Indian Creek & Gissy Spring

Indian Creek & Gissy Spring Overview

If you’ve ever paddled the beautiful Rainbow River in Marion County near Dunellon, Fl, you have probably noticed, or even attempted to explore, a narrow spring run that flows into the river just a 1/4 mile North of K.P. Hole County Park. This is Indian Creek, that leads to Gissy Spring.

Gissy Spring is a privately owned spring that flows into Indian Creek and travels 0.40 miles southwest into the Rainbow River. The spring actually has 2 vents, formerly known as Indian Creek Spring #3 and Indian Creek Spring #4. The spring discharges into a circular bowl-shaped depression 80 ft. in diameter and discharges from a 15.5 ft deep sand vent strewn with limestone boulders.

Prior to 2006, Indian Creek Spring was full of debris and mud. In 2006 the land that surrounded the spring was purchased for $2.1 million by Jim Gissy, a successful investor/developer, thus the name change to Gissy Spring. Gissy invested an additional $400,000 to have the spring cleaned and restored to the clear water spring it is today.

Indian Creek Details

Location: The Rainbow River, is located, in Dunellon, Fl, about 20 miles southwest of Ocala, in Marion County. It flows south for half of its length, turning southwesterly for the final half. The mouth of Gissy Spring, entering the Rainbow River is at 29° 5’25.15” N, 82°25’33.23″ aW.

Launch point(s): The launch for this paddle was K.P. Hole County Park – 9435 SW 190th Avenue Rd, Dunnellon, FL 34432. Nice launch, Restrooms, Parking fills quickly! A daily user fee of $5.00, Rentals, and tours.

Paddle Distance: K.P Hole launch to Gissy Spring and back is 1.4 miles. We did paddle further on the Rainbow River, however.

Difficulty: Moderate. A medium to strong current in some sections, tight and twisting in some sections.

Average Paddle Speed: 1.5 mph.

Width and Depth: The width is from 10 – 20′ on average while depth ranges from 8″ to a few feet.

Current – Tidal: The current is moderate flowing from Gissy Spring into the Rainbow River

Side Paddles: Rainbow River

Rest Areas: Restrooms are available at the launch at K.P. Hole, Blue Run Park, and several areas along the river where it is shallow enough to exit your kayak.

Important Information: Remain in your kayak or in mid-stream as this is private property up to and along the mean high watermark. The gate is currently locked halfway up Indian Creek and paddlers are encouraged to respect private property rights on Florida waterways.

Indian Creek Paddle Map

K.P.Hole Launch

KP Hole - Canoe & Kayak Launch — KP Hole – Canoe & Kayak Launch

At Gissy Spring Run — James at Indian Creek

The launch was at K.P. Hole County Park. It was sunny, breezy, and in the mid 80°’s. We paddled against the current, on the Rainbow River, which has a pretty strong flow. Indian Creek is located on the eastern bank of the river a little over a 1/4 mile from K.P.Hole. There are a couple of Bay trees out from the entrance of the run that makes for a nice landmark. The water is clear and usually no more than a couple of feet deep, making for a good rest stop. Worth marking for future paddles, this spot does get quite crowded on weekends as well as during the summer months.

Paddling Indian Creek to Gissy Spring is awesome. A trip through lush hardwood and tropical forest, with Palms, Tupelo, Cypress…the water is crystal clear, has a beautiful white sand bottom, and a strong flow.

Cardinal Flower and Swamp Lilies accent the waterway on this trip as the sun peaks off and on from the thick canopy overhead. At the halfway mark is a new gate, along with the ‘No Trespassing’ signs. They have been intimidating in the past, however, in my understanding, we were on Navigable Water. A member of our paddle group noticed the gate had a revolving opening with no lock, that allowed passage of a canoe or kayak. She paddled on through to explore and we followed, continuing on this narrow, lush waterway to Gissy Spring.

The Spring is definitely a resort done well, and again, we are surrounded by Private Property, so remaining in the kayak is a must. The spring owners can be contacted online in order to book a night at $5,000 a night! Out of my league for sure. After viewing the spring, we headed back and relaxed in the water of the run. It was a fun paddle from the springhead to the Rainbow River. With the strong current, I paddled hard, and fast, and enjoyed a fun trip back.

Having paddled the Rainbow River for several years, this was certainly a first…to be able to finally paddle all the way up the run to Gissy Spring. It made for another good chapter in Florida Paddle Notes!

The Controversy – Navigable Waters

Paddlers’ Rights vs Private Property Rights

If you’ve paddled the beautiful Rainbow River in Marion County near Dunellon, Fl, you have probably noticed, or even explored, a narrow spring run flowing into the river just a 1/4 mile North of K.P. Hole County Park. This is Indian Creek, flowing from Gissy Spring.

Indian Creek flows 0.40 miles West from its source, Indian Spring, now known as Gissy Spring. It was purchased by successful investor/developer Jim Gissy in 2006.

My original post on Gissy Spring and Indian Creek

On October 16, 2019, I posted information of a paddle I made to Gissy Spring which flows into the Rainbow River via Indian Creek. In that post, as in all my posts, I provide enough information describing the paddle, to include a map, as well as details and photographs of the flora and fauna.

A key feature of that post was a discussion of Florida Navigable Waters, paddlers’ rights and whether the water, and the land beneath, are actually private property. I provided several links to Florida’s laws and descriptions of navigable waters and included several references to the land that bordered the spring and run as being private property. The post was my personal documentation of paddling the run, as well as my understanding of ‘navigable waters’ from the documentation I researched.

Following that post in Oct, six months later in April of 2020, I received an email from Kathryn Gissy Saft Esq., a lawyer representing Jim Gissy’s interests. The email revolves around the above-mentioned post from October 16, 2019. Ms. Saft asserted that the spring and run did not qualify as navigable waters under Florida law and were therefore private property. Despite presenting a 2006 Boundary Survey for Gissy Springs, confirming ownership of the waterway was inconclusive. The survey explicitly excluded a determination of water rights, raising questions about the actual status of navigability and private ownership.

In response, Ms. Saft wrote back “immediately remove the aforementioned blog post and confirm your compliance with this demand within three (3) business days“, or “face consequences of being responsible for anyone paddling up there and stealing personal property or equipment“.

I have written in depth about Exploring Florida’s Navigable Waterways and Paddlers’ Rights. This issue concerning the blocking of Indian Creek is still ongoing and I also have an update from following the case, Consent Order Impacting Access on Indian Creek.

Important Information: Until this issue is resolved, it is important to remain in your kayak or in mid-stream as this private property goes up to and along the mean high watermark of the Rainbow River.