Santa Fe River canoe guided tour

Running through the heart of Florida's famous 'spring region,' the Santa Fe river is a true gem of wild Florida. The upper half of this 75-mile river is a small, winding creek that often dries in low water periods. It's an interesting area, but one which requires a guide to get to the good parts. But half way down, just above the quaint little town of High Springs, the river changes dramatically.

At O'leno State Park the river disappears into an underground cavern. When it reemerges from the depths, three miles away, it is a dramatically different river. Having joined with an underground river of crystal clear spring water, the reborn Santa Fe is nearly twice as big as it was when it 'went below.' For the remaining 30 miles, the Santa Fe winds through a beautiful landscape with abundant wildlife, lush vegetation and, of course, the springs. There are dozens of them, some are small and hard to spot, while others arise from the riverbed and will go unnoticed unless you're snorkeling. It's not until you get about 3 miles below 'the Rise' that you'll find the first big one's, Hornsby Spring on the left and, a half mile further, Columbia spring on the right.

Five miles more brings you to Poe Spring. The county owned park surrounding the spring and flanking nearly a mile of river front, has a short hiking trail and other facilities. From here you'll start passing a spring ever half hour or so. And, like their names, they are unusual and interesting. Lily - where you'll meet 'naked Ed,' the resident caretaker who has lived in a little thatch hut alongside the spring for nearly 20 years. As his name implies Ed only slips into his fur loin cloth when he has visitors. Otherwise he prefers to hang out (pun intended) as nekkid as the day he was born. No trip on the Santa Fe is complete without a visit with Ed.

Continuing downstream you'll pass Rum Island Spring, the beautiful Blue Spring before coming to the famous Ginnie Springs Park. This is the home to Devil's Ear, Devil's Eye, Ginnie, Dogwood and Twin Springs.

All along it's meander towards it's eventual union with the Suwannee River, the Santa Fe alternately loses water by way of siphons (underwater cracks which drain the water into deep, underground channels of the aquifer) and gains water by way of springs (which bring water up to the surface from the aquifer). By the time it has passed the Ginnie Springs group, the river has gained more water from the springs than it has lost from siphons, and it's moving at a nice pace. During average to low water periods, this part of the river takes on a clearer, more spring-like quality. The current becomes stronger too, allowing the paddler to divert his attention away from the task of propelling his craft and check out the surroundings. Some features, such as Big Awesome siphon and Myrtle's Fissure require a curious spirit and watchful eye to spot. Others, like Little Awesome siphon are apparent to even the most unobservant passers-by.