Journey Details:
Day One — Saturday, November 8, 2008
Participants in Paddle Florida will arrive at Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park the day before the start for a night of camping and orientation for the adventure to come.  Our camp for the first two nights, Stephen Foster State Park is the actual start of the Suwannee River Wilderness Trail, a 171-mile natural and cultural wilderness experience that stretches all the way to the Town of Suwannee on the Gulf of Mexico.  We will paddle the first 93 miles of this trail.  

Two choices for parking your vehicle
You may park your vehicle either at Stephen Foster State Park, or at the trip's end in Branford. If you park at the start, we will shuttle you and your boat back from Branford at week's end. Or you can park your vehicle at Branford and take advantage of our Kick-off Shuttle service to Stephen Foster State Park. Fee for either shuttle service is $25/boat and $25/person. More details and a shuttle reservation form are available at the "register now" page.

Day Two — Sunday, November 9, 2008
(Go to an interactive Google Map of the day's track)
The first morning of Paddle Florida features an excusion from Stephen Foster State Park to Big Shoals Recreation Area.  Eight miles up the Suwannee from Stephen Foster, Big Shoals is the only Class III Whitewater in Florida (depending on water levels).  For those of you who desire, we will have a group go over the Shoals (Helmet required!).  For those who would like to just look at the Shoals, we will lead a group hike from the Big Shoals Recreation Area down to the Shoals (approximately one mile).  For those who would like to paddle and portage, there will be an opportunity to do so. After our whitewater adventure, we will return to Stephen Foster State Park for dinner and an evening program.

Day Three — Monday, November 10, 2008
(Go to an interactive Google Map of the day's track)
We leave Stephen Foster State Park behind for a 20-mile paddle. Along this stretch the Suwannee is narrow, winding through tall pines on high bluffs and stately cypress along the river banks. The Suwannee River Valley at this time of year can be cold, at least by Florida standards. Temperatures can range from 60-80 degrees during the day, and 35-55 degrees at night. The river current is slow and lazy—just enough to ease you on your way downstream. We'll pause for lunch at Wood's Ferry River Camp, the first of a series of camps built specifically for Wilderness Trail users. This afteroon we'll arrive at the day's destination, the Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park. A sprawling, 700-acre facility, the Music Park was starting point for Paddle Florida's inaugural event in March 2008. 

Day Four – Tuesday, November 11, 2008 (Veteran’s Day)
(Go to an interactive Google Map of the day's track)
As we leave the Music Park this morning you will notice more of the distinctive aspects of the Upper Suwannee: a narrow riverbed and increasingly steeper limestone bluffs. After paddling a distance of 7.5 miles, we will stop for lunch at Holton Creek River Camp, another in the series of hubs, cabins and river camps that comprise the Suwannee River Wilderness Trail. All lunch stops will offer healthy "snack food," various fruits and drinks (all you can eat). Everyone should be fortified for the remaining 12.5 miles to Suwannee River State Park at the confluence of the Suwannee and Withlacoochee rivers. On the way, if you are lucky, you will be treated to springs visible at the base of the limestone cliffs and a wide variety of wildlife native to the Upper Suwannee River.

Day Five – Wednesday, November 12, 2008
(Go to an interactive Google Map of the day's track)
There will be no lunch stop this day because most paddlers will finish the 14 miles to the Advent Christian Village (ACV) overnight stop before noon; lunch snack food will be served at the ACV destination.

Just across from ACV is the not-quite-ready-for-prime-time (or Paddle Florida) Dowling Park River Camp, the newest in the series of nine River Camps in use or planned for the Suwannee River Wilderness Trail.

In addition to primitive camping facilities on the banks of the Suwannee, ACV will offer three options for indoor accommodations:  a double room at the Village Lodge for $59.95, a double room in the Youth Lodge for $39.95, or a bunk in the "bunkhouse" for $17.00/person.  Please contact Susie Hudson at ACV, 386.658.5200 to make arrangements.

Day Six — Thursday, November 13, 2008
(Go to an interactive Google Map of the day's track)
Eleven miles farther down river, our overnight stop will again be hosted by the Florida Park Service. We'll once again skip the lunch stop and disembark at Lafayette Blue Springs State Park where lunch snack food will be on hand when paddlers arrive.  Dinner this evening, and each evening will be served at 6:00pm.  The campfire each night will provide light, heat, ambiance, trash disposal and olfactory delight. Be sure to bring your camera to capture and preserve some great moments. And remember to take nothing but pictures and leave nothing but footprints. Activities will be planned for each night.

Day Seven – Friday, November 14, 2008
(Go to an interactive Google Map of the day's track)
The paddle this day will be another relatively easy 13 miles. Our rest stop will be at yet another Florida Park Service River Camp at Peacock Slough and we will spend the night at a beautiful facility,  the privately owned River Rendezvous at Convict Springs.  Camping will be under a canopy of oak trees on a bluff overlooking the river. The Rendezvous also has a limited number of "indoor" accommodations. Call River Rendezvous at 386-294-2510 for reservations. On this day you will see the river begin to widen a bit as we make our way down this world-class waterway. You will also be treated to a few areas of "fast water" and several springs.

Day Eight — Saturday, November 15, 2008
(Go to an interactive Google Map of the day's track)
Another short paddle of 14 miles. The rest stop is nearly nine miles into the trip — but well worth the distance — as we break for lunch at Little River Springs, currently a Suwannee County Park but soon to be an additional property of the Florida Park Service. This site is popular with cave and cavern divers.  The spring is the entrance to a cave system more than 1,200 feet long and 100 feet deep. After pausing at this picturesque location, the final five miles will be a breeze. On the way, we will also pass Royal Spring, Troy Springs and Ruth Springs, before finishing our journey at Ivey Memorial Park in Branford.

When you get off the river, you are essentially in downtown Branford. If you left your vehicle at Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park, the River’s End Shuttle will transport you, your boat and your gear back to the start.

WHAT HAPPENS HERE STAYS WITH YOU.
Hope to see you soon. . . GOING WITH THE FLOW!