Any thoughts on rivers and outfitters in the Pensicola, FL area. Looking for day trips.
Thanks.
Lots of places
Dear osprey,
Man you are taking me back to my days in the Air Force when you mention canoeing near Pensacola FL. If you head about 40 minutes north of Pensacola you will find Milton FL. It’s a good starting point for potential trips.
You have the Escambia River, the Blackwater River, and the Yellow River all within a short drive of Milton.
The Blackwater River is a tannic colored river that reminds me of the rivers in New Jersey Pine Barrens. Why not, they both flow through sandy bottomed pine forests, the trees are just a little taller in FL.
The Yellow River is pretty much, yellow. This is due to the clay in the soil and the presence of more agricultural interests in the upper watershed. It has an established water trail.
http://www.dep.state.fl.us/gwt/guide/designated_paddle/Yellow_guide.pdf
The Escambia is similar to the Blackwater. You also have opportunities to paddle in the back bays and bayous of Pensacola Bay.
Googling canoeing in NW Florida or any of these rivers will give you more information than someone who hasn’t been there for 30 years can give you.
P.S. If you get an email with a similar message and some links it’s because I screwed up and wrote my first response as an email and not a message board answer. It’s still early here and I’m slow to awake. 
Good luck,
Tim Murphy AKA Goobs 
Check out these links
Green wave - trip reports on all the diferent rivers in Florida Panhandle
http://www.clubkayak.com/greenwave/trips.asp?op=showregion®ion=1&page=1
Florida Panhandle Canoe and Kayak Connection
http://www.fpckc.com/home
West Florida Canoe and Kayak Club
Check out West Florida Canoe and Kayak Club aka WFCKC http://www.clubkayak.com/wfckc/
One of the best sites to check out the different paddling options is: https://sites.google.com/site/jwparkpaddles/
As far as Outfitters, there is Pensacola Kayak and Sail http://www.pensacolakayak.com/. Adventures Unlimited is a livery, http://www.adventuresunlimited.com/, I don’t know if they would let you plan your own trips or not.
If you get with WFKCK someone might be willing to let you borrow what you need.
Regina
Don’t forget the Coldwater. Has its own
outfitter, “Adventure Outfitters” if I recall. Coldwater carries a bit more flow than the Blackwater.
This has been a rotten season, though. Blackwater and Coldwater often low. Yellow might be OK, and the Escambia should always offer a path through the shallows.
Canoeing & Kayaking Florida
from Menasha Ridge Press. Detailed descriptions and maps, especially for the streams in the Eglin Reservation. See if you can find a copy of Canoe Trails of the Deep South. It is out-of-print but the streams in southern Alabama and Mississippi are still there and easy to find.
Super
Thanks a bunch guys! I’ve been checking some of the leads out already.