Spring paddling trip questions to settle before a reservation
These spring paddling trip questions come up most often once someone has picked a run and a dated departure. Each answer starts with the short version, then gives the reason, and points to whoever sets the rule: the inn, the outfitter or the park. Anything a page here cannot settle goes into the note on the request form, and the reply comes back in writing.
Kayaks, manatees and 72-degree springs
Which runs come with a guided paddle?
Three of the six: the Silver, the Ichetucknee and the Chassahowitzka. On each of them the outfitter's water part is a guided paddle of about two hours. The request form has a choice for guided paddles only, which tells the office to look at those runs first.
Is a manatee sighting part of any trip?
Possibly in the cooler months, never by promise. Manatees spend the winter in several of these rivers, roughly from mid-November to the end of March, and the animals are protected. Watch them quietly from the boat, from a distance, and let them pass; chasing or feeding them is not allowed, and no trip on the list promises a sighting.
Does a January spring feel colder than an April one?
Close to 72 degrees, in every month. The parks describe spring water that holds about 72 degrees all through the year, so the water itself reads much the same on a January departure and on an April one.
What happens when the weather turns?
The outfitter decides, and the office follows that call. Summer brings afternoon thunderstorms, and outfitters stop launches when there is lightning. If an outfitter calls off a paddle for lightning or high water, the office looks for another departure on the list and puts the offer in writing.
Are there rules about what goes in the boat?
Each park and outfitter sets its own. On the Weeki Wachee the park keeps disposable containers and alcohol off the water, and paddlers stay in the boat because the banks erode. Rules on the other runs come from their own parks and landings.
Do I have to sign anything before launching?
Yes, the outfitter's release or risk acknowledgment, signed by every paddler before launching. A parent signs for a child. The office does not sign that paper and does not collect it.
Is the drive long from Orlando?
It depends on the run, from about 30 minutes to about 2 hours 55 minutes, measured to the river itself rather than to the inn. The Wekiva and Rock Springs Run sit about 17 miles from the office, and the Ichetucknee is the far one at about 148 miles. Each run's page gives its drive, an estimate from a free flow router starting at the office.
Who comes along
Is there an age floor for kids in a kayak?
It depends on who runs the launch. The Rock Springs Run landing takes no children under two, and a parent signs the outfitter's release for each child. Mention ages in the note on the form.
I travel alone. Does the figure change?
Yes, a solo traveler in a room alone pays the whole room. Every listed figure assumes two people sharing one room and one car, so the room and any per vehicle charge are split in half. Alone, both of those halves come back to you, and the written quote shows the full amount.
How many people can one request cover?
From one paddler up to six, in one to three rooms. The form asks for both numbers, and it lets a group choose a single kayak each, a tandem for two, guided paddles only, or whatever the outfitter has free on those days.
Can two of us share a tandem?
Yes, if the outfitter has one on those days. The listed figures assume a single kayak each, so a tandem changes the water part of the quote. Pick the tandem choice on the form and the reply says what the outfitter offers and what it charges.
Can I visit the office to plan in person?
Yes, by arrangement only. The desk is at 1011 E Colonial Dr, Suite 502, Orlando, Florida 32803, on East Colonial Drive east of downtown. Write or call first so someone is there when you arrive.
Can I go in summer?
None of the 22 dated departures falls in June, July or August; all but one sit between December and May, and the last is in late September. Summer weekends fill early at the Ichetucknee north launch, and summer afternoons bring thunderstorms that stop launches. If no departure fits, choose not decided yet on the form and say what you have in mind.
What if neither of us has been in a kayak before?
Say so in the note on the request. Silver River, Ichetucknee River and Chassahowitzka River each come with a guided paddle, and the form has a choice for guided paddles only.
Inn bills, outfitter fees and the noon Eastern cutoff
How is each figure per person worked out?
It adds the nights, the water part and the park charge, then rounds up to the next $5. The room part uses the federal lodging rate for the county, $113 a room night across all six counties for these months, divided between two people sharing. The outfitter's posted charge and half of any per vehicle charge are added on top.
Is the listed figure the final price?
No, it is a starting point that the written quote confirms. Once the inn and the outfitter answer for your exact nights, their real figures replace the estimate. Room tax and the county tourist tax come from the inn and sit outside the listed amount.
Who receives my payment, and how?
You pay the inn, the outfitter and the park directly, each on its own terms. The order runs like this: you send the form, the office asks the inn and the outfitter whether those nights and a place on the water are free, the written quote follows once both have answered, and you say yes in writing. Only then does the office ask them to hold the nights and the launch, and only then do you pay them. This website never takes a payment. The inn or the outfitter pays the office a commission, which is how the planning is covered.
What if I need to change my dates later?
Write to the office, and it relays the change the same way it sends a first request. The inn, the outfitter and the park each set their own cancellation and refund terms, and the written quote quotes them. The office holds none of your money, so there is nothing of yours sitting with it to return.
Sent before noon Eastern, answered the same day?
Yes, Monday to Saturday. A written request that comes in by noon Eastern, Monday to Saturday, is answered before sundown in Orlando that day; a later one is answered by sundown on the next day the office writes. The form itself works 24/7.
What about a request sent on a Sunday?
It is answered before sundown on the next day the office writes, since the office does not write on Sundays. Sending the form puts nothing on hold, and the figure is confirmed only after the inn and the outfitter answer for those exact nights.
Is there anything that pays back the money if a trip is called off?
Arranging that is up to you. The cancellation and refund terms of the inn, the outfitter and the park are spelled out in the written quote.
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