CENTRAL FLORIDA
Weeki Wachee, Hernando County
The 7.4-mile spring-fed Weeki Wachee River has blue water, lots of wildlife and a good current to do most of the paddling work for you, making it one of the top destinations for family-friendly paddling trips. The best way to kayak Weeki Wachee is to launch near the headsprings from Weeki Wachee Springs State Park’s resident outfitter, Boating in Florida, which offers rentals and shuttle services. It takes about three hours to paddle the roughly six miles from the launch to the takeout point at Rogers Park.
Bioluminescent Kayaking, Cocoa Beach and Titusville areas
While kayaking trips typically happen in the daytime, there are some wonders that can be seen only in the dark. Naturally occurring, glowing algae bioluminescent organisms that bed in the lagoon waters of places like the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge look like flying embers from an undersea fire, but they are cool to the touch. These flicks of blue-green light scatter in all directions at the slightest disturbance in the water, creating a unique, natural underwater light show. They’re so thick in some spots that the water is aglow and everything underwater – seagrass, fish and even your hand – takes on a Harry Potter dimension.
Kayaking is the preferred way to experience this wizardry. Outfitters that include BK Adventure, A Day Away Kayaking Tours and Adventure Kayak of Cocoa Beach explain the natural bioluminescent phenomenon as well as the area’s history as they lead the way to the glowing waters. Peak season is June through October, although besides glowing algae, the area is home to glowing comb jellies (similar to jellyfish, but they don’t sting), which can be seen November through March.
See Manatees in Crystal River and Homosassa
In winter, head to the pristine, spring fed waters of Crystal River and Homosassa – known as “The Manatee Capital of the World.” This area becomes home to more than 300 manatees – the largest gathering of West Indian manatees in North America. These gentle, gigantic sea cows flock to the warm waters north of Tampa and west of Ocala during “Manatee Season” from November to March. There are plenty of certified tour guides who will take you to them, but with Crystal River Kayak Company and Get Up And Go Kayaking you’ll get a very different perspective.
Explore a labyrinthine world of seven rivers, crystal clear springs, and open bays and freshwater lakes that seem to go on forever. But the trip’s once-in-a-lifetime thrill is having a 1,200-pound herbivore elephant-cousin surface beside your kayak. Three Sisters Springs is perfect for paddlers but keep a close eye for designated Manatee Sanctuaries that are off limits during Manatee Season. If that’s still not close enough for you, Crystal River and Homosassa are the only places in Florida where you can legally swim with manatees (and only with a certified guide).
Nestled in the heart of Florida, the Green Swamp covers some 870 square miles in Pasco, Hernando, Polk, Lake, and Sumter counties and serves as the headwaters for four major rivers: the Hillsborough, the Withlacoochee, the Ocklawaha and the Peace, which all offer an abundance of kayaking experiences.
Withlacoochee South Paddling TrailI
The Withlacoochee River (South), one of the few rivers in the Western Hemisphere that flows north, is designated an "Outstanding Florida Waterway." From its starting point in the Green Swamp, this blackwater river flows 141 miles northwest to the Gulf of Mexico at Yankeetown, with a mostly-easy 76-mile Designated Paddling Trail mapped from Lacoochee to Dunnellon. On the southern reaches of the river, below Nobleton, much of the river meanders through peaceful, gorgeous State Forest and Conservation Areas, sheltered from the wind and sun. Numerous access points allow for shorter or longer trips. Further north, as the river widens, you’ll find more motorboats. For launch points, a detailed map, access points and kayak rental information, check out The Withlacoochee River Paddling Guide. Note: There are two Withlacoochee Rivers in Florida. The Withlacoochee River (North) begins in Georgia and runs into the Suwannee, close to Suwannee River State Park.
Ocklawaha River
Rated as an easy to moderate paddle, the serene, stunning Ocklawaha River is another rule-breaking river that flows south to north along the edge of Ocala National Forest, eventually emptying into the St. Johns River near Palatka. You can paddle out and back from launch, from point to point using the outfitter's shuttle service, or get away from it all on a longer trip with overnight camping.
The 8.9 mile-long Ocklawaha Paddling Trail, sited on the lower part of the river, is a celebration of natural beauty made of pristine landscapes of hammocks, scrub pine ridges and made-to-go-barefoot sugar sand banks.
The Ocklawaha Canoe Outpost and Resort offers rentals as well as overnight trips. For launch points, detailed maps and more information, check out Paddle Florida.
Peace River
The aptly named Peace River is 106-mile waterway that gently meanders through tranquil hardwood forests and cypress swamps on its way to Charlotte Harbor. The Peace River Canoe Trail charts 70 miles of the river from Bartow to Arcadia. For a relaxed afternoon, launch a canoe or kayak at one of its 11 public boat ramps, then paddle upstream for a bit and then and drift back to your starting point. If you want something more adventurous, try an overnight expedition, for instance, the trip from Zolfo Springs to Gardner. You can find rentals or a tour at the Peace River Canoe Outpost.
Hillsborough River
From where it originates in the Green Swamp as a skinny trickle, the Hillsborough River tracks southwest 54 miles to upper Hillsborough Bay, where it finishes as a tidal estuary in a busy city. The designated Hillsborough River Paddling Trail covers 30 miles from Hillsborough River State Park to the City of Tampa’s Rowlett Park—and whether you’re looking for an easy-peasy, short trip for beginners or an expert-only white-water expedition, it promises to please.
Because of the route’s length and the enormous differences in the skill required to negotiate different parts of it, the paddling trips have been separated into four sections, each with its own level of difficulty: North, Seventeen Runs, Middle and South.
The North is a scenic, sweet three-mile outing a first-timer can tackle; Seventeen Runs is a legendary, rugged beast with warnings that include the suggestion that paddlers bring food, water and supplies with them ‘should they be forced to travel past nightfall’; the 7.5-mile Middle section from Sargeant Park to Morris Bridge Park and Trout Creek Park is appropriate for beginner to intermediate paddlers; and the South section, 5.5 miles from Trout Creek Park to Rowlett Park, is rated for intermediate paddlers because of the length and possible winds and motorboat traffic.
This popular park invites you to enjoy a simple paddle along the crystal-clear river under cypress trees draped with moss. Keep on the lookout for river otters, wading birds and soaring osprey.
Head to Homosassa to kayak this designated Outstanding Florida Water, known as the "River of Hanging Pumpkins" in Seminole language. Known locally as “The Chaz,” you can expect an expansive wild paradise made of salt marsh, hardwood swamps, crystal-clear springs and river. The real gem is “The Crack” at The Chaz, a secluded sulfur spring 30 feet long, which can only be accessed by paddle craft. It’s the ultimate adventurer’s secret – and even has a swing! Camping, a boat launch, boat rental and a camp store round out the amenities at the Chassahowitzka River Campground and Recreation Area.
Billed as ‘Nature’s Theme Park’ and located near Orlando, King’s Landing is situated on the crystalline waters of Rocks Springs Run, one of three main tributaries that feed the Wekiva River Basin, a designated National Wild and Scenic River. You can enjoy self-guided rentals -- a shuttle picks you up at the Wekiva Marina and brings you back to King's Landing --adventure tours, and even nightly escapes.
Get Up And Go Kayaking also offers tours here, in their clear kayaks.
