Sunday, July 03, 2016

Paddling Rock Springs Run

I spent Friday paddling down Rock Springs Run – what a beautiful spot!  We dropped a car off down at Wekiva Island and drove another car about 15 minutes to King’s Landing to launch.  The 8.5 mile trip only took about 4 hours, and we were going with the current the whole way so it was an easy trip.

Very shallow water
Very Shallow Water

At the first part of the trip, the water wasn’t more than a few inches deep – we actually had to scoot over the sand in a couple places at first, but the really shallow water was only at the beginning of the trip.

Reflections

As we made it into the forest shade, the water remains crystal clear, and the reflections on the mirror-like surface almost makes the water seem to disappear.River view-2

After the first couple of miles, we started looking for a place to pull off an stretch our legs for a bit; the only easy spot to pull out is at Big Buck Camp.  This camp is about 4 miles from King’s Landing and offers a great spot to get out and stretch while having some lunch.  While we were there we met a couple from North Carolina who had stopped there as well. 

Bird flying offAlong the way we saw fewer alligators than I had expected – only two were out sunning and they were both less than 4’ long.  There are a lot of water fowl along the way though – Ibis, Heron, and Anhinga to name a few.River view-3

A little past the halfway mark, we came across a tree that had fallen across the river, blocking the way for boats.  The water was only a couple of feet deep though, and the branches were sparse enough that it was easy for us to drag our kayaks over it. 

For nearly the whole trip, we had the river to ourselves – this is one of the prettiest areas for paddling that I think I’ve seen in central Florida.  King’s Landing charges $10 to launch, and another $10 if you take advantage of their shuttle service that will pick you up at Wekiva Island.  This is a great spot to visit!

Photo Gallery
More photos available on my Panoramio page

Turtles sunning Mo on the river Andy going around tree

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