Upcoming Trips
Peace River Paddle:
February 17-20
A three-day, 42-mile paddle along the fossil-laden Peace River Canoe Trail, part of Florida's statewide trail system. Amazingly isolated from civilization, the serene, slow-moving Peace lives up to its name.
Registration deadline: February 3
Dam to the Bay:
March 3-9
Experience the Florida Panhandle's Ochlockonee River, which winds through 76 miles of wilderness river trail.
Registration deadline: February 18
Wekiva/St. Johns River Ramble:
April 6-9
Paddle down the spring-fed Wekiva River to the St. Johns in a manatee- and bird-lovers paradise!
Registration deadline: March 23
Paddlers Tell Us...
Our campground has a beautiful spring right next to our tent. When Grammy was younger, she went swimming in it. There is an underwater tunnel under a rock platform. After supper tonight there was a wonderful sounding woman singing with her guitar. It was a bundle of fun!
— Kayla Smith, Age 10, Old Town, FL
Why do YOU Paddle
Florida? Tell us at...
Recommended Reading
A Water Ethic for America
Award-winning journalist and recent Paddle Florida presenter Cynthia Barnett reports on the ways one of the most water-rich nations on the planet has squandered its way to scarcity, and angues the best solution is also the simplest and least expensive: a water ethic for America. Blue Revolution (Beacon Press, 2011) exposes how the nation's green craze largely missed water, but the book is big on inspiration too!
Donate on the
Paddle Florida website
Paddle Florida, Inc. is a non-profit corporation organized to support paddling in Florida. Events in each of Florida's five water management districts expose paddlers to Florida's natural beauty and rich cultural heritage while promoting water conservation, wildlife preservation, springs restoration, and waterways protection.
Bring Your Valentine Paddling on the Peace River
Peace River Paddle, February 17-20
Join Paddle Florida for a three-day, 42-mile journey along the Peace River Canoe Trail. The Peace is a serene, slow-moving river amazingly isolated from civilization. The stresses of everyday life will slip away as you coast between high banks and round sweeping curves, looking for that chance encounter with deer, otter, alligators, an occasional black bear, and an abundance of bird life. Shallow sections of the sandy-bottomed river give paddlers an opportunity to hunt for shark's teeth and other fossils. Held in cooperation with the City of Fort Meade, Hardee County, and the Florida Park Service, this will be our third annual event on the Peace River. We'll also be partnering with Current Problems , a local water-focused non-profit organization, to conduct a river cleanup with interested volunteers on at least one day of the trip. A daily paddling itinerary, list of evening speakers and entertainment, and registration details can be accessed here.
Highlights from the Florida Keys Challenge
60 Paddlers Storm the Beaches of Key West on 100 Year Anniversary of Overseas Railroad
On January 22, 2012, at 10:43 a.m., 60 paddlers came ashore at Fort Zachary Taylor State Park in Key West, culminating a 120-mile paddling adventure that began 10 days earlier in Key Largo at John Pennekamp State Park. Paddlers from 13 states participated. The epic journey was part of the Centennial Celebration of Henry Flagler's overseas railroad, and our paddlers arrived in Key West on the same day and time that Flagler arrived on his train in 1912. A full trip report is posted under 'Past Trips' on Paddle Florida's website.
Water Unites Both Sides of the Aisle
Healthy Lives Global Health News & Commentary, December 15, 2011
Nearly 900 million people around the world don't have clean drinking water and 2.6 billion lack access to improved sanitation. One consequence of this is diarrhea, which kills 1.8 million children under 5 every year. Washington D.C. has been characterized by partisan disagreement for the past few years, but Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (''WASH') has been a point of agreement. On December 14, Reps. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Ted Poe (R-TX) introduced a piece of legislation called the 'Water for the World Act of 2012.'
The introduced legislation builds on the 2005 Water for the Poor Act by enhancing the capacity of USAID and the State Department to "play a greater, more effective role in development assistance as well as mitigate cross-border conflict." [read more1]
Paddler Profiles: Emily Sperling & Paul Archacki
In honor of the upcoming Valentine's Day holiday, we are profiling a paddling couple this month.
1) Where are you from? Paul is from Florida's right coast and Emily is from its left coast, which may explain our differing political points of view. Paul grew up in Lantana, and he and Emily now reside in her hometown of Sarasota.
2) When and how did you become interested in kayaking? We really enjoyed a brief kayak tour we took with coworkers off of Boca Grande. Then we learned that we had friends and family members with kayaks readily available for borrowing, and that sealed the deal. [read more2]
The Guide's Corner: Listening to Water
by Lars Andersen, Adventure Outpost, High Springs, FL, www.adventureoutpost.net
Of all of Leonardo DaVinci's great ideas, one of my favorites is one of his simplest. No diagrams, no assembly required, just a simple re-purposing of an everyday item--the canoe paddle. He suggested if we put its blade into water and then pressed our ear against its shaft, we could hear the sounds of aquatic life. Once again, Leonardo was way ahead of his time. Not only did this idea pre-date sonar, it pre-dated the belief that the sea was worth listening to. [read more]
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