Spent a Saturday afternoon in the end of September kayaking from the north entrance of Ichetucknee Springs State Park to the south entrance. Rented from Paddling Adventures at the North entrance. We waited to go to this river until after Labor Day to avoid the summer rush of tubers. We were well rewarded. We saw very few people boating on the upper end of the river from the North entrance until we reached Mid-Point / Dampiers Landing when there were more boats (canoes and kayaks)... read moreSpent a Saturday afternoon in the end of September kayaking from the north entrance of Ichetucknee Springs State Park to the south entrance. Rented from Paddling Adventures at the North entrance. We waited to go to this river until after Labor Day to avoid the summer rush of tubers. We were well rewarded. We saw very few people boating on the upper end of the river from the North entrance until we reached Mid-Point / Dampiers Landing when there were more boats (canoes and kayaks) and tubers. There are no motorized boats on this river, a wonderful feature.
We swam in Devil's Eye Springs and snorkeled there. Beautiful clear water. Chilly 72 degrees (typical spring temp). Shallow water on the edge of the spring allowed us to park our kayaks and climb out to go swimming. There are several springs dotted along the river that were beautiful as well. Didn't see any alligators, but saw A LOT OF turtles.
Beautiful day. Will go back again before summer months. read less

My boyfriend and I decided to do the advertised 9 mile kayaking excursion. Everything was easy to set up online last minute, there was no wait to get our equipment. Very fairly priced, considering we got picked up at the end and brought back to our car by a couple of wonderful employees. If you're interested in this, go with questions ready. We're fairly fit young people, and we struggled quite a bit for the last 2 hours of this 5 hour excursion. Advertised as 9 miles but was actually... read moreMy boyfriend and I decided to do the advertised 9 mile kayaking excursion. Everything was easy to set up online last minute, there was no wait to get our equipment. Very fairly priced, considering we got picked up at the end and brought back to our car by a couple of wonderful employees. If you're interested in this, go with questions ready. We're fairly fit young people, and we struggled quite a bit for the last 2 hours of this 5 hour excursion. Advertised as 9 miles but was actually 10.
Getting in the water was simple thanks to the staff, but we wish we had more details about the difficulty of this journey, as well as some tips about wildlife (which we realize we could've asked about the gators and snakes we'd encounter, just didn't think of it at the time).
Come with questions ready to go, and you will be fine! We think the shorter excursion would be excellent due to the quick downstream current and ease of the first segment of the River.
Overall, we had a great time! BRING SUNSCREEN AND REAPPLY EVERY HALF HOUR OR SO! We were spared during the 95 degree day by being prepared with sunscreen and plenty of water. read less

heres some pictures we took along the way down the river and enjoyed . no tubers just us and natures animals and quiet 2 .5 hrs please visit john/brianna at paddling adventures these folks will go out of the way to make your trip worth while .. thanks guys for everything

This company operates shuttle service within ichetucknee springs state park. We only used the for the shuttle service as we had our own tubes. If you do want to rent from them they make it very easy. The staff I spoke with were all friendly and offered good tips for the trip. The bus to the north end was very nice, clean, and air conditioned not the typical rafting school bus for sure. While many maya think ac is over the top if you are wearing a wetsuit for the... read moreThis company operates shuttle service within ichetucknee springs state park. We only used the for the shuttle service as we had our own tubes. If you do want to rent from them they make it very easy. The staff I spoke with were all friendly and offered good tips for the trip. The bus to the north end was very nice, clean, and air conditioned not the typical rafting school bus for sure. While many maya think ac is over the top if you are wearing a wetsuit for the trip down the river you will be thankful for the cool air until you hit the cold waters. I would skip the shuttle service and walk if I was only going to use the south part of the river. read less

Paddling Adventures are located in the back of the parking lot of Ichetucknee Springs. Park in the main parking lot and walk down dirt road to their office. They will offer 2 different trips. One trip is offered to the south entrance of the park which is about 2.5 hrs or you can do the all day trip which gets out at the 129 bridge. The all day trip is well worth it. They will pick you up at either location and bring you back to the north entrance.

Great

This place is AWESOME! Brought the grandkids and kyaked the spring and we had a great time! The staff were very friendly even as they were swamped with the people wanting to tube and kayak.

please visit paddling adventures in the springs , they go above and beyond ( john brianna) . made the trip . a once in a life time exprience even our senior nana would do this adventure again .. awsome place to see natures animals (turtles, alligator gar blue haron birds different fish . kids really will remember this .,

What a great trip it was to Ichetucknee Springs! Try saying that a couple times! The park is very nice & well kept. The water is amazingly clear. The tubing, kayaking, paddling options are perfect for the entire family. Highly recommend for a weekend trip with the family. There is a great assortment of food options that go from healthy salads & wraps to juicy burgers and yummy hot dogs. For Florida's hot and humid weather they offer ice cream and slushies!

This was our first experience at a springs. We couldn't believe all of the wildlife we saw! It was a very peaceful route and something to see everywhere. Highly recommend!