Down the Dora Canal

Yesterday I had the opportunity to cruise the Dora Canal with Blue Heron Cruises out of the Lakeside Inn in Mt. Dora. It’s been nearly 5 years since my last trip down the canal, and I’d forgotten just how much of a wonderland of ancient cypresses is hiding in there. It’s truly one of Florida’s surprises – you can hardly fathom you’re just a mile from busy US 441. The afternoon was overcast and bitter cold on the water for the crossing across Lake Dora, but the wildlife didn’t seem to mind. In addition to ubiquitous great blue herons, we spotted a nesting pair of bald eagles, some tri-colored herons, numerous egrets, a yellow-crowned night heron, and – for the first time in my life – a black-crowned night heron peacefully roosting in a tree. Lots of wood ducks, too. Few of my bird photos came out, and I can only suppose it’s due to the lesser optics of my camera and the fact the boat was moving. But I did catch this otter that raced our boat down the waterway, thinking he was a dolphin. He surprised us by scrambling up and over a couple of logs, and posed momentarily on this one. That’s what otters do best!

To make this hiking-related, you can’t hike along the Dora Canal, but there is a new blueway paddling trail through this primeval forest. Back at Mount Dora, however, you can immerse in a dense hammock of cypress, palm, and live oak and watch for birds or just while away the afternoon on a sunny bench. Follow the trail at Palm Island Park and capture a little glimpse of what awaits if you take a tour of the Dora Canal.