Kayak Extreme Emerald Cut
Apopka, Florida
Description
Added by Zachary Ganster
Kayak up and down some of Florida's clearest water. Complete with sharp turns, swift currents, and wildlife at every corner. There's a swimming hole with a jumping pad from a tree. Take your adventure to the next level and kayak downstream 10 miles from King's Landing to Wekiva Springs. You will be immersed into ever changing scenery full of turtles, alligators, and birds.
Start at King's Landing. Here you can either drop your own kayaks in or choose to rent. Kayak/Canoe rentals are $30 for the day. Using your own kayak is $20, if you choose to have them pick you up at Wekiva Springs and shuttle you back. During summer months, get there early (before 11), as they typically sell out. Head upstream to the right first. This is Extreme Emerald Cut, which was easily the best part of the trip. The hard row 1 mile upstream through tight curves is worth every second. Make sure to hit up the swimming hole. Heading back downstream, you will hit some crowds for the first half mile or so. But don't worry, they thin out quickly. I fully recommend doing the entire 10 miles. Make sure you give yourself 4-5 hours to complete the trip (more if you want to stop halfway and have a lunch/nap time). The shuttle will pick you and your boat up at 4pm in Wekiva Springs.
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Reviews
This is an easy paddle if you're looking for an adventure in the area. I rented a Kayak and it was a breeze. Affordable, too!
3.0
This trip is a long one and there are several other kayaking trips that are much more preferable within an hour. If you do decide this is the one for you, kayak don't canoe.
2.0
This was our first trip using Outbound as a guide. It was late Oct. We used our paddleboards for the trip which can be a little different than kayaks or canoes as we have fins under our boards that can get snagged on submerged deadfall and the sandy bottom. The Rock Spring Run flows at a nice pace and is shallow in most places but not so shallow that we ever had to portage. The first third of the trip is rather shady, and the bottom dark so is a little difficult to see the logs and branches just below the surface. Polarized sunglasses helped a lot. Once the river opens up there is all kinds of aquatic plants, Lillypads, and grasses swaying in the current. Since the water is so clear you can see Large Mouth Bass and pan fish everywhere. We even passes over a 2 ft. Alligator as he lay on the bottom. The highlight of the trip was spotting 2 Black Bears in some trees along the bank. One resting on a breach, the other munching berries in the top of a cabbage palm. We finished the 8 miles in about 4 hrs. which included a couple of breaks and Bear watching. We did not get to paddle upstream to Emerald but will likely return to check it out as well. The Boys at Kings Landing shuttled us and our paddleboards back for $20 each, a very hardworking proffesional team. Though we didn't camp, there were 3 primitive camp sites on the river, you can book through Wekiva State Park. This was a great trip! Thanks Zachary Ganster for the tip.
4.0
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