Santa Fe River: US 27 to SR 47 | Tim Driskell's Adventures

A classic Santa Fe River run

On October 1, 2023, we paddled the Santa Fe River from the U.S. 27 bridge to the State Road 47 bridge. It is one of North Florida's great spring-country paddles: about ten miles downstream, usually considered an easy five-hour trip before adding long swimming, visiting and photography stops.

October 1, 2023Trip date

About 10 milesU.S. 27 to S.R. 47

Roughly 5 hoursPlus spring stops

Jimi DaBeard, Sue Pitra & Walter DiRosaTrip leaders

This was not simply a point-to-point paddle. The route passes through the heart of the lower Santa Fe's spring country, where tannin-dark river water repeatedly gives way to clear blue-green spring runs. We stopped, swam, talked, watched wildlife and let the day unfold at the river's pace.

The final night of RockADock

The previous evening was the final night of RockADock 2023, so most of us were up far past midnight enjoying the festivities. A big part of the fun was listening to Trip Smith on guitar. Trip always seems to get better and better once everyone has lost track of how many “Trip Sips” have been consumed.

That is why several nighttime photographs appear in the October 1 camera roll. They are not out of place at all. The fire, the pavilion, the music and the circle of friends were the true beginning of this Sunday adventure, even though technically we had not gone to bed yet.

The Santa Fe paddle became one last chapter of RockADock rather than a completely separate trip.

Friends around a late-night campfire — The October 1 photographs begin beside the fire because the previous evening lasted well beyond midnight. GET OUT THERE!

Night gathering under pavilion — Still visiting beneath the pavilion.

Campfire under pavilion — A bright fire and a relaxed crowd.

Friends seated around fire — The social side of a great paddling trip.

View from red kayak beneath oak trees — Sliding downstream beneath the overhanging hardwood canopy.

Downriver from U.S. 27

Jimi DaBeard, Sue Pitra and Walter DiRosa led the trip. Once the shuttle was handled and the boats were on the water, the Santa Fe did most of the work. The current carried us through hardwood hammock and river swamp, beneath sprawling limbs and past exposed limestone.

The river alternated between deep shade and brilliant openings. Colorful kayaks stood out against green forest and tea-colored water, while every bend seemed to offer another inviting view downstream.

Group paddling downstream — The group stretched out along a quiet reach.

Following kayakers downstream — A red bow pointing toward the next bend.

Paddlers and reflections — Paddles flashing in the reflected forest.

The spring runs changed everything

The Santa Fe is beautiful by itself, but the springs make this section extraordinary. Each clear run created a visible boundary where cool groundwater met the darker river. Turning into one felt like entering another world.

We did not hurry through those places. Boats gathered near the banks, people slipped into the water, and the paddle became part swimming trip and part reunion. These stops explain why a nominal five-hour route can easily occupy most of a day.

Kayaks in a clear spring run — Clear water, cypress forest and kayaks spread across the spring run.

Group standing in clear spring — A long, social swimming stop.

Swimming beside kayaks — Cool spring water beside the boats.

Paddler standing on board — Plenty of time for play before moving on.

Alligator resting on log — An alligator basking quietly beside the river.

Wild Florida was never far away

The Santa Fe may be a popular paddling river, but it remains a living river corridor. We saw turtles clustered on a log and an alligator stretched out at the water's edge. The sightings fit the character of the trip: relaxed, beautiful and unmistakably Florida.

As always, wildlife is best given plenty of room. The pleasure comes from drifting past quietly and watching the river continue around us.

Route map and planning notes

Route: U.S. 27 bridge launch to Santa Fe River Park at S.R. 47. Published local shuttle information describes this run as approximately 10 miles and about five hours of paddling, not counting extended spring visits. Water levels can expose shallow limestone shoals, so current conditions should always be checked before launching.

Open the Florida DEP Santa Fe River Paddling Trail Guide · Gilchrist Blue Springs State Park

Complete photo gallery

Every photograph opens at full size. The nighttime scenes are intentionally included because our gathering continued past midnight into October 1.

The previous evening ran past midnight, so the camera roll for October 1 begins beside the fire.

Friends gathered beneath the pavilion late into the night.

The kind of late-night conversation that makes a paddling weekend more than just a day on the river.

One last bright campfire scene before the next day's paddle.

Starting downriver beneath a cathedral of live oaks and hardwoods.

Following the group through one of the Santa Fe's broad, sunlit reaches.

Deep shade and calm water gave the river an old-Florida feeling.

Good company is as important as good water.

Bright boats against the dark, tannin-tinted river.

Paddles, reflections and overhanging forest.

The water changed dramatically wherever a clear spring run entered the Santa Fe.

Clear water and blue-sky reflections in one of the spring runs.

Turning from the main river into another inviting spring run.

Limestone edges reveal the karst geology that shapes this river.

The group enjoying exceptionally clear water.

A spring stop became an unhurried social gathering.

Nobody seemed eager to rush away from the spring.

An alligator resting at the river's edge—a reminder that this is still wild Florida.

Back on the main river for the final miles toward State Road 47.

The weekend's nighttime gathering carried into the October 1 photo set.

Planning sources

Route distance and approximate paddling time were checked against Rum 138's published shuttle route. General trail character and water-level cautions were checked against the Florida DEP Santa Fe River Paddling Trail Guide and the National Rivers Project. Gilchrist Blue Springs information comes from Florida State Parks. Access, fees and operating conditions can change, so verify them before a future trip.

Santa Fe River: 27 to 47