A Canoe Trip in Northern Florida

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Last weekend we went canoeing along Spring Creek and the Chipola River in North Florida and had such a fun time. It has been hot down in the south so the water felt fantastic. We were surprised by how warm it was already. And the biggest surprise were finding tons of shells in the crystal clear water of Spring Creek!

First things first. This was totally a last minute trip and we had no idea what to expect or where we planned to go! I had spent some time on the Jackson County website and fascinated by all of the Springs that are in this area near Merritt’s Pond. However, this area had sustained some pretty severe hurricane damage from Hurricane Michael and is also having issues with staffing so the Blue Springs Park that we wanted to go to is actually closed right now. I had a feeling it was going to be so when we headed in that direction we weren’t sure what we would end up doing!

I knew there would be somewhere to explore.

On a side note, if you are interested in learning more about all of the Springs in Florida here is a great site to visit. I also want to note that Florida Caverns State Park is near here. It is currently still closed due to hurricane damage but totally on our bucket list for the future!

Anyway, we left home and drove 50 minutes to Marianna, Florida from Dothan, Alabama. It is always fun to go somewhere that we have never been! When we arrived to our “destination” (not that I really had one) we were already hungry and had a great lunch at Up The Creek Cafe. We asked our server what we should do and where we should go first. She pointed across the street to Bear Paw.

After we are we popped on over to Bear Paw mainly to ask for general information about the creeks, rivers, and springs for a future visit. But, the second we saw the canoes and raft we knew we had to do it! Luckily I had packed water shoes and a big jug of water for whatever the day brought us.

LOCATION: We rented the canoe + raft through Bear Paw in Marianna, Florida. It’s located right off of Interstate 10 in Jackson County about an hour west of Tallahassee.

It was $80 for a canoe and a pull behind WOW raft which was perfect for 2 adults and 2 kids and they told us that it would take about 2 hours to canoe. This was spot on which made it the perfect little outing! Of course you can make it much longer by stopping more often or not paddling as hard. Most people come here for the rafting. We saw several groups of people floating along with their cooler of beer and music. Remember those days? It would be a fun adult outing!

WHAT TO EXPECT: The first part of the trip along Spring Creek has crystal clear water and plenty of places to get out and play. So make sure to stop during this part. There are tons of shells in the creek and we had a great time digging through them. We recommend water shoes because they can be coarse. The second half along the Chipola River is much deeper and had the blue/green water. I didn’t feel comfortable docking or taking the kids out in this part. So, make sure to get out and play first! Bring sunscreen and plenty of water!

Also, if you want to do this outing I suggest getting there earlier in the day. Give yourself plenty of time to enjoy the trip! Happy adventuring!

I know that many of you don’t live near here but guess what? There are creeks and rivers everywhere. I bet you can find one near you!

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