Weekie Wachee Kayak Trip

Weeki Wachee, Florida:  Taking advantage of a Saturday off from Little League, we decided to take a two hour drive up to Weeki Wachee Springs State Park for a fun day in the sun.  We have been wanted to visit Weeki Wachee since passing it on the way to Homossassa Springs a few years ago and decided that today was going to be the day.  Today’s trip consisted to two phases, kayaking the Weeki Wachee River and enjoying the shows and water activities of the park. 

We checked in with Boating in Florida, the park’s kayak and stand-up paddleboard vendor for our 8am appointment.  After signing waivers and paying our rental fees, they outfitted us with two tandem kayaks, life vests and paddles and we were quickly on our way. 

The photos and descriptions on the park’s website do not really prepare you for the beauty you experience once on the river.  Crystal clear water vibrant with colors and wildlife around every corner is the easiest way I can sum up the trip.  I tried to capture it the best I can in the photo gallery, but the lens could not truly represent the awe-inspiring scenes. 

About 30 minutes into the trip we had floated over the park boundary and once outside the park, you are free to enter the water and swim should you wish.   It didn’t take long to find a rope swing and then my son decided to give it a try and was the first to officially splash down into the river.  A little further down we came across a bend in the river that had a natural sandy beach and this was where we all decided to pull the kayaks ashore and take a swim.

Prior to our swim, we felt we had the river all to ourselves as we had no one in sight in front of us and no one in sight behind us.  It was a pretty cool feeling.  We swam for a while and watched the schools of fish making their way up and down the river.  As we spent time in the water, the other boaters caught up with us, but they were staggered to the point as to not seem overcrowded.

After cooling off in the water, we boarded the kayaks and headed further downstream.  Unlike some of the other trips we have been on, the river did most of the work on this trip.  Minus steering around other vessels or some corners, the current of the river powered the kayak, moving us down river at a nice relaxing pace allowing us to take in the sights.

As we continued down the river, the river started getting busier.  We started encountering kayakers coming from the west as well as a steady stream of motorized boats.  How these motorized boats were making it through some of the shallow parts of the river was pretty amazing.  However these began to be a little difficult to navigate at times as you had traffic going in both directions trying to share a tight waterway.  This would be easier should approaching traffic keep right and powered vessels giving way to non-powered vessels.  But just keep your head up and make smart decisions and there will be no issues.

A little further down the river, we decided to take another break from the heat with a dip in the refreshing 72 degree waters.  Who would think that in April we would be looking at mid-90’s on the thermometer, but the river helped equalize the heat.  During this stop is when I determined we had a problem.  I went to take my camera out of the dry bag we stored it in only to find the inside of the bag was damp.  When I attempted to take a photo, the camera would not respond.  I took the battery out to find water in the battery compartment.  I quickly wrapped it in a towel, secured it and prayed that I didn’t just kill a $1,000 camera.  A quick internet search showed that if it wasn’t completely submerged, it should be fine once it dries out.  So fingers crossed there is not permanent damage.

When we got back underway, we entered a residential area which featured a great collection of houses.  From large mansions on one side to cottages and shacks on the other.  There was one house along the way that provided us with a lot of laugh with the décor and signage.  My favorite was the docked boat named “Cirrhosis of the River”.

This section of the river was much deeper that what we had been in so we were hoping we would get to see a manatee or two.  However we were not that lucky.  We finished the rest of the paddle in deeper water and did not see a manatee.

The kayak trip concluded at Rogers Park, 5 ½ miles from here we started.  Here the staff from Boating in Florida met us, loaded the kayaks back up and transported us back to Weekie Wachee State Park where we started our adventure. 

The staff at Boating in Florida was very helpful and courteous.  They helped ensure we had a great day on the water.  If you choose to give them a try, here is a little but about them. They official kayak vendor for Weeki Wachee.  Their rentals were $32.50 for a single kayak or $37.50 for a tandem kayak.  The kayaks were sit-on Ocean Kayaks and performed great on the river.  Reservations are highly recommended and they can be reached at (352) 597-8484.

Once back at the starting point, we planned on heading out to part two of today’s adventure, spending time at the historic park.  However the park was already at full capacity and not allowing new guests, a risk we knew going into the trip.  If you are planning to visit the park, be sure to register for their text alerts which notify you of important updates to the park status including capacity closures.  This was something we did not do and would have been a great resource in helping to plan our day.

So we decided to head to lunch.  Growing up near Philadelphia, I have a love of Philly Cheesesteaks and when planning the trip, I saw that Spring Hill had a cheesesteak restaurant in the top 10 on TripAdvisor so we had to try it.   The ratings were right, Richie’s Cheesesteak delivered.  The sandwich was amazing, like Philly on a bun and the fries helped complete the meal.  You get a ton of food and it was pretty cheap.

After lunch, we swung back by Weeki Wachee State Park only to find they were still at capacity so we headed home.  While we didn’t get to accomplish everything we set out to do, we still had an amazing day on the water.  We will go back to the park in the future to experience the park and the shows, but until then, enjoy the photos from the kayaking adventure. 

Click on the photo above to view my Weeki Wachee kayak tripphoto gallery.