Have you tried paddleboarding along Florida‘s Rainbow River?
Hey there, I am Keith Connors from 99.5 QYK. After numerous knee injuries and realizing I wasn’t going to be able to continue running I decided to try paddleboarding. Now I am hooked.
One of my favorite places to go paddleboarding is Crystal River, but my absolute favorite is along the Rainbow River. Yes, Crystal River has all the manatees, but there is just something about this river.
You can go to Dunnellon and paddle up about 5.7 miles up the river to the headsprings of Rainbow Springs. Even in the heat of the summer, the springs are still about 70 degrees. It’s perfect and refreshing!
It is perfect for an all-day nature outing. You can even take a break for lunch and then keep paddling along.
The main tip is to remember NO plastic bags, cans, bottles, etc allowed on the river. If you can “throw it away” you can’t take it on the river.
In 1972, the U.S. Department of the Interior designated Rainbow River as a National Natural Landmark. It is also an aquatic preserve and an Outstanding Florida Water.
In addition to paddleboarding, you can also swim, kayak, tube, and camp at the Rainbow Springs State Park.
You can find more info about Rainbow Springs here!
Written By: Rachel Pitts
Hear more about a fun way to explore the Rainbow River (6:29) on the Experience Tampa Bay in 10 Minutes or Less podcast. You can also hear about CityPASS (:50) and about a new program that helps kids overcome bullies by turning their focus to artistic endeavors (3:03) .
Here are some photos from my Rainbow River explorations!
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Produced by Micaela Figueroa