Unguided Trips on
Santa Fe River 
Location: http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?formtype=address&searchtype=
address&country=US&addtohistory=&address=&city=High+Springs&state=FL&zipcode=
Unguided paddle trips on Santa Fe River
(click here for
information about guided trips on the Santa Fe)
Paddle times below are calculated from launching at Hwy 27 boat ramp
You can also launch from Hwy 441 ramp and add 1 1/4 hour to the times below when there's
enough water - no extra charge.
| Destination | Kayak | Tandem Kayak | Canoe |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person | 2 people | 2 people | |
| River Rise (3 hrs. - upstream and back) | $20 | $26 | $24 |
| Hwy 441 - Hwy 27 (when there's enough water) (1½ hrs*) | $20 | $26 | $24 |
| Poe Springs (2 hrs*) | $24 | $34 | $34 |
| Rum Island (2 hrs*) | $24 | $36 | $34 |
| Blue Springs (2 hrs*) | $26 | $38 | $36 |
| Ginnie Springs (2.5 hrs*) | $30 | $40 | $38 |
| Hwy 47 bridge (4 hrs* | $28 | $40 | $38 |
Extra passengers (over 2 people) in canoes
are $5 each.
Prices include: boat rental, paddles,
vests, seat backs, cushions, maps, parking and shuttling
Prices do not include: park entry fees
(Poe Springs - $5, Blue Springs - $8, Ginnie Springs. $10)
* These paddle times are based on starting from Hwy 27.
* You can add as much time as you want to your trip at no extra
charge, but your pick up time must be arranged with us before
you
launch. * Paddle times may vary according to river conditions and
individual paddling speed.
Boats
Our assortment of top quality, clean boats include:Single kayaks - a variety of sit-inside or sit-on-top models. Most are made by Old Town, Ocean Kayak and Wilderness Systems. All are durable pastics and Polylink 3.
Tandem (2-person) kayaks - sit-inside or sit-on-top models available.
Canoes. We don't use standard, livery-style metal "tin-tubs" Instead, our canoes are top-of-the line Old Town boats made of durable Polylkink 3 with comfrotable molded seats. Most are rated to a capacity of 1100 pounds with plenty of room for adults with kids as well as coolers and gear.
Current conditions
Spring has descended upon the Santa Fe valley. Like kids in a schoolyard, many of the forest inhabitants refuse to consider the possibility of another frost and are celebrating the warmth. Most notable are the huge swaths of rain lilies (Zephyranthes atamasco) that crowd the shaded floor of the lowest sections of forest. Red maples have already flowered and are now carrying heavy loads of their scarlet sumara (seeds). Many are sprouting their new, spring greenery. Oaks, hornbeams, blue beech and ash trees, are loaded with fresh green leaves and pollen laden blooms. Some of the forest inhabitants, however, are ever-reluctant to change. Somber old-man cypress, always content to languish in a state of solemn, southern contentment, refuses to show the slightest acknowledgement of the advancing season. Some among the hickory and Florida maple tribes stand firm at his side and have yet to unfurl even a single new leaf. So, while spring is in the air, the Santa Fe river forest is retaining some of its quiet, wintry mood.
March 08,
2008 - The heavy rains two weeks ago combined with today's deluge has
brought the Santa Fe up to above average conditions. Paddling is great
up here. Below Hollingsworth Bluff the river is above average and
rising. In the lowest part of the river, around Three River Estates,
Ichetucknee confluence and down to the Suwannee confluence, the river
is slightly flooded (not over any roads yet, but close). Today's heavy rains is certain to raise
levels considerably so flooding seems imminent. Definitely check with
us if you plan on paddling the lower Santa Fe or Suwannee any time in
the next few weeks.
August 20, 2008 - Watching TS Fay - Come on big girl, we need your rain!! Hwy 441 ramp closed due to vegetation - all other ramps open. While water levels remain low, there is plenty of water from Hwy 27 bridge on down. Hwy 441 ramp is completely blocked with vegetation, so even upstream paddling toward River Rise is not doable. All trips are currently launching from Hwy 27. On a positive note, aquatic vegetation has rebounded well since the die-back a couple of years ago and the water is looking great. It's time to paddle!
Sept. 17, 2008 - The storm brought much needed rain which flushed all the vegetation blocks away and elevated water to above average levels. It has now dropped a bit and is running close to average height at a speed of about 2 mph. Paddling's great!! Come on out!
Jan. 16, 2009 - Water levels have returned to below average levels, but fine for paddling below Hwy 27. Above Hwy 27 (the section between Hwy 441 and Hwy 27) is very low, requiring several pull-overs. Do not launch at Hwy 441. From Hwy 27 on down it is fine, although shallow in a couple of spots, but no need to get out of you boat anywhere. The good side of this low water level is that motor boats dare not ply these waters. This is now one of the few rivers with that perfect water level for paddlers - deep enough to paddle and too shallow for motors! Springs are clear and running strong. Bald eagles nesting near river in the area between Hwy 27 and Rum Island. Wood storks and ibis loving the shallow water, as are great blue and little blue herons and great egrets. Phoebes and kingfishers loving life along the rivers edge. Still seeing small group of manatees in lower river, near Ichetucknee confluence.
April 14, 2009 - The lower river is flooding from backed-up water from record-setting floods on Suwannee River. Water is near average level at Hwy 27, slightly elevated at Rum Island and almost up to parking lot at Hwy 47 ramp. Further downstream, the river is well out of the banks at Wilson Springs, Ichetucknee confluence and below. Paddling is great, though the flow isslower than usual.
June 21, 2009 - Another rain event has brought up levels on the entire river. Levels are now a bit above average and moving at a nice pace. The springs are running cool and clear--not overwhelmed by the higher water.
NOTE: Poe Springs new management no longer allows paddlers to stop at the park without paying an entrance fee. You can paddle up into the spring, but don't get out on land. If you want to swim, you must enter the watyer and re-enter your boat without beaching your boat. It can be a trickyt maneuver, but on a warm afternoon, might be worth the effort! 'o)
CURRENT WATER LEVELS
http://www.srwmd.state.fl.us/water+data/surfacewater+levels/30+day+river+levels.asp?statid=80
Scanning a map of north Florida springs, it quickly becomes apparent that this unassuming little river, which defines the northern boundary Alachua County, flows through the heart of Florida's famous spring country. In addition to many famous springs, including Ginnie, Blue, Poe, Ichetucknee, Mission, Rum Island, Columbia and July, there are dozens more that remain unnamed. But, there's much more. Of all of the river's on which Adventure Outpost offers tours, this has the smallest population of alligators. Most people are just fine with that. (if you want to see gators, there are plenty in other nearby waters - we'll gladly point the way!) On the other hand, you'll find more turtles here than any other north Florida river. Not only in actual numbers (it's not uncommon to see a couple of hundred in a 3 - 4 hours of paddling) but it has the greatest number of species. Water birds, deer, wild hogs and otters are some of the other animals commonly seen.
There
are actually two distinct sections of the Santa Fe, separated by a
three mile land bridge where the river goes underground. This is
located in O'Leno State Park. The 30 mile section above O'Leno Park is
a small tannic stream with it's headwaters in Santa Fe swamp, near
Melrose. After threading through a series of swamps and small, forested
channels, the river falls into an underground cavern at the River Sink.
Three miles to the south, the river resurfaces at River Rise. The flow
here is greater than when it went underground because it connects with
a channel from the Floridan aquifer. Recharged with the added water,
the river is renewed. This is where the springs begin and it is this
part of the river where most of the recreational opportunities are
found.
The nine mile stretch between hwy. 27 and
hwy. 47 begins as a slow, slightly tannic river with only the slightest
inclination to move westward. Without the benefit of a paddle, canoes
and kayaks will surrender their obedience to the river's current in
favor of the slightest breeze - even if it's blowing in the upstream
direction.
Moving downstream, the river alternately loses water by way of siphons (underwater cracks which drain the water into deep, underground channels of the aquifer) and gains water by way of springs (which bring water up to the surface from the aquifer). By the time it passes Ginnie Springs, the river has gained more water from the springs than it has lost from siphons, and it's moving at a nice pace. The paddler can now divert his attention away from the task of propelling his craft and check out the surroundings. Spotting some features, such as Big Awesome siphon and Myrtle's Fissure require a curious spirit and watchful eye. Others, like Little Awesome siphon (during low water) are apparent to even the most unobservant passers-by.
Wildlife
Of all the rivers in north Florida, there is perhaps none with the fantastic population of turtles that you'll see on the Santa Fe. Most common are peninsular cooters, and chicken turtles. Occasionally you might also see a Florida snapping turtle. If you have a chance to camp alongside one of the river's many springs, shine your flashlight into the clear waters and watch dozens of small musk turtles scurrying across the white, sandy bottom. There are plenty of otters in the river. Keep a good eye out for them near Columbia Spring and up toward River Rise.
As with so much of Florida, feral hogs are well established. Campers near the Santa Fe River Park, will usually spend much of the night listening to these 'piney rooters' churning up the landscape around their campsite. The first hogs to frolic in the Santa Fe woodlands were plodding at the heels of the first Europeans to frolic here - the Spanish conquistadores who crossed the river in 1539 (more about this in the "History" section below).
History
Florida's earliest inhabitants who first arrived nearly twelve thousand
years ago, found game to be plentiful in the lush Santa Fe forests and
at the many springs along the river. One of the earliest dated
artifacts of human presence in Florida came from a paleo-Indian camp
site found near Hornsby Spring. Here, a spear tip imbedded in a mammoth
bone gave clear evidence of a nomadic hunters brave efforts to feed his
family. Another interesting prehistoric site is near the Hwy 27 bridge,
where the remains of a fishing weir was discovered in the river bottom.
This was a row of posts spanning the river in a V-shaped configuration,
with the point of the V pointing downstream. In the point, a basket
would catch fish driven down by a group of Indians.
In 1539, Hernando de Soto led an army of nearly 500 Spanish soldiers on an exploratory mission through Florida. Earlier Spanish expeditions to South and Central America had yielded unimaginable wealth (at the expense of the natives who rightfully owned it) and the rush was on to find similar loot in La Florida. Fortunately for the Indians of north Florida, their wealth was not in gold or precious minerals, but in rich land. That would be taken later. On this expedition, the Spanish moved through quickly, making winter camp in the Tallahassee area before continuing westward.
In the 1600's, Spanish missionaries of the Franciscan order established a network of missions and outposts across north Florida. Most were built at Indian villages that sat alongside an important Indian trail, stretching from the St. Augustine area to the mission San Luis in present day Tallahassee. For nearly a century, this important era in north Florida's history, resulted in the total demise of the Indian populations through disease, abuse and warfare. Today, many place names in north Florida can trace their origins to the mission period. Some of our primary Rivers, including St. Mary's, St. Johns, St. Marks and even Suwannee get their names from missions that were located on their banks. Santa Fe river gets it's name from an important mission, Santa Fe de Teleco, that overlooked a broad, beautiful valley of the Santa Fe a few miles east of today's O'leno State Park.