TBSK WEEKENDER TRIP: GHOST CYPRESSES OF THE OCKLAWAHA
Photo by James Steele, Florida Paddle Notes
Trip leaders: Scott Jantz (scottjantz2@gmail.com, 386-853-5159) and Jill Lingard (jill.lingard@gmail.com, 352-665-1776)
Description: The Ocklawaha River is a 74-mile spring-fed stream that flows north along the western border of the Ocala National Forest to the St. Johns River. A relic of the Cross Florida Barge Canal Project decommissioned in 1990, the Kilpatrick Dam creates artificially high water levels which flood dozens of natural springs along the river. Every three to four years, state water managers open the dam and draw down the reservoir to help kill off invasive vegetation. An eerily beautiful side effect of the drawdown is its uncovering of a former cypress forest that used to line the river banks, as well as up to 20 springs. The river remains in a drawdown period now, so let's go paddle to Marion Blue Spring and find these cypress ghosts along the way!
On Day 2 of our weekender trip, we'll paddle about 6 miles roundtrip from Kenwood Boat Ramp to Marion Blue Spring and the exposed cypress forests before turning back.
Location: Kenwood Recreation Area, 191 Kenwood Boat Ramp Road in Interlachen
Schedule: Sunday, February 8. Meet at 9:30AM for a 10:00 launch. We’ll return to our launch around 1:00PM.
Additional information: This trip is the second day of a two-day Ocklawaha exploration. You can sign up for either day or both days. If you plan to make a weekend out of it, we recommend you find lodging in the area to avoid driving back and forth from the Tampa Bay area. Ocala and Silver Springs are nearby with lots of hotel and camping options. Scott & Jill will be staying in the vicinity of the Ocklawaha on both Friday and Saturday nights. They have room in their rental house for 2-3 additional people. Contact Jill or Scott if you'd like to stay with them and share the rental costs.
Difficulty: Level 2. Review TBSK's Skills Self-Assessment Chart and contact trip leaders with any questions.
Gear Requirements/Recommendations:
If your plans to participate change, please cancel on the website or app so that people on the waitlist can join us.