Paddleboarding THE FLORIDA SPRINGS
By Carly Meyers
Have you ever tried to SUP? SUP is short for stand-up paddleboarding, an activity that is growing in popularity. The newest innovation is inflatable paddleboards. Gone are the days of struggling to tie the boards to the roof of the car and hope on a prayer that they don’t disembark on the highway. After inflating the boards with an electric pump, the boards only weigh 15 to 20 pounds and you’re ready to explore the water. My fiancée and I have taken on the task of paddleboarding as many Florida springs and parks as we can since purchasing our boards, and we’ve discovered some of the most breathtaking waters are in our very own backyard.
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ICHETUCKNEE SPRINGS Fed by eight springs, the Itchetucknee Springs State Park offers visitors bluegreen waters year round. The constant current allows for guests to tube down the nearly 6-mile stretch forming the Ichetucknee River. Although best known for its warm weather tubing, the 2,669-acre Itchetucknee Springs State Park is also a wildlife hotspot where beaver, otter, turtles and gar all call home. Guests can also enjoy three nature trails that guide visitors through lush forest or a sandhill environment with towering pines. Paddleboards and kayaks can get a special view of the river at the north entrance starting point—where tubing is not permitted. The upper portion within the state park is a National
Natural Landmark, perhaps the most pristine spring run in the state and is best enjoyed by canoe, kayak or paddleboard in rain or shine. Because most visitors are tubing, which starts at the midway point, this course if often quiet and peaceful, and perhaps the most beautiful place, in my opinion, to paddleboard. Not to mention, it’s right in our backyard. Equipment and tubes are available to rent at the south entrance if you do not have your own. GINNIE SPRINGS Ginnie Springs is a privately owned park in Gilchrist County, about 6.5 miles northwest of High Springs. Located on the south side of the Santa Fe River, the water is clear, cold and teeming with accessible caverns and fascinating wildlife.
