The Ichetucknee River is always a pleasant and scenic paddle. I made a point this year to make sure to paddle this river in December to view the Fall colors. I was not disappointed!…James
Autumn on The Ichetucknee River…
This was purely a scenic and short, three-mile paddle. Our goal was to enjoy our day and have a relaxing paddle but the main objective was to view the mid-December colors along the river. As mentioned above, This was a goal, planned back in the Spring, with the hope of hitting the right time for fall colors.
It’s tricky to get the timing right for observing the color change along Florida’s waterways. Some years, the weather is cold and some years, rather warm. Also, the trees themselves turn at different times, for instance, Bald Cypress started changing colors almost a month ago. Over the course of a few weeks, their initial yellow showing becomes dark burnt orange and then they are gone. Most other deciduous trees along the river and a couple of weeks behind the cypress. To have it all happen in unison is a rare find!
Today was an awesome display of color! Dahoon Hollies offered up splashes of green from their leaves and showcasing beautiful red berries, while an assortment of deciduous trees, ie. Maples, Elms, Gums, Birch and Hickories, all added their varying hues of reds, oranges, and yellows. It’s well worth the planning ahead to enjoy late Autumn on one of Florida’s waterways. Last but not least, I have never seen more turtles on a river than I saw today! They stacked up on logs and branches and never paid any attention to us as we paddled by.
This particular paddle was from the north head spring, south to the last exit in the park, 3.1 miles. For more specific details, to include a detailed paddle map, water data, flora & fauna, and numerous photos on paddling the Ichetucknee River, see the previous posts from Florida Paddle Notes…
Guides, Maps & Info…
- Ichetucknee Topo Map…
- Ichetucknee Springs State Park…
- Florida Springs – Ichetucknee Springs…
- Ichetucknee Springs Information…
- Ichetucknee River Paddling Guide…