Salt Springs Base Camp Tour Feb 19 – 26, 2022 This year we decided to stay in one campground and do kayak day trips as well as some other activities. Thus the title “Base Camp Tour.”
Our trip was in the Ocala National Forest in north central Florida. We stayed at Salt Springs Campground inside Salt Springs Recreation Area Paddlers/Adventurers: Sam, Stew, Dave Sea Kayaks: QCC 500, Current Designs Solstice, Current Designs Solstice GTS (same order as paddlers) Trip Conditions: Day temps mid 70s to mid 80’s; nights mid- 50’s to mid 60’s. We would have prefered a little cooler especially in the days but we can’t complain. We had great weather with no rain. Meals: We each brought our own meals – but due to us being at a base camp, we bought food at the local stores and cooked on a grill as well as ate out. This was glamping for us! We did pack our lunches most days for our daily trip which were maily peanut butter sandwiches. Of course we took all opportunities to buy lunch if we could at local dinners! Snacks: nutrition bars, but we really didn’t eat many since we were not out all day. Water: We bought water as needed and carried only what we needed on our daily treks. Beer: This is the problem with glamping at a base camp. Beer is too easily had. We had a cooler filled with ice and beer and it was wonderful especially after a warm day of activities. Having a very cold beer from an ice-filled cooler is way too tempting.
We base camped at Salt Springs Recreational Area – red circle near Salt Springs. Our excursions were Salt Springs Run into Lake George, Rodman Dam – paddled into lake Ocklawaha, played disc golf in Silver Springs, paddled into Silver Springs, hiked to Hidden Lake at Juniper Springs, biked Caravelle Ranch Wildlife Management Area
Preparing for this trip was much easier than our regular trips because we didn’t need to worry about logistics of getting to put-in and take-out. Usually we get an outfitter to drop us off/pick us up or shuttle two vehicles. Base camping made this a non-issue. So we had a general idea of places and things we wanted to do and planned them on the fly. We avoided Silver Springs on the weekend and holiday and were still surprised at how crowded the paddling was; but well worth it.
Day 1 Saturday, Feb 19, 2022 We drove up Saturday (about a 4-hour drive): Stew and Dave in one vehicle and Sam in his 1979 VW Bus. We got there around 1 pm, set up camp, unpacked the bikes – had to take them apart somewhat to get them inside our vehicles. Then we explored the campground area by foot and by bike. Very nice and the springs looked inviting with the crystal clear water.	Sam’s VW bus attracted many people.
The Salt Springs Recreation Area campground is very nice with shaded campsites for tents and an area for RV camping. It also has bathrooms with showers. Sam’s van converts to a camper and he didn’t see a reason to take his kayak off. Several people commented it looked like a rocket launcher. Stew and Dave camped in their regular 2-person tents. As usual, we met fellow campers next door and they were all very nice. Campers are always very nice and helpful. The couple on one side had hammocks and would relax in them during the day – it looked sooo good. Campers on our other side had a very cool red pop up that looked like a tiny house. They also had a cat that they let wander around the campground – he was neat too. Sam made us a nice steak dinner and we had a nice campfire that evening to go with our ice cold beer.
Day 2 Sunday, Feb 20, 2022 Salt Springs River and into Lake George We put in at a nice sandy ramp into Salt Springs within the campground and paddled up to the Springs. There were people swimming and walking and a few manatees were there too. Then we paddled approximately 5 miles down Salt Springs Run to Lake George and hugged the coast going north maybe 2.5 miles and returned to the boat ramp. It was a nice, sunny day and windy. The springs are very clear and cool but not cold. The manatees come (we were told) in the morning and evening. Two swam up to Dave and were interested in his kayak. We saw lots of birds including eagles, osprey and wading birds. There were a few alligators and one large snapping turtle that we saw. We met other fellow paddlers and one we remembered because he was in an inflatable being blown in the wind. He was visiting and heading to Alaska soon for some kayak adventures. We took a side channel on our way back in that wound through sawgrass and deep into the surrounding area. After maybe a mile we decided to turn around because it didn’t look like it was going to dump us back out into the river.
We returned to our campsite and Sam treated us again to a nice dinner of lentils and sausage. The ice cold beer went down easily (again) and we all had a nice evening sitting around our campfire. .	Along the shore of Lake George.
Day 3 Monday Feb 21, 2022 President’s Day Paddle Rodman Dam area on Lake Ocklawaha We got up leisurely, went to a local diner – The Square Meal for breakfast (very good) and drove 16 miles to Rodman Dam area. We put in at a nice boat ramp that had soft grassy areas to launch kayaks from. This was in Rodman Campground just before the dam. We paddled into the Rodman Resovoir also know as Lake Ocklawaha. It was created by the dam and there is a push to take the dam out and return the Ocklawaha River to its original state. The dam was put in because there was a cross-Florida canal being built that was never completed. We were interested to see the dam again because we did the entire Ocklawaha River a few years back and portaging the dam was a very difficult and tedious part of our adventure that year. This day it was calm with wind but flat water. A few years back we had 2- 3-foot waves pounding us into the rocks that line the dam area and we had to climb out with our fully-loaded kayaks. Launch area at Rodman Campground
We paddled into Lake Ocklawaha, past the Rodman Dam, and south along the coastline of the lake. An interesting aspect of this lake is that there are numerous large tree tops that stick slightly out of the water and you need to avoid them. The area was flooded without removing many of the trees. We did a little hike into the woods during our lunch stop. There are ATV trails in this area and it looks like it is very popular. We didn’t see any ATVs and the trails are mostly soft sand so we knew we would not be able to ride our bicycles in that stuff. We saw birds as usual but no other wildlife. We were on a mission to see a bear.
Dave took a photo op and sat on a saddle that was attached to a log. Then we paddled back across the lake in very windy conditions, and to our vehicles. We paddled just over 12 miles that day.
On our way back to camp we stopped and checked out Caravelle Ranch Wildlife Management Area. It looks to be a very popular hunting area. Hunting season had just closed so we decided it also looked like a neat place to check out with our hybrid bicycles that were not mountain bikes but had wider tires for hard-packed off-road riding. Back at camp we still had some energy so we decided to ride our bicycles to the Salt Springs Observation Trail. We had to ride next to Hwy 19 for a few miles but it wasn’t bad. We would ride in the road until we saw traffic then ride into the grass until the vehicles passed. We got to the trail area and it was a 1-mile (one way) narrow trail for hiking and a little challenging for bicycles due to how narrow it was. Sam flew down the path as Dave and Stew followed. It was better than we had expected and we only saw a few people on the trail. It ends at an observation deck that looks out over Salt Springs Run. On the way back, Dave was in front and spotted a Florida Panther. It was the first one he’s seen in Florida. Sam and Stew did not see it so it was chalked up as an unverified sighting! Then we peddled back to camp along highway 19 on the shoulder – the vehicles were very courteous and gave us plenty of room as they passed. That evening Sam once again made us a fine dinner of rice and steak. While buying the steak for dinner at a local store we chatted in the parking lot with a woman and her husband. They saw our camp sticker and said they were RV camping and may come by that evening. The husband did show up and played guitar and banjo for us. He was performing at the local bar Friday and asked us to come see him. He is a talented musicain who recently retired from being a school teacher and was currently on his honeymoon with his wife who was going to retire this year – also a school teacher. We love meeting people on our trips.
Day 4 Tuesday Feb 22, 2022 Disc Golf!! Dave has been obsessed with disc golf for the last 3 years and was excited to introduce Stew and Sam to the sport. We drove around 23 miles to Silver Springs and found the Sawmill Disc Golf Course. It is a very nice course that feels more like a course in a more northern state due to larger trees and amount of land it is on. Dave was psyched! Unfortunately, we forgot to take photos of us playing…we were so into it. Both Sam and Stew enjoyed playing and said they will pursue the sport in the future. Dave gave them both a few discs to get them started. Sam was exceptionally good for his first time playing. When we got back to camp, Dave showed him how to throw the discs with a forehand throw. Sam immediately started throwing the discs further than Dave could throw and became very excited. I think he may be hooked!
	After our round of disc golf (we played 24 holes) we went into town, ate at a diner, and visited Silver Springs. We hadn’t been there for many years – over 50 for Dave. It looked the same and they did a good job preserving the park. I think the state took it over from privately owned? We walked the park and saw a food truck so we decided on our kayak paddle into the park that was planned for the next day we would eat there. Dave took another photo op. Then back to camp, swim in Salt Springs and ice cold beer. Another fine day.
Day 5 Wednesday Feb 23, 2022 Kayak to Silver Springs
We decided to kayak to Silver Springs on a weekday since it is known to get crowded. We also wanted to get there a little early in case of crowds. We were surprised at how crowded it did get but we still think it is a very worthwhile trip to do because of the water and scenery. We had a blast. We launched at Ray’s Wayside Landing – around 5-miles downstream from Silver Springs. Our plan was to paddle 5 miles against the current to SilverSprings, explore some, eat lunch then paddle back with a leisurely 5-mile float downstream.
Beautiful paddle with clear, cool water. We took a photo of a manatee as it breached the surface. There were lots of colorful wood ducks as well as the usual wading birds. We saw monkeys that were released in the area years ago and have made it there home. We were not fast enough to get a good photo of the monkeys. There were also a few alligator sightings.
We made it to the launch area at Silver Springs and it was full of people. We had to wait our turn to pull our almost 18-foot kayaks out of the water quickly without running into anyone. It was surprising to see how many people were there. We had a good lunch at the food truck then paddled back to Rays Wayside Landing and just beat a flock of plastic kayaks and our loading up went well. We even helped pull a few kayaks in for the outfitters. .
	Drive back to camp, a nice swim in the spring then drove maybe 1 mile to an Italian restaurant for dinner. Then back to camp for ice cold beer and relaxing around a campfire. Another nice day.
Day 6 Thursday Feb 24, 2022 12 mile hike on the Florida Trail – start at Juniper Springs
We drove 18 miles to Juniper Springs to go hiking. The Florida Trail has a trailhead there and Sam knew of a place called Hidden Lake that was 6 miles one-way. We were very impressed to see such a nice trail in Florida. We’ve done many trails in other National Parks around the country but didn’t think Florida would have any that nice. This was exciting to see and we plan to visit again. We hiked at a brisk pace and really enjoyed the scenery and the trail. We did see one rabbit but no bear. At one point Sam started making hissing noises and called 6 or more scrub jays that came close and they made quite a chatter. That was pretty cool and we started calling Sam the bird whisperer. It got hot – mid-80’s that day but we were mostly shaded by trees. We hiked past Hidden Lake and found another lake and sat down to have lunch. We had passed several hikers but one young woman stood out wearing neon shorts and had water bottles strapped to her. We said hi and watched her pass. On our return hike we saw her again. Stew asked her how far she was going and it turned out she was training because she does ultra-marathons of 100 miles…She was only doing 40 miles today.
After the warm hike we enjoyed a refreshing swim in Juniper Springs. Even Sam went in – he can’t stand being cold but it was refreshing in the warm afternoon. Drove back to camp and ate BBQ at Papa Joe’s for dinner. Another campfire and more ice cold beer to end our day.
Day 7 Friday Feb 25, 2022 Bicycle ride off-road, visited Rodman Dam
We drove to Caravelle Ranch Wildlife Management Area and parked on the east side of highway 19. We crossed 19 and went into the wildlife area and onto some nice trails for bicycle riding with hybrid bikes. We rode really hoping to see a bear – it surely looked like bear country. We did see a deer but no bears. The trail we were on eventually dumped us out on the road that goes to Rodman Dam so we continued to the dam and explored the area. We then set out to find bicycle trails from the dam. We saw on google maps that we could reach the trails but had to get there using some other trails near the dam. We pushed our bikes maybe 2 miles on very rough roads. We were thinking “why were they made so rough??” There was no way you could ride even good mountain bikes on this surface. We were successful and eventually found the smoother trails and enjoyed riding again. We stopped and had lunch at a picnic table that was set up along the trail. It was an enjoyable ride except for the pushing the bikes on the rough road part! All part of the adventure and exploring new areas.
	We made it back to our vehicle then rode a little on the east side of hwy 19. It is a dirt road with residential areas. It was still pretty neat but more open and it was already pretty warm out now, again in the mid-80s so we were done and drove back to camp. We had another refreshing swim in the spring and had plans for going to the bar for dinner and listening to our fellow camper play some music. We walked to the bar – less than one mile from camp. Ordered a pizza for dinner from the Italian restaurant next door and got a round of beer. Our fellow camper friend played – he was very good and we enjoyed the evening. Sam and Dave even danced to one song.
Day 8 Saturday Feb 26, 2022 Pack up, celebratory breakfast, then drive home
We had packed up the day before so all we needed to do was pack up our tents. That was done quickly and we took one last look around and set out to The Square Meal for breakfast. Another good breakfast was had and we were ready to drive home. We had an uneventful drive home, said our good –byes, until next time and were done. This was another great trip with friends filled with lasting memories. I hope if you read this it will help enthuse you to do a/another trip/adventure, etc.
Conclusion: This was another highly enjoyable trip for us and something we will consider doing for future trips – base camping. If you are thinking, “Hey, I’d like to do that!” then the best advice we can give is to just do it! Plan your own trip(s) according to your time constraints and abilities while considering the adventure/risk tolerance of everyone in your group. Be safe but not too safe… Resources: We Google everything – look up local things to do, parks, reservations, outfitters, stores, bars, restaurants. Google Maps and Google Earth – especially useful for measuring distance and seeing if there are interesting areas we’d like to check out. Reserve America to make camp site reservations