I’d like some suggestions for overnight trips or day trips within a couple hours drive of Melborne or Lake Placid. I’ll be going Thanksgiving weekend.
the Loxahatchie River
in Jupiter Florida. You can park and put-in at Jonathan Dickinson State Park. Check out the Jupiter lighthouse while you’re there. Has a Fresnel lens and was built by Robt. E. Lee and George Meade. Right beside it is supposedly the largest banyan tree in FLA.
Enjoy your paddling.
The Floriday State Parks Websites
were very helpful in our planning paddling and camping adventures both in the glades and around Orlando a while back. Parks had fine facilities and had a great trip, gators, manatees and all. Also some good info recently on those planning a FL adventure on the other message board. Have fun! Rick NC
Try this
http://www.floridastateparks.org/information/1TankAdventures.cfm
Just select the city you’ll be closest to, and it will give you all the state parks within 100 miles.
central FL paddling
Near Lake Placid we’ve enjoyed Arbuckle Creek. Upper reach out of L Arbuckle is nicest. Reedy Creek into L Arbuckle is also very scenic but obstructed above schoolbus rd. Connecting creeks between Walk-in Water,Rosalie & Tiger lakes also nice.
You can do an overnight(s) on Peace R above Arcadia, & bit farther W, the Alafia is interesting.
Avoid the Kissimmee, it’s channelized
Awesome saltwater paddling out of Everglades City or check out Great Calusa Blueway near Ft Meyers
N of Melbourne, Mosquito lagoon & Canaveral NS are scenic. Inland, the Econlockhatchee R is worth a visit. Farther NW, Rock Springs Run is great, more scenic than the Wekiwa, into which it flows. Enjoy !
Juniper springs
is not to be missed for a day trip. The put in is about as magical a place as you can imagine…at least for a Northerner…very narrow, crystal clear w/sand bottom, and lots of greenery. It eventually opens out into braided channels through grasslands. I seem to remember it is E of Ocala. There is a livery that will shuttle you if not your private boat. Great paddle!
North Central Florida rivers
these rivers may be pusing the driving limits but ones to consider.
Silver River - Ocala
Ichnetucknee River - High Springs
Peace River - Gardner - Be forewarned this is the busiest weekend of the year for the Peace River.
Great fossiling as Florida has experience global warming 23 times over history, flooding the state or whatever it is that causes flooding that extreme inland.
Fish Eating Creek - Northwest Lake Ochechobee, don’t recall the town off hand right now. Beautiful river. Go too the fisheating creek website and check water levels or call them.
As mentioned the Loxahatchee River is also some great paddling. Jupiter Florida off Indiian Town road and I-95 and Turnpike. Very twisty and curvy, bring your maneuverable boat.
Brian
Fort Lauderdale
sites
Check out some of these sites.
http://www.clubkayak.com/cfkt/index.shtml
http://www.dep.state.fl.us/gwt/
http://www.floridasprings.info/
http://davesyaktales.blogspot.com/
http://www.florida-outdoors.com/peace_river.htm
Fisheating Creek
Fisheating Creek is a beautiful paddle and only 25 minutes from Lake Placid. A few of us are camping there Thanksgiving weekend so shoot me an email if you are interested.
Bill
In or near oclala we found lots
of great paddling. Spent a week doing day trips.
We paddled the Silver River, Juniper Springs, Alexander Springs, Ocklawaha River. All were uncrowded in Feb but I dont think they would be near as beautiful once the the crowds show up.
A little further north parts of the Sante Fe river are nice and the Ichetucknee River are definitely worth a visit especially if it is your first time seeing them.
Some pictures of what to expect in the Ocala area:
http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/557692194RvQmsS