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Hike Bike Paddle Camp Florida with authors Sandra Friend and John Keatley as your guides

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Fakahatchee ferns

Waterways for Paddlers

Places for paddlers to explore by kayak, canoe, or paddleboard, including rivers, lakes, and coastal waters.

Waterways

Alexander Springs

Alexander Springs

Ocala National Forest  |  Astor
( 29.079006, -81.577921 )      

Surrounding one of Florida’s most picturesque first magnitude springs, Alexander Springs is a prime destination for a summer swim or snorkel

Biscayne Bay

Mangroves in Biscayne Bay

Miami      ( 25.5233,-80.2537 )      

Biscayne Bay is a shallow estuary bounded by barrier islands and coral reefs along the Miami shoreline, more than 63,000 acres of placid salt water

Canoeing Shingle Creek

Shingle Creek Regional Park  |  Kissimmee
( 28.303795,-81.451203 )      

Paddle down Shingle Creek from Shingle Creek Regional Park at Steffee Landing in Kissimmee, where canoe and kayak rentals are now available for visitors.

Merritt’s Mill Pond

Merritt's Mill Pond

Marianna      ( 30.780132, -85.168502 )      

Fed by first-magnitude Jackson Blue Spring and nearly a dozen smaller springs, Merritt’s Mill Pond is a waterway unlike any other in Florida, its unusual hues trapped between rocky slopes and edged with moss-draped cypress trees.

Paddle to Dead Lakes

Paddling in the sun

Wewahitchka      ( 30.136888, -85.199645 )      

One of Florida’s most unusual and beautiful places to paddle, the Dead Lakes include 6,700 acres of mazy cypress and tupelo swamps in the Chipola River floodplain.

Paddling Holmes Creek

Beckton Spring

Choctawhatchee River WMA  |  Vernon
( 30.6493,-85.6901 )      16 miles

With a dozen launch points and more than 15 springs along its 16 mile length, Holmes Creek, a tributary of the Choctawhatchee River, is a must-do paddling trip along a remote waterway.

Paddling Juniper Run

Paddling Juniper Run

January 5, 2017    John Keatley

Paddling Juniper Run from Juniper Springs to the take out at SR 19 in the Ocala National Forest, a popular paddling trip along this sinuous, spring-fed waterway that winds through the Juniper Prairie Wilderness.

Paddling the Santa Fe River

Gilchrist Blue Springs

August 29, 2015    John Keatley

On a mellow paddling trip down the Santa Fe River, John discovers several swimming springs, thousands of turtles, and miles of quiet waterway.

Paddling the Silver River

Paddling the Silver River

August 30, 2009    Sandra Friend

What to do on a hot summer’s day? Try the naturally air-conditioned Silver River for a paddling trip.

Paddling the Weeki Wachee River

Weeki Wachee River

Weeki Wachee Springs State Park  |  Weeki Wachee
( 28.517350, -82.576015 )      5.5 miles

One of Florida’s most beautiful paddling trips, the Weeki Wachee River rises from first magnitude Weeki Wachee Springs and winds through lush floodplain forests as it is fed by hundreds of smaller springs along this 5.5-mile paddling run.

Paddling Turkey Creek

Turkey Creek paddle Palm Bay

February 26, 2019    John Keatley

A chance meeting of old friends leads to my first paddling trip down Turkey Creek and the opportunity to connect with our local paddling club, the Space Coast Paddlers, by talking about our most recent guidebook.

Palatlakaha River Park

Tree reflections in river

Clermont      ( 28.504005, -81.749266 )      3.2 miles

Picturesque waters flow between two lakes on a narrow river, immersing visitors who paddle within a corridor of cypress swamp abounding with wildlife.

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