Florida Paddle Notes

The Silver River – Below the Surface

Turtle swimming Silver RiverThe Silver River is famous for many things, among which are the numerous springs that feed the river, the abundant wildlife, diverse flora, artifacts, and shipwrecks. Unless you have had the opportunity to enjoy a tour on one of the several glass bottom tour boats, these underwater sights often go unnoticed and unseen as we paddle the surface of this beautiful, scenic river…James

Silver River July 2018

Paddling the Silver RiverThe weather forecast changed over the course of the early morning. By the time we arrived at the launch in Silver Springs State Park the forecast was upwards of a 60-70% chance of rain. As the last of the kayaks entered the water, the sky was dark and thunder heralded our launch. We agreed to proceed, cautious about lightning, and assumed we would get wet…James

The Silver River

The Silver River is a 5.5-mile spring-fed river located about 6 miles East of Ocala in Marion County, Fl. Silver Springs, a state park, is the main 1st magnitude spring and source of flow to the Silver River, discharging over 500 million gallons of water a day! The main spring is roughly 130 feet across and about 35′ deep at the entrance…James

The Ocklawaha River – Ray Wayside to Gore’s Landing 2020

Paddling the Ocklawaha RiverThe Ocklawaha River is the principal tributary of the St. Johns River. Its main source is Lake Griffin, part of the Harris chain of lakes in Lake County, Florida. The Ocklawaha River watershed includes parts of the Green Swamp, most of Lake County, and portions of Marion, Alachua, and Putnam counties. The key tributary to the Ocklawaha is the Silver River, which originates in Silver Springs, Fl…James

Ocklawaha River – Rodman Reservoir Drawdown

Ocklawaha ReflectionRodman Reservoir is currently in a drawdown, where the water level goes from an average of 18′ – 20′ down to approximately 11′. The drawdown exposes the original Ocklawaha River channel along with the remains of hundreds of Cypress tree stumps that once lined the banks of the river. Several springs known as ‘hidden’ or ‘lost’ springs’ are also now revealed with the lower water level and today’s paddle takes Florida Paddle Notes to a few of these springs…James

Ocklawaha River – The Rodman Reservoir to Johnson Field Ramp at Hwy 19

Ocklawaha River AweThis was an overcast day, temperatures in the low 90°’s with an occasional rain shower. The paddle takes us, along with the Boll Green Aquaholics, from the Kirkpatrick Dam Canoe/Kayak Launch at Rodman dam, 7.25 miles East to Hwy 19 at the Johnson Field Boat Ramp. The paddle is slow and easy, the water is high and there is quite a bit of downfall due to previous storms, however, nothing interfered with the paddle…James