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Well, my oldest turned nine last week! Nine, Y’all! Nine is old! Nine is halfway to out of the house (another reason we need to get off our tushes and make this RV dream a reality)! In any event, his birthday just happened to fall on the school’s Fall Holiday, so no school meant he got to pick his birthday activity. And true to form, he picked kayaking. Not wanting to drive far, we chose to spend the day on the always gorgeous Wacissa River.
If you live anywhere near Tallahassee or in North Florida, or you’re just passing through and looking for a beautiful, reasonably easy river to paddle, look no further than the Wacissa. Located less than half an hour from Tallahassee, in quaint Jefferson County, the Wacissa is a sizeable spring-fed river (internet reports indicate the number of springs is somewhere between 12 and 20), boasting crystal clear water and lots of wildlife. But even better than the clear water and wildlife is that it’s EASY! While the river flows downstream from the boat launch, it’s not so strong that you can’t easily do a short out-and-back trip, taking away the annoying need to use a shuttle or take two cars! Win Win!
To get to the boat ramp/swimming area from pretty much any direction, just take Highway 59 south until it dead ends into a gravel parking lot! Easy peasy and you’ve arrived! Once you park your vehicle there are two boat ramps – one concrete ramp suitable for boats on trailers, and a smaller canoe launch up a small stream that feeds into the river. If it’s super busy (like it gets on the weekend) and you’re just launching a canoe, leave the concrete ramp for the trailers that need that ramp to back in and out. Otherwise, use whatever works for you! For the record, I use the concrete launch whenever I can because I feel like it’s more open and I’m less likely to encounter alligators there, but that’s just me and my alligator phobia. 🙂
For this trip, we brought our canoe and the two kiddo kayaks for the big kids. But, if you don’t have your own canoes or kayaks, Wacissa River Canoe and Kayak Rentals is located right before you arrive at the boat ramp/swimming area and offers canoe, as well as single and double kayak rentals. I’ve also been told they have river maps which would be helpful on this river (as you’ll see below) so I need to pop in next time we’re down there and check out their map selection. (For the record: I have no affiliation with or affiliate relationship with Wacissa River Canoes, I’ve just met some of their people and they’ve always been helpful and several of my friends have used their services and were pleased.)
After launching we decided to head downstream (rather than taking the short trip upriver to check out Horsehead or Log Spring), in search of Big Blue Spring. Since neither of us had been there recently, and with no map or river information at the headspring we were sort of sailing, I mean padding, blind.
Note to self: next time print out a map before heading out! The one above is great or there are several in the publications I link to at the bottom of this post. Not only will a cool map help you avoid getting lost but you’ll know where to investigate all the amazing springs along the river!
But it was a great day on the river (super sunny but the cold water cooled us off) and we knew the cut-off for Big Blue was on the left so we just hung near the left bank and searched while enjoying the views.
The shores of the river are fairly chocked with vegetation so it can be hard to see the smaller springs that the maps indicate, but also the smaller spring runs that come into the river. We tried to stay out of the vegetation as much as possible and keep our vessels on the clear water (again: alligator phobia).
A fairly short distance down the river, we saw a motorboat head into a little cut off the river to the left so we thought we would follow them and see where it took us – hoping it was possibly Big Blue.
As you can see from the photo, the little side stream was gorgeous but much smaller than the Wacissa. We paddled this side stream for a bit but it didn’t seem to be leading to Big Blue Spring. It was getting smaller and we didn’t want to get stuck in a tight place where it would be hard to turn around and we didn’t want to risk tiring the big guys out just by exploring since they were paddling on their own, so we turned around and headed back down to the river.
Just a short bit down the river there was another stream entering from the left, so we decided to try paddling up that one to investigate. Thankfully we ran into some other paddlers coming out (Big Blue is a favorite spot and can get quite packed on weekends) and they assured us we were on the right path to Big Blue Spring!
Just a short paddle up the spring run, and we’d found Big Blue! Unfortunately, it was bit murky and not nearly as clear as it usually is, but the water was still a gorgeous blue.
When we arrived we actually ran into a friend of ours who was also taking the day off school to enjoy the outdoors and the fresh water (great minds think alike!). She told us they thought they saw an alligator near the bank (the far bank with vegetation on the water in the picture) so we stayed much closer to the dock than we usually would. But we had the dock to ourselves so we tied up the boats and ate a picnic lunch while watching the fish swim all around us (we learned that fish like summer sausage but don’t care too much for Goldfish crackers – smart fish I suppose).
We never did see that “alligator” move (not that lack of movement means anything), and when we paddled out in that direction we thought the spot looked more like a lost shoe, but we still weren’t willing to risk getting close enough to check it out. 🙂
After cooling off in the water and eating our lunch, we headed back to the Wacissa using the other entrance/exit (Big Blue is located at the top of a horeshoe shaped bend off the river). It was a smaller trail that required paddling over some vegetation but was still entirely navigable. Once back on the river, we headed back upstream (to the right) so we could make it home in time for a family celebration and birthday cake. 🙂
Paddling upstream is usually not much of a burden, but we were paddling into the wind, and at some point towing one of the big kids (I always keep extra rope on board just in case of this possibility), so while it wasn’t easy (especially with the sun), it was also doable.
Once back at the boat launch, we loaded up the boats and enjoyed some swimming at the spring at the parking lot (“Spring No. 2” on the map above). It was fun to see the kids make instant friends with the other kids playing in the sand and water – there is something about being outside that just connects kiddos. 🙂
There is also pretty awesome rope swing that is popular with just about everyone (kids and adults alike) that swings out over one of the smaller springs. Ian, my rope swing loving kid, had a blast jumping off the tree ladder.
Overall, a beautiful day to spend a birthday off of school! Have you been down the Wacisssa River and have any tips, tricks, or experiences you would like to share?
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Wacissa River Paddling:
Address and Directions:
433 Wacissa Springs Road,
Greenville, FL 32331
In case you’re looking for a longer trip, the Wacissa won’t disappoint there either. There are plenty of longer one-way trips that are also beautiful. For instance, it’s a nine-mile trip down to Goose Pasture which is not only an excellent take-out point, but also has a campground, or continue to the infamous “Slave Canal.” I say “infamous” because it’s not marked, can be challenging to find in the first place, and even once you’ve found it, the trail is not always clear which direction to take. To learn more about the Wacissa River check out the Wacissa River Padding Trail Guide or for an in-depth history and description of both the Wacissa River and the Aucilla River, as well as the “Slave Canal” connecting the two, check out a beautiful Tall Timbers publication here.
If you’re interested in checking out all the gear we use when out paddling, check out our post on “Our Paddling Gear.“
