SILVER SPRINGS STATE PARK

from Florida Country Magazine - June / July 2022

There is hope. We'd love for (people) to get onboard.

Paddleboarding Adventures On Clear Blue Waters

Written by: Ben Knowles

Meandering down a Florida river on an inflatable paddleboard with alligators and monkeys might sound like a dream, or a nightmare depending on your perspective, but it was reality during a recent visit to Silver Springs State Park in Marion County, just northeast of Ocala. This past spring my wife, Laura, and I launched our paddleboards at the park’s livery for a morning paddle. Our plan was leaving the headwaters of Silver Springs to Ray Wayside Park—which is five miles down the Silver River— and get a shuttle back to our vehicle.

We were excited to see what all the Silver River had to offer on a beautiful spring morning.

Within just a few minutes of paddling, we spotted a monkey in a tree and quickly realized multiple monkeys were everywhere. We knelt on our boards and started snapping photos of the intriguing little mammals. The monkeys saw us but did not seem bothered at all. They went about their business of sitting on limbs, climbing up and down trees, and walking along the channel banks.

One might think a local zoo left a cage door open, but that is not how the monkeys took up residence at Silver Springs. In the 1930s a riverboat captain released a small group of rhesus macaques on an island along the Silver River, hoping to make the island a unique river attraction. The monkeys quickly escaped the island by swimming to the riverbanks. Over time they multiplied and are now permanent residents of the park and river.

After a few minutes of watching the monkeys, Laura and I resumed paddling the short canal to Silver Springs. As we exited the canal, the sun was starting to come out from the clouds and shine on the clear blue spring water. There were very few paddlers out at that time. The park’s glass-bottom boats were not running yet and swimming is not allowed. So, we had a beautiful and peaceful start to our paddle down the Silver River.

Laura spotted a manatee resting near the riverbank. After snapping a few photos, I paddled toward an area with trees in the middle of the river. The trees were full of nesting anhingas and double-crested cormorants. I have seen these birds many times in other places, but Silver Springs is the only place I have seen them nesting.

It looked like a few were incubating eggs while others were still busy putting finishing touches on their nests. A male anhinga flew away and returned with a fresh twig. After appearing to have some sort of discussion or debate about the twig, the female accepted the twig and added it to the nest.

I could have watched these birds all day. But we were just getting started on our paddle and I knew there was much more to see.

Just a few yards downstream something else caught my attention. A male and female wood duck were swimming across the river. They were not skittish, so we made the most of their cooperation and took several photos of the beautiful ducks.

Several alligators, large and small, were spotted during our paddle. Most were sunning on logs or near the riverbanks. One was seen swimming in the opposite direction as we paddled. We kept our distance … and they did the same.

Laura and I ended our paddle as planned at Ray Wayside Park around noon. The Silver River’s beautiful clear water and abundance of flora and fauna provided us with an amazing outdoor experience. I do not know when we will make it back there, but I am sure when we do Silver River will offer more amazing sights and memories.

Learn more about Silver Springs State Park and the Silver River at silversprings.com.