Most Beautiful Kayaking Spot in Florida: Silver Springs State Park

As one of America’s largest springs, Silver Springs in Florida has crystal clear water, an interesting ecosystem of rivers and channels, and a huge variety of plants and wildlife. In our opinion, Silver Springs is also one of the most beautiful places for kayaking in Florida. There is nothing like paddling on lazy teal water, cradling in between huge canopies of trees. And if you’re lucky, you can spot monkeys or manatees as you cruise through the beautiful Silver River.

Stats

Where

Silver Springs State Park
5656 E Silver Springs Blvd, Silver Springs, FL 34488

Parking

Paved parking lot

Hours

The park opens from 8 am to sundown
Rentals start at 8 am, with the last rental at 4 pm. All rentals need to be returned by 5 pm. For the Ray Wayside Park trip, last rental is at 12:30pm. You will need to reserve for shuttle.

Fee

Rental: Ranging from $30-$90 depending on what options you go with. For more info, check out their website.
Private vessel: $4 launch fee for each private vessel (kayak, canoe, stand-up paddleboard) in addition to park admission ($2).

Time:

From 1 hours to a full day

Pet-friendly

Dogs are not permitted near the springs or on any form of water transportation at the park.

Ideal Time

If you prefer some solitude, go early morning and on weekdays.

Weather

Video

Need to Know Before Your Kayaking Adventure in Silver Springs

Where to Launch or Rent Your Kayak

If You're Renting

If you need to rent your kayak or canoe, the easiest option would be rental at the concession stand and kayak launch next to the parking lot at the main park entrance. You can either rent your paddle craft when you get there or reserve it ahead of time online. They have different rental options that tailor to your need. Besides the official rental place in the park, there are other tour companies outside the park that offer rentals and tour options as well such as this clear kayak rental place or this company. We only rented with the official rental place in the park so we CANNOT vouch for any other companies. Please do your research before you go with them.

Launching Your Own

In case you have your own boat, you can launch it at the main entrance of Silver Springs State Park. When you’re at the parking lot, go right toward the kayak rental area. That is where you’ll be launching your paddle craft. It is a $4 per vessel launch fee for a personal canoe or kayak plus park admission of $2 per person. If you need a shuttle service, you can purchase it at the rental concession stand.

Kayaking Route Options

There are several options for your kayak adventure at Silver Springs.

Option 1 - Explore Beautiful Silver Springs For An Hour Or Two

Depending on your paddling ability or what routes you want to go, you can easily explore Silver Springs in one or two hours. If you only have 1 hour, we recommend doing the 1.1-mile Fort King Waterway loop. Fort King Waterway is very beautiful. Since we wanted to explore more of the Silver River, so we did 2 hours. With the 2 hours, we were able to paddle to the headspring, down the Silver River, and return back via Fort King Waterway. It was perfect for us.

Option 2 - Paddle to Ray Wayside Park

If you prefer a longer day, consider doing the 5 miles downstream from the head spring, down the Silver River all the way to Ray Wayside Park. It usually takes about 3 to 4 hours to Ray Wayside Park. Now, you can either paddle upstream back to where you came from or arrange for a shuttle to pick you up. You can arrange this shuttle pick-up at the rental place at the park. Return transport is also available for purchase for those with their own boats.

If you decide to paddle there and back (10 miles), keep in mind that even though the current of the Silver Springs is mild, only about 3-5 mph, however, it can be tiring after 5 miles of paddling upriver.

When Is The Best Time to Kayak at Silver Springs?

Kayaking at Silver Springs is a popular activity, especially on weekend afternoons in the winter. There usually will be motorboats (though it is a no-wake zone) and other kayakers. If you prefer some solitude, go early morning and on weekdays.

What Do I Need to Bring?

Sunscreen – Florida’s sun is harsh, make sure to use a lot of sunscreens. We use eco-friendly, reef-safe sunscreen, Stream2Sea SPF 30. and tinted, organic All Good Organic Sunscreen Butter.
Hat and sunglasses – again, to protect yourself from the sun
Dry bags – to keep all of your items dry.
Waterproof pouch with a lanyard – if you want to bring your phone, we recommend using a waterproof pouch with a lanyard. This way, you won’t drop your phone.
Watershoes – to get on the boat easier.
Water and snacks
Clothing that can get wet – we usually wear our swimsuits.

Need to Know Before Kayaking at Silver Springs

Pets are not allowed on the rental watercraft unless they are service animals.
For private vessels, you can schedule a transport service from Ray Wayside Park for an additional fee.
Make sure to schedule your transportation shuttle BEFORE you start your paddling adventure, if you want to go all the way to Ray Wayside Park.
Please make sure to pay attention to your surrounding when kayaking on Silver Springs. There are a lot of other kayakers, boats, and wildlife around. Also, make sure to yield to the glass bottom boats, because it is difficult for them to make sharp turns or sudden stops if you are in their way.
Don’t approach or harass wildlife. Give them plenty of space, especially the manatees. They are protected. And yes, there are alligators in the Silver River.
It is important to check the weather and notify your friends or family members of your plans before your trip. Just in case something happened.
The only place to get in and out of the river between the headsprings launch and the Ray Wayside boat launch is at the 2-mile mark. If you keep an eye out on the river, you can spot the mile markers. They begin at the headsprings and continue down 5.4 miles until the confluence of the Silver and Ocklawaha rivers.

The Adventure

At the Launch Point

Since we wanted to beat the crowd and the heat, we started our kayaking adventure bright and early. Because we left our beloved kayaks in California, we had to rent. The rental process at the concession stand in Silver Springs State Park was easy and straightforward. The staff member also showed us the trail map and advised us which way to go. We didn’t want to spend all day paddling so we opted for 2 hours rental. That gave us plenty of time on the water as well as to explore the rest of the park.

As we picked up our life jackets and paddles, the staff carried our kayak to the launch ramp. They were super nice and helped us get onto our kayaks before pushing us into the refreshing water of Silver Springs.

Going to the Headsprings

Once on the water, we decided to kayak straight toward Silver Springs’s Headsprings first. This part of the river is beautiful with clear water snakes through a dense tropical forest. As the sunlight reflected down, we could see patches of crystal clear teal water splashes throughout the river. It was a sight to behold.

The Main Channel of the Silver River

As we reached the main channel of Silver Springs, the waterway opened up to a wider area. We could see the blue sky above. We turn right to follow the Silver River downstream. Along the way, we could see a few glass-bottom boats giving tours. Please make sure to give them plenty of space. It was interesting to see different ecosystems and wildlife during our kayaking adventure in Silver Springs. As we paddled along, we could see different tropical plants, an interesting island made out of cypress trees, and tons of fish, turtles, and birds. We were also lucky to see a manatee grazing on the seagrass in the water. There were also a few alligators that were sunning along the river bank.

After about 1.5 miles of kayaking on the Silver River, we decided to turn back due to our time limit. I have to say, the way back wasn’t that fun. Even though the current wasn’t that strong, it seemed like we were paddling forever yet didn’t make that much progress at all. If we ever ended up kayaking to Ray Wayside Park, we definitely would take the shuttle back instead of kayaking back.

Fort King Waterway

On the way back, we decided to take the Fort King Waterway to go back to the launch point, making this into a loop. If you want to go this route, make sure to keep an eye out for the sign for the trailhead on your left. Once we reached the trailhead, we turn left to follow the Fort King waterway upstream toward the launch ramp.

We have to say, the Fort King Waterway was our favorite section of the river. It really felt like we were kayaking in a tropical paradise instead of Silver Springs in Florida. The waterway was narrow at certain sections, making it super fun to paddle through. We also saw a couple of alligators, swimming along the side. It was an interesting experience.

The Fort King Waterway eventually meets up with the headsprings trail. At this point, we turned left to head back to the launch ramp. Kayaking at Silver Springs was one of our favorite things to do in Florida. It was an amazing experience. We wish we could have brought our Crescent kayak here and do this every week! As of now, we just have to settle for the promise of coming back here again. Besides Silver Springs, there are many other super cool springs in Florida such as Rainbow Springs, where you can go tubing, or Kelly Park Rock Springs, Blue Springs State Park, Wekiwa Springs, De Leon Springs, and more.

These are the gear that we personally use and find them helpful for this particular adventure. Don’t forget to check out our Recommended Gear section as well.

adventure gear

Sunscreen – Florida’s sun is harsh, make sure to use a lot of sunscreens. We use eco-friendly, reef-safe sunscreen, Stream2Sea SPF 30. and tinted, organic All Good Organic Sunscreen Butter.
Hat and sunglasses – again, to protect yourself from the sun
Dry bags – to keep all of your items dry.
Waterproof pouch with a lanyard – if you want to bring your phone, we recommend using a waterproof pouch with a lanyard. This way, you won’t drop your phone.
Watershoes – to get on the boat easier.
Clothing that can get wet – we usually wear our swimsuits.
Food, snacks, and water but no alcohol. For healthy and easy snacks, check out some of our recipes.