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Canoeing & Kayaking

 

Withlacoochee River, FL USA
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Copyright 2002 Alfonso Vazquez-Cuervo - See Terms of Use

Our Route Summary

  • Submitted by: Morris Friedman vagabondmo@mediaone.net
  • Date Submitted: 1/2002
  • Location: from 12 miles east of Brooksville on State Route. 50 to Nobelton at State Route 476
  • Class: 1
  • Distance Paddled: 18 miles (overnight trip)
  • Water Level:
  • Water: The fresh water is clear, but stained by the tannic acid from the many cypress trees that line the banks.
  • Wildlife: A duck and an attack goose hissed and warned us to stay away from their territory. We heard the "plop, plop, plop" of mud turtles, and caught a quick glance of these peaceful river inhabitants as they slipped below the surface. A great blue heron and a kingfisher playfully led us down the river. As we approached the campground area on river right, a white egret was fishing, and gave a cautious look. A small flock of white ibis fed in the grass. Abundant wildlife included white egrets, great white and blue herons, white ibis, limpkin, hawks, sandhill cranes, turtles, kingfishers, and a 7 * foot gator who lazily sunned himself as we paddled by.
  • Special Regulations:

Entry

  • Directions: From Brooksville,FL; travel 12 miles east on S.R. 50 to the river. Access is on the the southwest of the bridge.
  • Fee: none
  • Description: dirt bank
  • Parking:unpaved along bridge
  • Facilities: none
  • Handicap Access:

Exit

  • Directions: The takeout from Brooksville, FL;travel north on S.R. 45 to intersection of S.R. 476. Turn right and go about four miles to the River southeast side of bridge. The takeout can be at the Nobelton Canoe Rentals boat ramp just after the S.R. 476 bridge or at dirt bank adjacent to Nobelton Park which is reached by taking the left channel after crossing under the bridge on river left.
  • Fee: none
  • Description: boat ramp or dirt bank
  • Parking:unpaved
  • Facilities: Nobelton Canoe Rental (800) 783-5284 provides safe parking and shuttle for $20.00 per boat.
  • Handicap Access:

What We Saw

The Withlacoochee River in Florida (not to be confused with another Withlacoochee originating in Georgia) flows from southeast to northwest. The source of this twisting and turning river is in the Green Swamp near Lakeland, Florida and it travels about 100 miles to the Gulf of Mexico at Yankeetown. Beginning in a cypress and hardwood swamp, it progresses through hardwood and pine forests, palmetto hammocks and landscaped backyards.

My eighty-year old buddy, Mike Morphy, a Purple Heart recipient and certified war hero, didn't pause when I asked if he wanted to paddle with me on this overnight canoe trip. Joining us was Halley Henderson, a coed from UGA, who borrowed my sea kayak for the trip, and neighbors George Warriner and Mike Horton, who both paddle recreational kayaks, an Old Town Loon and an Aquaterra Spectrum.
The river starts out with residences on both sides, but civilization recedes as we approach the Crooms Wildlife Management Area, noted by the periodic metal signs attached to trees at the river's edge. The Withlacoochee's current is perfect, mostly requiring only small correcting strokes while you float at a leisurely pace.

The first section, State Road 50 to the State Forest Campground covers 7 miles. Little wildlife is evident until you reach the State Forest Area.

The river exits Silver Lake at I-75 (photo at right). After an easy afternoon of paddling and a variety of wildlife displays, we opted for the first camping area with showers, bathrooms, and prepared campsites. It's on river right just before you enter Silver Lake, but be prepared for a shallow channel leading behind the campsite and some portaging over deadfall. Camping is also permitted further downstream in primitive areas marked by signs at the river's edge.

The next morning, as we glided through the water, the tree-shrouded river's edge enhanced the brightly lit entrance to Silver Lake. The screech of a red-shouldered hawk and the last cries of the bard owls filled the air. Five minutes from the campground, dead trees were filled with roosting buzzards waiting to begin a busy day of feeding. The Little Withlacoochee joins the main river just as it enters Silver Lake. Then it's a three quarter mile paddle across the lake to where the river re-appears under the Interstate 75 bridge.

The next ten miles to the take-out is the best opportunity to see wildlife. Immediately we saw a white egret and young blue heron looking for a morning meal. A small flock of white ibis fed in the grass. Abundant wildlife included white egrets, great white and blue herons, white ibis, limpkin, hawks, sandhill cranes, turtles, kingfishers, and a 7 * foot gator who lazily sunned himself as we paddled by. This was the first gator sighting for my companions and they cautiously, quietly, floated past the behemoth shown in the photo at left.