You can stop looking for paradise.
Most guidebooks dismiss the Gulf Coast uninteresting.
They couldn't be more wrong. To get there, drive down Hwy 97 or 101 to Hwy 180 and keep going south towards Tampico. The scenery changes dramatically from the flat land you've just traversed to gentle rolling hills. The parking lot is a grassy field shaded by hundred year old trees, with 24 hour security. From there, you take a small launch upriver.