Central Florida Paddles

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North Florida Paddles
Big Bend Saltwater Paddling Trail - Cedar Key National Wildlife Refuge Wakulla River -
St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge - Port St. Joseph Peninsula State Park

Central Florida Paddles
Ulumay Wildlife Refuge - Hillsborough River - Ocklawaha River - Silver River
Santa Fe River - Mosquito Lagoon

South Florida Paddles
Fisheating Creek 2-05 - Fisheating Creek 2-04
Florida Keys

Florida Panhandle


Wakulla River	St. Marks River

Beach at Port St. Joseph Peninsula State Park	Launch at St. Marks NWR
	The lighthouse at St. Marks NWR

Cedar Key National Wildlife Refuge Perhaps nothing says Cedar Key better than the Thomas Guest House (pictured at right). This old structure has been the image of the small island for years. Battered and leaning precariously from last summer's onslaught of hurricanes, it doesn't seem long before this landmark is gone forever...

The series of islands or keys comprising the Cedar Key area is an open water paddling delight. We paddled to Atsena Otie and Snake Keys. It was a treat to find cuts through each that offered a glimpse into the interiors - which are closed off to foot traffic to protect the fragile ecosystems. All of the islands are major rookeries for colonizing migratory birds.

White sandy beaches can be found on Atsena Otie Key. A great place to stop and get out. Atsena also has the only nature trail to the interior of the island as well as a small cemetary dating to the Civil War era.

The canoe trail of Atsena Otie Key

Dennis paddles on what turns out to be a glassy day - it didn't start that way. A cold front the day before meant we were met by 40 degree temperatures and 20-25 knot winds when we first reached the put-in. We waited it out, taking advice from the captain's on the docks and sure enough, it turned into a beautiful, calm day.

Ulumay Wildlife Refuge


Caught these Roseate Spoonbills just taking off

We startled this little guy, too

Hillsborough River

Hillsborough county and the State have done an extraordinary job setting aside public land. Along the Hillsborough River there are several state and county parks with picnic facilities, bicycle and hiking trails and campgrounds.

Ancient Cypress trees offer a cool canopy during the hot summer months

This river boasts a wide array of
wildlife including this stunning heron

One of Florida's most scenic paddle trails, the Hillsborough
river's cypress-lined banks lazy currents and excellent
wild- life viewing make for a special paddling experience.
Away from it all right in the midst of one the State's major
metropolitan areas.

Ocklawaha River

Winter offers a completely different Ocklawaha river. During the summer months paddlers are blessed with a thick canopy of trees (above) making the Ocklawaha a good hot weather paddle.	For those seeking to double their adventure, combine the Silver and Ocklawaha Rivers for a long day of paddling. Start by paddling the Silver River out to the Attraction and back and then continue past the Wayside Park where you launched and continue to Gore's Landing (a private livery) for 15+ miles of paddling! The Ocklawaha is known for its easy float trip - perfect for beginners.

Silver River

Located in Ocala just south of the Silver Springs attraction, the popular launch for the paddle is Wayside Park. This offers a moderate paddle upstream against the 3-5 mph current to the attraction and an easy float back to the launch. Feel free to look at the boils of one of the State's most impressive springs,but getting out of the boat is prohibited.	The Silver River is famous for its free- roaming Rhesus monkeys. Released during the filming of the Tarzan movies in the 40's, they have propagated into several large colonies and can be seen along the banks. Don't get too close, though - THEY BITE!
Santa Fe River, High Springs, FL The Santa Fe is a perfect summer paddle. The river has numerous springs keeping the water a refreshing 72 year round - great for a swim on a hot day
Our friends Ed & Nan enjoying the river	Lily Springs

Dennis clowning with Ed. Above is the (in)famous Lily Springs - home of Nature Ed the loincloth man. Nature Ed is the one on the right - the nice man who always welcomes us to enjoy his spring. (not to be confused with our friend Ed!)

Mosquito Lagoon, New Smyrna Beach This special place is one of our favorites and we never get skunked on wildlife. We have seen dolphin feeding and playing, manatee mating and water birds galore every time we come (except the one time we bring friends to show it off of course!).

A dolphin swims near my kayak

Dennis fishes off the little spit of beach where we stop for lunch

A liveaboard	Dennis paddles his Tempest

The Ibis tree	Pure Beauty
South Florida Paddles
	Fisheating Creek, Palmdale, FL This unique river located in Palmdale at the edge of Okeechobee is like a step back in time. Read about our trip
Dennis fishing	Campsite
Old growth cypress lines the bank	Paddling through this cypress forest was yet another surprise
The river narrows and twists	Perfect day as we make our way to the take-out

Florida Keys - Upper & Middle Keys Our kayak camp trip to Nest Keys was out of the question with 25 knot winds, so we played tourist instead, "roughing" it at the Holiday Inn in Key Largo and taking day paddles out of Long Key and Lower Matecumbe. We spent an entire day exploring Lignumvitae and Indian Keys from a roadside pull-off and then spent a day at Long Key State Park, launching from our picnic area stop. It wasn't the adventure we'd planned, but nothing can beat the relaxation of time spent in this tropical paradise.

The westerly winds gave us unusual calm waters on the ocean side	That's Lignumvitae Key in the distance

Above is Indian Key - one of many of the coral islands here	This is our launch site from Long Key State Park - the campsites are also directly on the water

We saw nurse sharks, reef and black tip sharks, ballyhoo, bonefish and rays galore!

Above is our "camp" for the week. Really, it was kind of tough to take!

Copyright© 2000, 2004 Dennis Gonzalez and Kim Gonzalez
This page was last updated on 01/16/06.
All photos taken by Kim Gonzalez unless otherwise
notated. All rights reserved. No photos may be
reproduced or used without written consent of photographer.