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Wacissa River: An Authentic Florida Outdoor Adventure

Last Updated on July 27, 2021

It’s not well known, but the Wacissa River is one of the most pristine rivers in Florida. It’s definitely one for your Authentic Florida Bucket List!

Located southeast of Tallahassee in Jefferson County lies the town of Wacissa. Nearby is one of Florida’s wildest and most diverse rivers, the Wacissa River. Fed by 12 springs, it flows 15 miles south from the county launch point.

As you approach the county park, you may spot kids jumping off a rope swing into the river, shrieking with joy, unaware of the beauty that surrounds them. You can’t help but become smitten with the Wacissa River at this moment. It seems distinctly reminiscent of a Mark Twain tale.

We unloaded our kayaks at the easy launch point and entered a picture-perfect Florida river. Crystal clear water. Water hyacinths, lilies, and also Bald cypress trees dominated the banks. We paddled along marveling at the beauty and the serenity of our experience. How often do the sounds of nature stop you in your tracks? Well, the Wacissa River is one place you will never, ever forget.

We spotted a wide array of birds – egrets, herons, ibis, osprey, wood storks, limpkins, and anhingas. Additionally, we heard hoots, shrieks, wild calls – and yep, the Tarzan movie was running through our minds. We heard bird calls we couldn’t even identify.

We had some help with this adventure, enlisting “a friend of a friend” who lived nearby to tell us how to navigate the river. Sharing how to locate the nearby spring, he said, “Yeah, about a quarter-mile down the river, there’s a spring and swimming hole and you’ll know you’re there when you see two cypress trees on the left-hand side off the river. When you get there, watch out for gators. There was one gator that actually enjoyed sitting on the swimming dock until they removed him.” Say what? Two cypress trees as the markers? A swimming hole with gators? It made the adventure that much more fun.

It was almost as if time had never touched the world we entered. While we didn’t see any gators, we knew they were near along with otters, water snakes, and crayfish.

We headed for Big Blue, the larger spring and popular spot for diving and swimming. We found it according to our friend’s direction by meandering down to the turn. It was an awesome experience gliding a kayak over a spring, glancing down at the effervescent blue water. Nearby was a floating dock and also a swing rope for jumping and swimming. It was quiet, not a soul around and we enjoyed the stillness and the beautiful treasure we had discovered.

 

Goose Pasture, a remote campground, is also nine miles south of the county launch (approx. four-hour kayak ride). The campground is also where most boaters conclude their trip. If you are an adventurer, departing from Goose Pasture, you might consider traveling the Slave Canal (once used by Native Americans as a secret passageway, then discovered by white settlers who used slaves to connect the Wacissa and Aucilla Rivers), a tricky waterway that will need a careful study for the five-mile trip. From there, the Slave Canal joins the Aucilla River. The rivers disappear into an underground channel and surface into the community of Nutall Rise. Sound confusing? We recommend keeping it easy with a kayak ride to the campground.

We didn’t kayak the whole river, as we wanted to get a sense of this experience to plan a return trip in the near future. Overall, this was an Authentic Florida adventure for sure.

After we loaded the kayaks, 100 yards from the park was a blueberry farm that we could not resist bringing back a bucket for our favorite Authentic Florida dessert – Blueberry Pudding Cake.

Check out some of our favorite things to do in Tallahassee: Ten Authentic Things to do in Tallahassee, the “Other Florida”

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