Springs Outing: Silver River Paddle
Join us October 9th for a paddle from Silver Springs State Park down the Silver River to Ray Wayside Park, guided by Silver Springs expert Dr. Bob Knight and FSI environmental scientists. The spring group consists of at least 25 spring vents. Mammoth Spring is the largest, flowing at the first magnitude to form the headwaters of the Silver River. Mammoth Spring supplies about 50% of the entire flow of Silver River. Historically, Silver Springs had the highest average flow of any spring in the U.S. at more than 500 million gallons per day. The 4,000-acre Silver Springs State Park encompasses the spring, five-mile-long river, and surrounding sandhill forest.
Details about the outing:
For participants bringing their own canoe/kayak/paddleboard (we highly recommended bringing one if you have it), we will meet at Silver Springs State Park at 10:00am – the parking lot begins to fill up early so getting there by 9:30am is ideal. We will launch from the park at 10:30am.
For participants who would need to rent a kayak or other paddle craft, we recommend using Paddling Adventure’s at Silver Springs State Park, located at our launch point. We recommend securing a rental and a shuttle back to the head spring before purchasing a ticket by going on their website: https://silversprings.com/paddling/
Things to bring: kayak/canoe, water shoes, clothes that can get wet, lunch/snacks, and a reusable water bottle.
Meetup location: Silver Springs State Park: 5656 E Silver Springs Blvd, Silver Springs, FL 34488
If you have any questions regarding this outing, please email Hailey Hall at hhall@floridaspringsinstitute.org. If you have signed up, you can expect a final details email the week prior to the event. Thank you!
Our Springs Outing trips connect nature lovers with the outdoors (and each other) while giving participants the opportunity to learn about Florida’s unique landscape and springs from qualified experts/scientists. Each Spring Outing holds a new adventure, and with it, new information and experiences, even for the most seasoned adventure enthusiasts! Proceeds from Spring Outings benefit the Florida Springs Institute so we can continue vital springs research and education efforts.
Our Spring Outings happen monthly, all around the state. To keep in the loop with upcoming outing announcements you can join our monthly newsletter or follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
Looking forward to an informative and leisurely paddle.
Hello, are the tickets per person or per vessel? Trying to determine how many are needed for a two person kayak.
Hi! Tickets are per person and vessels are rented or brought independently.
Is this a one way paddle? Is there transport for people and kayaks back to the parking area?
Yes, it is one-way and there will be a shuttle back to the parking lot.
Thanks. I look forward to exploring the Springs. Is it possible to paddle without a guide and have a shuttle back to the parking lot? Unfortunately, there are no campsites available for this event, but I’d love to camp and paddle. I’m a UF Master Naturalist.
We will be providing transport for the participants of the guided outing but will not be shuttling other paddlers.
First time ever on the Silver River and thrilled the Tom Morris will be our guide. Thanks FSI for putting this together.
We can’t wait!
What is the charge for BYOB? TY
Hello, alcohol is not permitted on the Silver River.
I’m bringing my kayak, but according to the website, people renting kayaks also need to pay for the shuttle. Do those of us bringing our own need to book and pay for the shuttle?
We are providing a shuttle for members of our guided paddle who bring their own kayaks. We will have a few vehicles shuttling and will make multiple trips. If you would like to get back to your car faster, you could book the shuttle but we will shuttle you if you do not.
Hi just wanted to confirm the time of the paddle. Will we be on the water until 4pm? Thanks!
Hello, we will launch at 10:30 and the paddle typically takes around 4 hours. However, this could vary as we will be making some stops along the way to learn about the springs.