One of the guys in the sea kayak club was complaining cause we never paddled the Rainbow river at Dunnellon Florida. So I scheduled a paddle for mid December on the Rainbow. I found space in Ross Prarie Trailhead camp ground. It is one of the many facilities built in the greenway left by the closed down cross Florida barge canal.
We scheduled the paddle for Saturday the 14 to launch from the boat ramp next to city hall. Paddle the six miles up the river to the spring head(s) and return. Then we’d go to the Blue Gator restaurant afterwards. It is a clear spring fed river that flows into the Withlacoochie (a spring fed, rain fed, coffee river) . The river is all “no wake” and power boats are prohibited on the last mile at the spring head state park area. No throw away containers are to be on the water. In the summer they inspect coolers. We had none of that in the winter and there weren’t any tubers. Weather was wonderful in the low 70s. Water was also low 70s. You can paddle all winter just pick a good place.
