Our Experience Of Kayaking Rock Springs Run
We’ve paddled quite a few spring runs by now. The most memorable of them were perhaps the amazing Weeki Wachee, wild and remote-feeling Juniper Springs, and Rainbow Springs.
I had very little idea what to expect from Rock Springs run, and you know what? Sometimes having no expectations is the best way, since it leaves plenty of room to be pleasantly surprised. And surprised we were. Rock Springs is hard to beat when it comes to natural unspoiled beauty.
To be fair, it really helped kayaking this run when a cold front whipped through Florida. We were SO lucky. The morning we had set aside for this paddle was very cool (low 50s F) so the spring water temperature, which was close to 70F, produced a magical mist over the water for the first 20 minutes of our paddle. It truly was magical, other-worldly and so very beautiful.
If you want to know the perfect time to do this, I would recommend winter or spring, although it can be done at pretty much any time of year. But do go as early in the day as possible because not only does this run get a little busy later on in the day, it is also too long to start after mid-day. In fact, Kings Landing, the outfitters offering this trip with return shuttle, won’t let anyone on the run after 11am.
We found 8:30-9am to be ideal for setting off. The recommended trip leads you straight downstream, but here I will say it pays off to not follow the masses. If you have a bit of paddling power and get on the water early enough, go upstream (turn right at the first fork straight out of the outfitter’s channel) and against the current for half an hour or so. You can thank me later…
Why? The most beautiful water and scenery are further upriver, closer to where the Rock Spring actually originates in Kelly Park. If you head upstream, you will be rewarded with the most magnificent scenery as well as turquoise, crystal clear waters. And there won’t be as many people here, certainly not on a weekday, so you might just have it all to yourself.
Imagine that!
Paddling Upstream Towards Kelly Park
The current can be a little swift, but nothing too strenuous for a reasonably fit adult. After a while of paddling upstream we reluctantly decided to turn around back downstream, being pretty conscious of the fact that 8.5 miles can take a while if you like to stop and swim or take a few pictures along the way.
Now it was time to relax and let the Rock Springs run take us downstream towards Wekiva River.
Pretty soon after passing the rope swing again on the outfitter’s property, the river opened up a bit and the current was much slower here, so we actually got some good paddling in – a nice bit of exercise. We saw some turtles, a little gator and lots of dragonflies, but otherwise not too much else in the way of wildlife. There was lots of splashing and rustling in the undergrowth though.
And then I thought it would be nice to step out of the kayak, you know for the call of nature and to reverse the loss of circulation in my backside. Well, I was out of luck for quite a while. Just to let you know, the first half of the trip downstream (possibly a bit more than half) leads you through relatively deep and black water with lots of undergrowth on the riverbanks.
The undergrowth is where gators and snakes lurk and you don’t really want to do get out here, let alone walk around and stretch your legs. Nope. So unless you are much braver than me, you will have to cross your legs until you reach halfway point, around Big Buck Camp (a primitive campsite).
Suddenly, there are welcome sandbanks. The water is pretty clear and shallow, and it’s possible to get out of the kayak safely here. And from then on you will have more opportunities to stretch your legs.
The Water Was Heavenly And Refreshing
Oh it was heaven to get up and get some circulation back, after being stuck in one position for almost 3 hours. What a pleasure to step into this crystal clear fast-moving current that felt so refreshing. Everybody else was stopping here too, it makes for a great spot after quite a lot of paddling without an opportunity to step out.
Although – surprise! – we then had a water moccasin crossing the river just in front of our kayak, which somewhat curbed my enthusiasm for stepping out of it thereafter.
Once we had stopped and were halfway through the trip, it all seemed to go by much faster than the first half of the paddle. It was not long until we found ourselves close to Wekiva Springs, surrounded by lots of canoes and people on a busy Saturday afternoon.
We wanted to try and paddle close to the spring head of Wekiva Springs, but the sheer amount of boats and noise on that run had us turn around quickly and continue to follow Rock Springs run down to Wekiva Island. On a weekend you won’t find much tranquility here, to put it mildly.
Bald Eagle!
We were happy to just about make the 2:30pm shuttle and get away from the crowds at Wekiva Island. It may be a completely different story on a weekday, and I think we might try that next time. We will certainly be back, this one is very special!
The Details For Kayaking Rock Springs Run
There may be other ways of doing this, but we only found one outfitter that actually offers the trip and shuttle back from Wekiva Island. The place is called Kings Landing and the location is: 5722 Baptist Camp Road, Apopka, Florida 32712, (407) 886-0859. They are open 7 days a week from 8 am – 5 pm. The Kings Landing bunch are really nice people and I loved the whole set-up and feel of the place. So relaxing! Oh, and Humphrey the tortoise is cute too.
You can rent a canoe here or a kayak, singles and doubles are available. We chose a double kayak and it was probably the best choice for us. I would definitely recommend doing this in a kayak, it’s just a little more nimble than a canoe, especially if you are thinking of going against the current and paddling upstream first.
Make sure you get there early-ish. I already mentioned that they won’t let people on the run past 11am if they want to do the full run and catch the shuttle at 4pm. Also, it was pretty busy already at 8:45 when we got there, so be prepared to wait in line a little. Something else to bear in mind: it’s cash only. We paid $60 for a day of fun, which included the kayak, life preservers, a map and the shuttle back. It’s fair, considering the wonderful full-day experience we had.
On the weekends, the shuttles leaves Wekiva Island back to Kings Landing at 2:30pm and 4pm. On weekdays there is only the 4pm shuttle, so you might as well take your time. Also, if you finish early you can wait quite comfortably at Wekiva Island. There is ample food (and drinks) available, as well as areas to hang out, rest and relax.
Here is a map of the trip, which I pinched from King’s Landing outfitters website (I hope they don’t mind).
Have you done this paddle, or are you thinking about it? Any questions or comments? I would love to hear from you, leave me a comment pretty please.
Thinking of doing some other spring runs? Check out my blog post on Juniper Springs here and Weeki Watchee here. l wish you tons of fun!
This was all really informative, thank you. I am wondering if it seemed possible to start at the end and paddle upstream and then float back down. Is that a ridiculous idea?
Hi Andrea,
Not at all a ridiculous idea, we came across people doing that. It’s just a bit more work, but if you get tired of paddling upstream, you can always
just turn around and float back down. Have fun! T