Paddle the Ocklawaha

Join us for a 3.5 hour paddling tour of the Ocklawaha River with expert guide Lars Andersen! We will begin just downstream from the Kirkpatrick (formerly Rodman) Dam. This section of the Ocklawaha below the dam is wide and braided. There are numerous side streams and winding forks that make this an interesting area to explore.

The wide, open channel of the Ocklawaha River offers an excellent panorama of river forests and swamps that, in places, stretch a half-mile back from the main channel, and are a refuge for a wonderful menagerie of wildlife with very little sign of civilization. As history buffs dream of Acuera warriors and the steamboats which once plied these waters, birders and animal lovers will be busy with their binoculars and cameras. In addition to its scenic beauty, this stretch of the Ocklawaha also serves as an excellent “living museum” of man’s 15,000 year relationship with nature in Florida.

A couple of hours into our downstream paddle, we will stop for lunch at the site of the former river settlement/steamboat landing of Davenport. Also on this site is Davenport Mound, an ancient Indian burial site first excavated in the 1800’s.

Price
Tour & Kayak Rental: $55

Bring Your Own Kayak/Board: $45

Registration details: https://stjohnsriverkeeper.org/event/2025-05-paddle-the-ocklawaha/

You may also like the following events from St. Johns Riverkeeper:

• Next month, 5th June, 07:00 pm, Sunset Bat Paddle in Palatka
• Next month, 17th June, 10:00 am, Paddle the Ocklawaha in Orange Springs

Also check out other Trips & Adventurous Activities in Orange Springs.