Really Florida!

Posts Tagged ‘kayak’

South Florida kayaking is usually though of in terms of the ocean. The intercoastal, while an option, can get plagued by jet skis and pleasure boats. A lot of the lakes are too small to do much. But we do have the Loxahatchee River here in South Florida and it’s great for canoing and kayaking.

(A friend of mine went out to Riverbend Park not too long ago and provided these pictures of the trip.)

I love this first picture. The Loxahatchee is one of Florida’s designated “national wild and scenic” rivers, and it can be breathtaking at times. The cypress lean towards the waters; epiphytes cling to the trees; the water carries you quietly back it time.

Float past alligators and turtles. See herons stalking their lunches in the shallows. Listen to the music of the birds in the trees, calling to each other.

The photo is a kayak-eye view of the river and some paddlers ahead. The sunlight streams between the trees, giving it a mysterious quality. To me, this photo almost seems to be a watercolor painting.

If you paddle the river, stop by Trapper Nelson’s.  Here’s the story; a man called (what else?) Trapper Nelson lived on the banks of the river back in the 1930’s or thereabout. He made his living trapping and fishing, and his homestead is preserved as a view of what it was like to live here before air conditioning, without electricity or plumbing…you get the idea. I find it amazing that he did it.

The Loxahatchee has small (okay, teeny-weeny) waterfalls in spots, but nothing in the way of white water. No, this is a slow, quiet river — great for experienced and beginning kayakers alike.

Now the full paddle, from Riverbend Park through to Jonathan Dickinson State Park, is a total of eight miles. It’s not as hard as it may seem, since you need do little more than drift with the river and avoid crashing into other kayakers or canoeists.

If you do paddle the distance (it’s 5 or 6 hours), you’ll likely want to take advantage of the pickup for your kayak/canoe for return to Riverbend. The price is included in your rental, and speaking of the rental, it’s from $30 (a single kayak) to $55 (three-person canoe).

Note: I just saw a notice on the canoe rental website and it says they are closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays, effective February 27, 2008.

If you’d like to do some South Florida kayaking, go on over to Riverbend Park; it’s located at 9060 Indiantown Road in Jupiter, about a mile west of the Turnpike.

The park is open seven days a week, from sunrise to one hour before sunset.