I have wanted to visit this spot since the first year I lived in Florida. A few times, I tried, but the line stretched down the entire road, or they weren't letting any more people inside. But after learning a few tips and tricks, I finally got a chance to visit this gem.
I usually shy away from the springs so close to Orlando because they easily become crowded and busy. Though when I do visit, I try to go on a weekday.
So I learned that the line I saw was only for those who wanted to go to Kelly Rock Park. If you want to paddle, you should continue down the road to King's Landing. You will need visit King's Landing website to book a reservation. You can choose to rent a kayak or canoe with your reservation, or if you have your own watercraft, you book a time to arrive. You can show up 30 minutes before your reservation time. If you have your own watercraft, your time allotment will be from your chosen arrival time until the park closes at 4:30.
If you are renting, you can choose to book a tour or a self-guided paddle. I will say the route for both paddles options is pretty straightforward if you want to self-explore. You're allotted 4 hours, which is plenty of time to explore both sides of the river. But if you want to learn fun facts, or maybe you are not experienced using a kayak or paddleboard, a tour would be the journey for you.
Whether you are using a rental for your own adventure or if you have your own watercraft, if you want to paddle the 8.5-mile journey down the river too Wekiva Island, you will want transportation back to King's Landing. If you are launching from King's Landing, you can book a shuttle. The shuttle leaves from Wekiva Island at 3:30 p.m. to take you back to King's Landing. I have heard it is cheaper to take an Uber back to King's Landing. If you have your own watercraft and it's inflatable, you can deflate and make your way back when you want. If you have a kayak or hard paddle board, if you would like to have someone Uber back, pick up the car, and bring it back to Wekiva Island to grab your gear.
I brought my inflatable SUP, so I reserved a time and paid basically a $10 drop-in fee. If you bring your own watercraft, you can pull through the circle drive at the end of the road (follow the yellow enter sign). And drop it off or blow it up, then take your car back to the road to park. I had one of the first spots when I parked, so I blew up my board there and carried it in.
There are restrooms and portable toilets by the front wooden fence. There are showers as well.
No matter what type of reservation, you will need to check-in at the office and get a colored band. They will show you a map of the river.
If you go to the right coming out of King's Landing, you will head towards the Emerald Cut and Kelly Rock Park. When you head to the left, you will be paddling towards Wekiva Island.
I did the paddle to the right first since it is a sight that draws in a lot of tourists, and I wanted to beat the crowds. The water on this side is crystal clear, like glass.
You will be paddling upstream to start, but it will be a fun coaster ride on the way back. It is around a 1-mile paddle to the bridge.
Around the halfway point is the Emerald Cut. There you can pause and do a little swimming if you would like.
This side of the river has lots of shade and is very tropical with its surrounding greenery. The water, as I mentioned earlier, is so clear you can see straight down. The depth below changes constantly, so make sure you are paying attention, or you might get stuck in the sand and have to get out and move your watercraft. There are also tree logs and branches sometimes below. I saw a paddleboarder hit one and fall off her board. She was totally fine, but be on the lookout and move slowly over the obstacles.
And because this is a popular tourist destination, there are a lot of inexperienced paddlers on the river. I practiced a lot of awareness and helped a few that were struggling. If you are a newer paddler, treat the river as a highway and try your best to stick to your side of the river. Feel free to ask your guide or anyone at the rental place for help and advice on how to paddle. There is a technique and skill to paddling.
The paddle back to King's Landing is super fun! With the current pushing you, it feels like a water coaster ride!
Once back at King's Landing, I started toward the other side of the river, the side that leads to Wekiva Island. This side of the river they call the nature side.
You will see wildlife on this end of the river. Turtles will be sunbathing on the logs. If you hear a lot of plops, that's just the turtles jumping into the water.
They are quite skittish. I saw a great blue heron, tricolored heron, woodpecker, white ibis, and cormorant. I know that many people are fearful of gators. And it is known that there are quite a few around Wekiwa Springs. I only saw one on my paddle, around 3 feet long, laying on the bank sunning. A good rule is always to respect mother nature and her creatures as you enter her house. That is always my rule.
The water is not as clear compared to the other side of the river. But in some parts, I could see the seagrass, logs, and some cool underwater moments. I was looking down to make sure I was avoiding any tree debris, and I couldn't believe what I saw. A softshell turtle whose shell was the size of my adult life vest! I have never seen a turtle, in a river/spring, that big before!
Florida cormorants will dive into the water to retrieve food and cool off. Many times I have seen them dive into the water, but on this day, because the water was so clear, I saw him actually swimming! It was so cool!
Unfortunately, I was so busy enjoying these split-second miraculous moments, I didn't get the chance to capture them on my phone. So you are just going to have to trust me it happened ;)
I bought Costa sunglasses last year and they have been of great help and use on my Florida adventures. Especially when paddling, the polarized and specially tinted lenses allow me to see into the water better. This helps me avoid tree stumps and see things like turtles. If you are a fellow water adventurer, investing in a good pair of sunglasses will be beneficial. And they have cute, stylish frames as well.
Ok! Back to the adventure! The paddle on the Wekiwa side is also about one mile long. You will see the state park sign.
There is a pretty large log I had to maneuver my board over. I just stood on the log, lifted and pushed the board over, then hopped back on.
There is a clear sign for those with blue bands where your turnaround point is.
I had a red band, so decided to go a little further. At this split, I first went to the left. This side had lots of water lilies, a palm tree to avoid, and a tree stump to go under. I took the other side on the way back ,and it had fewer obstacles. So choose your own adventure!
Around this three-branch tree, there were many tree logs to avoid in the water. I decided to avoid that labyrinth and took that as my sign to turn around.
I went a little farther than the 1-mile point, probably another quarter to half a mile. They said to look for buoys, but I didn't see any. If you want to paddle to Wekiva Island, you will keep padding. Maybe I will finish that 8.5-mile journey another time.
I got back to King's Landing around 1 p.m. There was a food truck there for those wanting lunch or a snack.
Two African Spurred Tortoises live on the property in their little home between the restroom and the office.
A few more things. In Florida, always wear sunscreen, even if there is shade. I did get bit by some no-see-um bugs over by the Emerald Cut. I was standing near my board which I had pushed into the bank. Wearing Skin So Soft deters the no-see-ums. If you don't have that, bug spray is better than nothing.
Now this next bit of info I learned from one of the kayakers. He has a kayak and just wanted to drop in. He pulled up the Kelly Rock Park entrance and asked to drop-in at Camp Joy. Camp Joy is the campground in between Kelly Rock and King's Landing. He only paid $3.00, and they gave him a code to enter the Camp Joy gate. I haven't tried it myself, but his endeavor was a success if you would like to give it a go.
I can't believe it took me so long to make here but so glad I did! Escape the crazy city of Orlando and the theme parks for a true natural Florida gem.
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