Trip leader: Jill Lingard, 352-665-1776, jill.lingard@gmail.com
Description: Meet at Werner Boyce Salt Springs State Park at 9AM, launch by 9:30. Park entrance fee is $3 cash. Bring wheels for your kayak—there’s a boardwalk between parking area and launch site.
One of the newer state parks in Florida. Werner Boyce Salt Springs offers up opportunities for picturesque coastal exploration across a variety of paddling environments, including protected back bays and mangrove tunnels and island hopping in more open waters. We will stay mostly within the Salt Springs Run area indicated on the park’s P1 map. If winds are favorable, we can circumnavigate around Cow Key, journey over to Durney Key, and/or explore the southern reached of the P2 map north towards Double Hammock Creek. During a recent scouting trip to the park, dozens of dolphins were spotted and Gulf waters were clear enough to spot mullet and horseshoe crabs below our kayaks. The paddle to Salt Spring offers protected paths through mangrove tunnels and marsh trails. The cavern of Salt Springs is not evident from the surface, but it extends 300 feet below the water’s surface. Expect views of ospreys, bald eagles, roseate spoonbills, blue herons, and other shore birds. We can also keep our eyes out for a leucistic red tailed hawk affectionately known as “Lue” by park staff.
Location: Werner Boyce Springs State Park, 8737 US Highway 19 North, Port Richey, FL 34668
Schedule: Saturday 4/13, 9AM, launch by 9:30. We expect to finish up no later than 1PM.
Additional information: Bring lunch/snack, drink, and sunscreen. Dress appropriately for air temperature and abundant sun exposure. Average water temperature for Port Richey in April is 72 degrees.
Difficulty: Level I-II. There is MUCH more to the park than we will see on this paddle. We’ll minimally paddle 5 miles, but could go up to twice that if wind/weather conditions are favorable and the group wants to explore more Gulf islands coastal and shoreline. Refer to TBSK’s Skills Self Assessment Chart for more details on trip levels and expectations. Please register (or cancel) on the TBSK web site to allow notification of any changes.
Required: Any kayak with water-tight bulkheads or flotation is ok for this trip, but must be able to maneuver through some short sections of mangrove tunnels as well as maintain pace in more open waters. We’re avoiding high tide, so oyster beds shouldn’t present a challenge. No inflatable PFDs. Bring lots of water/sports drink, lunch, sunscreen.