The Smokehouse Prairie is a wetland located approximately 6 miles southeast of Hawthorne, Fl and 5 miles Northwest of Orange Springs, Fl. This wetland area is well over 400 acres and is a main source of water for Gillis Pond and Lake Fanny which are on the East side of the wetland…James
Cross Creek became well known due to the writings of author Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings. Moving to Cross Creek in 1928, Rawlings wrote stories that exposed her fondness of rural life at ‘The Creek’ often including characters based on her relationships with her neighbors. Her most famous book was the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Yearling, published in 1938....James
The Rainbow River is located, in Dunnellon, Fl, about 20 miles southwest of Ocala, in Marion County. The headspring, Rainbow Spring, is a 1st magnitude spring that ranks 4th in the state for volume, discharging 400-600 million gallons of water a day! The spring is composed of numerous vents rather than one single vent…James
It’s been a year this month that Hurricane Irma and associated storms flooded Prairie Creek. This year, comparing photos, the water level is about 1 1/2′ lower but still high and flowing…James
This river is characterized by limestone banks, the exposed caves and grottoes, and numerous shoals. Several springs feed into the Withlacoochee and numerous sandy beaches offer time to rest…James
Lake Disston is a popular fishing lake hosting largemouth bass, bluegill, black crappie, bream, and shell crackers. There is a major rookery along the northern shoreline, about 1.24 miles West of the public launch. Here you can find numerous wood storks, Ibis, and Egrets. The lake also is an important habitat for Eagles, Ospreys, Herons, Coots, Anhingas, and Swallow-Tailed Kites…James
Paddle Logger… I recently had the opportunity to test Paddle Logger for my paddling trips. I happened to see this app on some website and …
Cedar Key is a city located 50 miles southwest of Gainesville, Fl on SR 24, in Levy County. The group of keys is named after the Eastern Red Cedar tree, which played a predominant role during the 1800s. Cedar Key was actually offshore from where the city is located now, on the island key of Atsena Otie. “Atsena Otie” is from the Muskogean language “acheno ota” which translates to Cedar Island. It was here that settlers established the town Cedar Key in 1842…..James
Originating in Georgia, The Withlacoochee River is a key tributary to The Suwannee River and is a state-designated paddling trail. The confluence of the Withlacoochee and Suwannee is west of Live Oak, Fl in Suwannee River State Park. From here, the Suwannee River continues to flow to the Gulf of Mexico…James
After a nice break, we headed back through the canal, into Lake Alto and our launch site. Santa Fe Canal is not what you call an outstanding Florida waterway, but it is one to do just for the trip into the history of this area. This paddle ends another chapter of Florida Paddle Notes…James
