Dated spring trip departures from Orlando, ready to reserve
This calendar lays out the dated spring trip departures from Orlando that the office plans, all 22 of them, in the order they fall. Each departure runs from the first night at the inn to the last morning, and each one carries the same per-person figure as its run.
Each departure names exact nights. Those nights are what the office puts to the inn and the outfitter, and the written quote confirms the figure only after both have answered for them.
All 22 departures, December through September
December 2026 opens with the Wekiva and Rock Springs Run on Dec 4 to 6, then the Silver River on Dec 11 to 13 and the Weeki Wachee River on Dec 18 to 20. January 2027 holds four: the Chassahowitzka River on Jan 8 to 11, the Wekiva again on Jan 15 to 17, the Rainbow River on Jan 22 to 24 and the Ichetucknee River on Jan 29 to Feb 1. In February the Silver returns on Feb 5 to 7, the Weeki Wachee on Feb 19 to 21, and the Chassahowitzka spans Feb 26 to Mar 1. March matches January with four departures: the Wekiva on Mar 5 to 7, the Rainbow on Mar 12 to 14, the Silver on Mar 19 to 21 and the Ichetucknee on Mar 26 to 29. April also carries four: the Weeki Wachee on Apr 2 to 4, the Rainbow on Apr 16 to 18, the Wekiva on Apr 23 to 25 and the Ichetucknee from Apr 30 to May 3. May has three: the Silver on May 7 to 9, the Chassahowitzka on May 14 to 17 and the Rainbow on May 21 to 23. After the summer gap, the Weeki Wachee closes the list alone on Sep 24 to 26, 2027.
Departures that leave in December 2026
- Wekiva and Rock Springs Run, December 4 to 6, 2026, two nights, from $225 per person
- Silver River, December 11 to 13, 2026, two nights, from $175 per person
- Weeki Wachee River, December 18 to 20, 2026, two nights, from $165 per person
Departures that leave in January 2027
- Chassahowitzka River, January 8 to 11, 2027, three nights, from $255 per person
- Wekiva and Rock Springs Run, January 15 to 17, 2027, two nights, from $225 per person
- Rainbow River, January 22 to 24, 2027, two nights, from $175 per person
- Ichetucknee River, January 29 to February 1, 2027, three nights, from $230 per person
Departures that leave in February 2027
- Silver River, February 5 to 7, 2027, two nights, from $175 per person
- Weeki Wachee River, February 19 to 21, 2027, two nights, from $165 per person
- Chassahowitzka River, February 26 to March 1, 2027, three nights, from $255 per person
Departures that leave in March 2027
- Wekiva and Rock Springs Run, March 5 to 7, 2027, two nights, from $225 per person
- Rainbow River, March 12 to 14, 2027, two nights, from $175 per person
- Silver River, March 19 to 21, 2027, two nights, from $175 per person
- Ichetucknee River, March 26 to 29, 2027, three nights, from $230 per person
Departures that leave in April 2027
- Weeki Wachee River, April 2 to 4, 2027, two nights, from $165 per person
- Rainbow River, April 16 to 18, 2027, two nights, from $175 per person
- Wekiva and Rock Springs Run, April 23 to 25, 2027, two nights, from $225 per person
- Ichetucknee River, April 30 to May 3, 2027, three nights, from $230 per person
Departures that leave in May 2027
- Silver River, May 7 to 9, 2027, two nights, from $175 per person
- Chassahowitzka River, May 14 to 17, 2027, three nights, from $255 per person
- Rainbow River, May 21 to 23, 2027, two nights, from $175 per person
Departures that leave in September 2027
- Weeki Wachee River, September 24 to 26, 2027, two nights, from $165 per person
What winter, spring and September change on the water
The ten winter departures run from early December through February. Spring water stays at about 72 degrees in every month. Manatees spend roughly mid-November to the end of March in several of these rivers. They are protected animals: paddlers watch them quietly from the boat and keep their distance, and no departure comes with a promise that one will show up.
From March through May the list holds eleven departures. In water year 2026 the Silver River gauge read a median of 484 cfs in April and 439 cfs in May, against 491 cfs for the whole year. On the Rainbow, tubing runs on a different stretch on weekends from the first Saturday of April, so the Apr 16 to 18 and May 21 to 23 departures fall on tubing weekends; the paddle itself starts at the headsprings, where the park asks for a day-use reservation and closes the gate when it is full.
No departure falls in June, July or August, and a single late September departure on the Weeki Wachee reopens the list. Afternoon thunderstorms are common in summer, and outfitters stop launches when lightning is near. On the Ichetucknee, summer weekends fill early and the north launch takes a limit of 100 boats a day, which is why its three departures sit in winter and spring.
Sending the nights you want
The request form lists all 22 departures grouped by run, with a choice for travelers who have not decided yet, and it accepts a request 24/7. Sending it costs nothing and reserves nothing. The office then asks the inn and the outfitter whether those nights and a place on the water are free. A first written answer reaches you before sundown in Orlando, and the full quote naming the inn and the outfitter follows once both have replied. When you say yes in writing, the office asks them to hold the nights and the launch. You pay the inn, the outfitter and the park directly on their terms, and every paddler signs the outfitter's release before launching.
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