FLOATING THE BLACKWATER RIVER

 

White sands and clear, clean waters make The Blackwater River in Northwest Florida a real canoeing and kayaking treat.

By Randy Parker

The water is stained by the tannin from decaying vegetation. In the shallows it takes on a tea color. In the deeper holes and where the current has carved channels beneath the overhanging branches of oak, tupelo and laurel, the river turns almost black. These shades contrast with the dazzling white Florida sandbars that jut out at every bend and give people perfect places to picnic and swim. Make no mistake, paddling is great here but swimming is the main attraction. You can find a deep place where you can submerge yourself up to your neck, or you can just sit on the sand bottom in the perfectly clear shallows, lie back with your feet floating in front of you, and let the 2 to 3 mile per hour current massage your body like a Jacuzzi®.

This is the Blackwater River, which get its name from the Choctaw. They called it oka-lusa or water black. It is one of the purest sand-bottomed rivers in the country, and it's a big draw for locals and vistors alike, especially within the Blackwater River State Park.

We rented our kayaks from Blackwater Canoe Rental and began our journey about 11 miles upstream from the park. That's the "long trip." Most people seem to take the four-mile "short trip," more interested in finding just the right swimming beach than covering territory. So once we put in, we found ourselves quite alone. We heard only the sounds of our own paddles, the trickle of rushing water through downed brush, and the birds of the surrounding forest, including turkey.


It was primitive and idyllic except for the glinting of discarded aluminum cans here and there along our journey. Why people leave their trash behind, especially in such a pristine natural environment, is a mystery to me.



We visited in late June. It was hot. But the answer was always right there, the cold river water. We could stop for a dip or merely dip our hats and cool our heads. Bugs were a minimal inconvenience, mostly a yellow horsefly of some sort. And we saw one of the largest mosquitoes we had ever seen. We were sure that, after dark, you might not get out alive.

After lunch on a secluded beach, the river became a bit deeper overall and the current seemed to help us less. Paddling became more work as we finally entered the state park.  It was a Monday, but the park was loaded with families, canoes, and tubes (tubing is a popular way to float the river).  As I paddled by one fisherman, I asked him about the fishing. He said he had good luck with bream and had pulled out some impressive bass over the years from the deep holes.

After carefully navigating through the other boats and the squealing children bouncing in the stream, we came to our take out, which was right by our car. We had only to beach our boats and drive away. We spent 4-5 hours on the river, and it was a great family experience.

Resources

As you can see from the Wikipedia map below, the river is accessible from both Pensacola and Navarre Beaches and not too far from Destin.  It makes a great addition to the usual beach vacation. We used Blackwater Canoe Rental, and everything went smoothly. You can also camp along the river (when it's not so hot) or at designated campgrounds. Here are some useful websites about the Blackwater River:

A nice introduction
Wikipedia Entry
Blackwater Canoe Rental
Blackwater River Foundation
Blackwater River State Park