Kayaking Wekiva River & Rock Springs Run with Gators!

I finally got the kayak back in the water for the first time this year!

It's been 11 months since I have been to Wekiva Springs State Park & Rock Springs Run. (Read about my last trip, here.)  Last time, I forgot to put a memory card in my camera, and didn't have many pictures to share. This time, I didn't make that mistake.

My Dad & I got off to a late start this morning due to the cool weather overnight. With our cooler full of drinks, and subs we headed to Wekiva Springs State Park a little before 10:30am. The park was pretty quiet for a weekend. We were on the water at 10:40am. Today's goal: see 10 gators.

Right off the bat we saw 3 small gators sunning on a log in the lagoon.

The turtles were out catching some rays too...

Another gator... and we haven't even made it out of the lagoon yet!

Moving on to the Wekiva River, and what do we see?  Another gator.  #5 of the day!

And while we are on the topic of gators, how about a giant snapping turtle?  Not a great photo because it was on the move, but this thing was big.

I wonder what this gator is thinking?  Turtle stew?  

All these gators must have scared this little turtle...

Look!  Another gator.  #7 of the day.

It pays to get out on the water early to beat the crowds on the weekends. Later in the day the Wekiva River will be packed with tourists in canoes going around in circles, and running in to everything.

About half a mile downstream from the Wekiva Springs State Park launch site on the left is Rock Springs Run.  If you continue down the Wekiva River further you will come to Wekiva Island (a good place to stop for a beer).  I usually take a left, and head against the current up Rock Springs Run. The upstream paddle is a good workout, but you will be rewarded with a nice float out on your return trip.

Dad managed to find (and get stuck on) almost every underwater log on the water today. Hahaha!

On our way up to Otter Campsite (our turn around point), we saw this sign. I believe this is the 6 mile marker for those who put in upstream at King's Landing. I'd like put in up there one day, but the launch fee from King's Landing, and the shuttle fee back from Wekiva Island are too much for this cheapskate.

There were a few fallen trees that might cause problems for anyone paddling a canoe, but we were able to slide over one, and duck under another without portaging.

We made it to Otter Camp, but it was occupied by some hardcore campers. I'm not sure how they hauled all that gear to the campsite. After a short chat with the campers we turned around, and took advantage of the current to carry us back downstream back towards the Wekiva River.

Since the campsite was full we stopped on the way back at this unofficial site for lunch, and a much needed stretch. This site isn't listed on the map.

Time to sit back, and relax while the current takes us back down Rock Springs Run...

We only saw one gator on Rock Springs Run. It was bigger than Dad's kayak, and walked along the bottom  right under the kayak deep into the weeds... I didn't get a picture of it, but it was huge!  Big gators are very territorial, which explains why we didn't see any other gators in the area.

Meanwhile back on the Wekiva River... Tourists going in circles, and running into everything.

If they could control their canoes for a while, they might see a gator...

Or two...

More turtles...

More gators...

Look closely. There is a good size gator in this next picture.

(click to enlarge)

Back in the lagoon at Wekiva Springs State Park...

(Note to Self: Invest in a kayak cart. The long trip up the canoe trail to the parking lot is killer.)

The total gator count for the day was 13 today!  Not a bad day on the water.

Thanks for reading. Please comment, follow, "like", and share.

Kayaking Econlockhatchee River

Put-in: CR-419 bridge in Oviedo, FL

I went kayaking on the Little Econ River with my Dad.  We loaded up the kayaks in my truck, and headed to our take-out point on Snow Hill Rd. to drop a car before launching from our put-in site under the 419 bridge in Oviedo, FL
.

Little Big Econ Canoe Launch

Putting in here is easy.  There are about 6 parking spots within a 200 foot walk to the bridge.  Overflow parking is on the side of the road further down.

Launch site under the 419 bridge

Today our plan was to paddle the 8 mile downstream stretch of the Little Econ River from the 419 to Snow Hill Rd.

The weather couldn't have been any better.

Not a cloud in the sky today... Not long after I took the above picture, a Bald Eagle flew over.  What a surprise! I have never seen a Bald Eagle in the wild. I was too slow with the camera, and missed the shot.

I did get a picture of this high flying Red Shouldered Hawk that was circling overhead looking for lunch... We saw 2 more Bald Eagles before moving further down the river, but this little point-and-shoot camera takes to long to turn on.

turtle

The turtles were taking advantage of the sunshine today. Most turtles are shy, and hit the water well before I could get a picture, but this guy was posing for my camera.

The river has a lot of downed trees, and submerged logs. We were able to navigate around, over, or under all of them without having to portage. 

 More Birds...

The banks of the Little Econ River are high at some points. Erosion is a big problem here.

This tree tried to kill me!

As we paddled around a bend in the river I heard a noise. I looked over to the bank, and pulled out my camera thinking it was a gator splashing into the water.  Instead, I see a dead palm branch fall from a tree.  It landed on the bank, and a small portion of the bank fell into the river followed by a 30 FOOT PALM TREE!  It was falling right towards me!  I paddled as hard and fast as I could, and the tree crashed into the river less than 10 feet from my kayak!

Just minutes later an underwater log jumped out of the water and flipped my Dad's little kayak over spilling him into the river!  HAHaha!

Big Gator

We saw 4 gators today. The gators in the Little Econ are BIG... and don't like to have their picture taken.

Flagler Trail Bridge

There were not very many paddlers on the river today, but we ran into a few groups of hikers around the Flagler Trail Bridge.  They were all talking about the HUGE 12+ foot gator that was in the area.

WARNING: Once you pass the bridge be prepared to run into large groups of River Rats. White trash holding a beer in one hand, a cigarette in the other while dropping F-bombs in front of their young children who are swimming in the river without a life vest. Most of the River Rats also let their unleashed Pit Bulls roam freely, and chase kayakers passing by. This portion of the river is littered with beer cans. 

another sunning turtle

It's getting late, so I will finish with these pictures... (click to enlarge)

We finished up our 8-mile run at the Snow Hill Rd. Bridge take-out where we had dropped a car before beginning our trip. I forgot to take pictures of the take-out point... From here I drove Dad's car back to the CR-419 bridge to pick up my truck while Dad stayed with our kayaks.

I picked up my truck, and was driving down Snow Hill Rd. when a small white car decided to play a game of "chicken" with my much larger Dodge Ram.  It crossed the solid double yellow line, and was coming at me head on! I flashed my headlights, and laid on the horn... They didn't move! I slowed down, and pulled completely off the road to avoid a head on collision with these idiots... They drove by LAUGHING!  They were probably the same drunken River Rats mentioned above.

Overall, I would rate this trip a 7 out of 10. It loses a point for the tree that almost fell on me, the pit bull that chased my kayak, and the drunken river rats.  I believe kayak camping is allowed on the Econ River with a special-use permit from the Little Big Econ State Forest office, but I will have to look into that... The best part about the Econlockhatchee River is the price. FREE!  So pack a lunch, and grab a paddle. Just keep an eye out for gators the size of your kayak!


EDIT: The 8 mile stretch we paddled was the Econlockhatchee River, not the Little Econ River. Thank you to Dave from Dave's Yak Tales for the correction.