St. Johns River, FL

At just over 300 miles from its headwaters in the Upper Basin marsh to its mouth northeast of Jacksonville, the St. Johns is Florida’s longest river entirely within its borders. It is an amazing river that literally defies description for depending on where one encounters this serpentine waterway, it may be accurately characterized as an elongated estuary, a vast inland sea, an intimate blackwater creek, a braided puzzle-like marsh or an engineered drainage canal. Of all its myriad characteristics, it is this diversity that makes the St. Johns a paddling destination that, in a more reasonable world, would certainly eclipse Orlando’s Walt Disney World as a Florida attraction.

The Lower St. Johns River Basin extends 100 miles from Welaka to the river’s mouth at Mayport, northeast of Jacksonville. The fall in elevation over this final 100 miles is only 6 inches and as a consequence the river is tidally influenced over the entire distance. Within this reach, the riverbed slowly begins to widen until it reaches Palatka, where it expands to near lake- like dimensions. Over the next 50 miles, the river reaches widths that vary between 1.5 and 3 miles. Consequently, paddling in this reach is much like paddling a large lake. Flow changes with tides, but due to the low relief and breadth of the river, the current is only barely detectable under normal flow conditions. Wind, however, can be a major factor and can create waves in excess of 3 feet, especially when out of the north. Under windy conditions, paddlers can still safely paddle in this reach by hugging the windward shoreline.

Source: Florida Department of Evnironmental Protection

For More Information Visit:

Florida's Designated Paddling Trails - Florida DEP

St. Johns River Paddling Trail Data Book (PDF)- Florida DEP