquatic wildlife you might see include sunfish, blue tilapia, red-eared slider turtles, and crayfish. The giant aquifer-fed spring system stays a perfect 72 degrees year-round and has one of the densest populations of turtles in the country. This video shows just how clear the water is.
Will you take advantage of this new way to explore the South this summer?
Zoe is a StyleBlueprint freelance writer, Charlotte native, Washington & Lee graduate, and Nashville transplant since 2012. She teaches Pilates, helps manage recording artists, and likes to "research" Germantown's food scene.
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