Six runs, 22 departures: how to reserve a spring paddling trip
The office plans six spring runs, each with two or three inn nights near the river, and lists 22 dated departures across them, from December 2026 to September 2027. To reserve a spring paddling trip, a traveler chooses one departure and sends the request form, which reserves nothing and costs nothing. The office then asks the inn and the outfitter whether those nights and a place on the water are free, and the full written quote names both of them once they have answered.
Each departure covers two or three nights at an inn near the river plus a place on the water with a local outfitter, either a guided paddle or a boat from the outfitter. Figures run from $165 per person on the Weeki Wachee to $255 per person on the Chassahowitzka. Travelers pay the inn, the outfitter and the park themselves; this website takes no payment.
Four runs that need only two nights
Four of the six runs take two nights at an inn, listed here by median daily flow over water year 2026, largest first. Rainbow River carries 509 cubic feet per second; the inn is in Dunnellon, the headsprings sit about 2 hours and 97 miles from the office, and the outfitter supplies a single kayak for the whole day at $56 per boat, from $175 per person. Silver River runs at 491 cubic feet per second; the inn is in Ocala, the river about 1 hour 45 minutes and 78 miles away, and a guided two-hour paddle in a single kayak costs $55 per boat, also from $175 per person. Wekiva and Rock Springs Run, at 214 cubic feet per second, is the closest: the springs are about 30 minutes and 17 miles from the office on East Colonial Drive, the inn is in Longwood, and the two days cover the Wekiva River at $47 per boat and Rock Springs Run at $54 per boat plus $10 per adult at the landing, from $225 per person. Weeki Wachee River, at 114 cubic feet per second, has its inn in Spring Hill, about 1 hour 55 minutes and 80 miles to the river, a single kayak for 2.8 miles with the ride back to the launch at $35 per boat, park admission of $13 per adult, and a figure from $165 per person.
Rainbow River paddling trip
First magnitudemedian 509 cfs
Two nights near Dunnellon; the river is about 2 hours from the office.
- January 22 to 24, 2027
- March 12 to 14, 2027
- April 16 to 18, 2027
- May 21 to 23, 2027
from $175per person, two sharing
Silver River kayak weekend
First magnitudemedian 491 cfs
Two nights near Ocala; the river is about 1 hour 45 minutes from the office.
- December 11 to 13, 2026
- February 5 to 7, 2027
- March 19 to 21, 2027
- May 7 to 9, 2027
from $175per person, two sharing
Wekiva River paddling weekend
First magnitudemedian 214 cfs
Two nights near Longwood; the river is about 30 minutes from the office.
- December 4 to 6, 2026
- January 15 to 17, 2027
- March 5 to 7, 2027
- April 23 to 25, 2027
from $225per person, two sharing
Weeki Wachee River paddling weekend
First magnitudemedian 114 cfs
Two nights near Spring Hill; the river is about 1 hour 55 minutes from the office.
- December 18 to 20, 2026
- February 19 to 21, 2027
- April 2 to 4, 2027
- September 24 to 26, 2027
from $165per person, two sharing
Ichetucknee and Chassahowitzka stay three nights
The two three-night runs follow in the same order. The Ichetucknee carries 260 cubic feet per second at its gauge; the inn is in Fort White, the river about 2 hours 55 minutes and 148 miles from the office, and a guided paddle of about two hours in a single kayak costs $55 per person, from $230 per person. According to the park, its north launch takes 100 boats a day and stops launching at 3 p.m. The Chassahowitzka, at a median of 53 cubic feet per second, is the one second-magnitude run and meets the Gulf tide; the inn is in Citrus County, the launch about 2 hours 5 minutes and 87 miles away, and the outfitter leads a two-hour paddle in a clear kayak at $79 per adult, with parking at the launch at $10 per vehicle, from $255 per person.
Ichetucknee River paddling trip
First magnitudemedian 260 cfs
Three nights near Fort White; the river is about 2 hours 55 minutes from the office.
- January 29 to February 1, 2027
- March 26 to 29, 2027
- April 30 to May 3, 2027
from $230per person, two sharing
Chassahowitzka River kayak trip
Second magnitudemedian 53 cfs
Three nights near Citrus County; the river is about 2 hours 5 minutes from the office.
- January 8 to 11, 2027
- February 26 to March 1, 2027
- May 14 to 17, 2027
from $255per person, two sharing
All 22 departures, in order of flow
The table lists every departure by run, with the first night and the last morning, the inn ceiling of $113 a room night used for that month, and the figure per person. Runs are ordered by median daily flow over water year 2026 at each river's USGS gauge, largest first: Rainbow at 509 cubic feet per second, Silver at 491, Ichetucknee at 260, Wekiva and Rock Springs Run at 214, Weeki Wachee at 114 and Chassahowitzka at 53. The ceiling stays flat across these months, so every departure carries the same figure as its run.
| Spring run | Dated departure | Nights | Inn ceiling used | Figure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rainbow River | January 22 to 24, 2027 | two | $113 a room night | from $175 per person$350 for two sharing |
| Rainbow River | March 12 to 14, 2027 | two | $113 a room night | from $175 per person$350 for two sharing |
| Rainbow River | April 16 to 18, 2027 | two | $113 a room night | from $175 per person$350 for two sharing |
| Rainbow River | May 21 to 23, 2027 | two | $113 a room night | from $175 per person$350 for two sharing |
| Silver River | December 11 to 13, 2026 | two | $113 a room night | from $175 per person$350 for two sharing |
| Silver River | February 5 to 7, 2027 | two | $113 a room night | from $175 per person$350 for two sharing |
| Silver River | March 19 to 21, 2027 | two | $113 a room night | from $175 per person$350 for two sharing |
| Silver River | May 7 to 9, 2027 | two | $113 a room night | from $175 per person$350 for two sharing |
| Ichetucknee River | January 29 to February 1, 2027 | three | $113 a room night | from $230 per person$460 for two sharing |
| Ichetucknee River | March 26 to 29, 2027 | three | $113 a room night | from $230 per person$460 for two sharing |
| Ichetucknee River | April 30 to May 3, 2027 | three | $113 a room night | from $230 per person$460 for two sharing |
| Wekiva and Rock Springs Run | December 4 to 6, 2026 | two | $113 a room night | from $225 per person$450 for two sharing |
| Wekiva and Rock Springs Run | January 15 to 17, 2027 | two | $113 a room night | from $225 per person$450 for two sharing |
| Wekiva and Rock Springs Run | March 5 to 7, 2027 | two | $113 a room night | from $225 per person$450 for two sharing |
| Wekiva and Rock Springs Run | April 23 to 25, 2027 | two | $113 a room night | from $225 per person$450 for two sharing |
| Weeki Wachee River | December 18 to 20, 2026 | two | $113 a room night | from $165 per person$330 for two sharing |
| Weeki Wachee River | February 19 to 21, 2027 | two | $113 a room night | from $165 per person$330 for two sharing |
| Weeki Wachee River | April 2 to 4, 2027 | two | $113 a room night | from $165 per person$330 for two sharing |
| Weeki Wachee River | September 24 to 26, 2027 | two | $113 a room night | from $165 per person$330 for two sharing |
| Chassahowitzka River | January 8 to 11, 2027 | three | $113 a room night | from $255 per person$510 for two sharing |
| Chassahowitzka River | February 26 to March 1, 2027 | three | $113 a room night | from $255 per person$510 for two sharing |
| Chassahowitzka River | May 14 to 17, 2027 | three | $113 a room night | from $255 per person$510 for two sharing |
Choosing between the six runs
Drive time to the water is the quickest filter. Wekiva and Rock Springs Run is the short one, about 30 minutes and 17 miles from the office to the springs. Silver, Weeki Wachee, Rainbow and Chassahowitzka fall between about 1 hour 45 minutes and 2 hours 5 minutes. The Ichetucknee is the long drive, about 2 hours 55 minutes and 148 miles to the river.
The kind of paddle comes next. Silver, Ichetucknee and Chassahowitzka start with a guide; on Rainbow and Weeki Wachee the outfitter supplies a single kayak, and on Weeki Wachee the park requires every launch to be reserved in advance and limits launches to 70 an hour; Wekiva gives two days on two different waters. According to the park, tubing on Rainbow runs on a different stretch on weekends from the first Saturday of April and daily from Memorial Day to Labor Day, so the April 16 to 18 and May 21 to 23 departures fall on tubing weekends, while the paddle itself starts at the headsprings.
Magnitude describes the size of the flow. Five runs carry 100 cubic feet per second or more and count as first magnitude; the Chassahowitzka is second magnitude. All six springs stay at about 72 degrees, according to the park pages. Manatees winter in several of these rivers from about mid-November to the end of March, and they are watched quietly from the boat at a distance, with no sighting promised.
Picking a departure on the form
The form opens with the list of 22 departures grouped by run, or a choice of not decided yet, then asks how to be on the water, how many paddlers from 1 to 6, and how many rooms from 1 to 3. Sending it reserves nothing, costs nothing and asks for no payment. The office asks the inn and the outfitter whether those nights and a place on the water are free, and the first written answer arrives before sundown in Orlando, the same day when the form comes in by noon Eastern, Monday to Saturday. The full quote naming the inn and the outfitter follows once both have answered, and the figure is confirmed there. Only after the traveler says yes in writing does the office ask them to hold the nights and the launch; the traveler then pays 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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