The Chaz
3 Rivers in Three Days - Part 1:
Florida Spring Hopping
A few weeks ago we posted about our moms trip to Blue Springs State Park to kayak and paddleboard with the kiddos for the day. What an incredible time we had! The kids did so well on the little paddle we took, and even got to see manatees within the first few minutes of leaving the boat launch. Ever since, they have all been asking to get back out on our kayaks and paddleboards and do it again. I also felt a little bad that the hubs missed the last adventure and have been itching to get us out together as a family.
So, cut to last weekend… We planned an EPIC three day adventure out to the Springs Coast of Florida to paddle three of the most popular, manatee-filled, spring-fed rivers in the area. We were expecting a boatload of fun (see what I did there? Ha.) but what we experienced blew our minds completely! It’s wayyyy too much to put into one single post, so we will be splitting our adventure into three separate posts; one for each river. We’ll do a recap of it all at the end to pull things together, but advance notice - Please don’t ask us to pick a favorite… they are all SO DIFFERENT!! And each is amazing and worth a visit with your whole family.
Day One: The Chassahowitzka River
This is the only one of the three three rivers we visited on this adventure that we had already been to in the past. We have a deep love for The Chaz, as it’s called by the locals. It’s home to the incredible Seven Sisters Springs, and The Crack springs, which we enjoy immensely, as well as a bunch of others that we have not made it to as of yet. We also always camp at the Chassahowitzka River Campground when we come to the area. It’s one of our favorites, and we’ll be writing about it, as well as our first (ahhhhhmazing) experience on the river in more detail another time.
Boat ramp at Chassahowitzka River Campground.
The Chassahowitzka River Campground has a boat ramp that campers can use for free and the public can use for a fee. Once the parking area is full, it will close, so make sure you get there early. We got a late start on Saturday, and it was full by the time we got there at noon. Luckily, since we were camping in the campground, all we had to do was walk the quarter mile to the launch after dropping our kayaks and paddleboards off.
While there is no swimming allowed at the boat launch area, the entrance to Seven Sisters Springs is just a hundred or so yards upstream from the launch, and offers shallow water for the whole family to splash around in.
Looking toward the entrance to Seven Sisters Spring from the boat ramp of Chassahowitzka River Campground.
Seven Sisters
We started our day on the Chaz a little late, just around noon, because we made a morning visit to Sugar Mill Ruins State Park in Homosassa before getting on the river. By the time we got into 7 Sisters it was jam-packed. I mean.. Almost too many people to see what the heck was going on in the water. I highly recommend a very early start or trying to get there on a weekday. Near the end of this post I’ll include a couple pics of the sisters on our Saturday visit vs on my Monday morning solo visit. BIG difference.
Despite the crowd, the kids had a great time exploring the springs, and looking down into the different chimney-like entrances to the tunnels. It’s like swiss-cheese really, 7 holes of varying sizes that lead down to a large underground tunnel in the limestone. There are a couple of main entrance shafts that reach through the limestone into the cave system.
My husband and our friend K are much more brave than the rest of us, and enjoyed swimming through the tunnels, but you won’t catch me or the kids underneath a submerged tunnel... this momma’s nerves can’t handle it.
**Warning**
While there are several tunnels that are quite easy to maneuver through, it’s important to remember that a few of the shafts are too narrow to come up out of, and unfortunately, some people have gotten into trouble.
For those brave, and careful enough, swimming through the tunnels brings an absolutely ethereal view of the sunlight filtering through the chimneys into the tunnel beneath. Check out the video below that our friend K took of the hubby while he was swimming through the tunnels.
Also, keep in mind that these are springs, so there is a current that runs through the tunnels, pushing out towards the river. That means that some directions are easier to swim than others. Locals frequent the springs, and are happy to discuss which areas are most problematic, and which are easy... But they will also remind you that panicking inside any tunnel will get you into trouble. My take away: enjoy the springs and tunnels without going underneath them. Happier for all involved and momma’s heart will be much better off.
The Crack
After playing around at Seven Sisters we headed out onto the main river to find our way to “The Crack,” a hidden spring deep in the forest on a winding, shallow spring run called Baird Creek. Lots of locals frequent the Crack on the weekends, so again, it’s best to get a very early start, or to go later in the afternoon when it has had a chance to thin out a bit. We did the latter and it paid off greatly.
The Chaz itself is remarkably clear for how wide it is! We’ve seen manatees in the river in the past, but didn’t see them this time. We passed a few partiers (with some questionable music - earmuffs, kids!) at the entrance to Baird Creek, but other than that, at 2pm in the afternoon, most people were leaving for the day, and we had a super calm trip.
Something important to remember about the Chaz - the river runs out to the ocean, which means it’s affected by tides. When we were back at Seven Sisters, there were some small motor boats that were trapped in the spring area by low water levels and would have to stay there until the tide came back in.
The same is true for Baird Creek. When we passed through, the tide was extremely low… so we had to get off of our kayaks and boards a few times to get through some areas that were too shallow to paddle through. While that can make it a little more work to get where you're going, it was all part of the adventure for us, and by the time we came back, the tide had come in enough that we didn’t have to walk at all.
The water was so low at the Crack, that we walked the last hundred yards to the pool, which was completely blocked off until the tide came in again.
Pic from our first visit to the Crack last year. The water was at higher tide and was much deeper.
The spring here bubbles up through a long, narrow crack, hence the name. There’s a rope swing that is fun all the time, but especially fun at high tide, when there’s more space to splash into the spring without worrying about landing on the edges of the limestone crack below. Because the spring is small, and has a sandy, silty bottom, it can become a bit cloudy when there are lots of people. Still the water is a pretty green, and we enjoyed our time… minus the hoards of yellow biting flies that found us. Bring some bug spray! It must be seasonal, because the time we were here before, we had no issues with them.
We made sure to bring lunch, drinks and snacks for our whole crew, and you should too. The paddle to the Crack is at least a good 30 to 45 minutes, and you probably know by now, you never want to be stranded with hungry, thirsty kids.
Returning to the Chassahowitzka River Campground Boat Launch
By the time we got back to the Chassahowitzka River Campground Boat Launch, it was 4pm and we were ready for hotdogs and macaroni back at the campsite. It was a beautiful day, through and through. We saw turtles, otters, and a baby alligator. The kids had a great time playing in the water, and all are growing in confidence on their watercrafts.
Because of how busy everything was on Saturday at Seven Sisters, I decided to get up early Monday morning to make it out on the water before anyone else got to the springs. It was absolutely the most perfect morning, and how I wish every morning would start. I had my coffee, my kayak, and a gorgeous set of springs all to myself, with the only music being the songs of the birds that were everywhere in the trees around me. What a change from Saturday afternoon!
Seven Sisters on Saturday at around noon.
Seven Sisters at around 8:30am on Monday morning.
If your family is seeking a more natural experience, and the crowds of Seven Sisters have been scaring you away, don't give up on this beautiful little gem of the Spring Coast. Just time your visit for a weekday, and early in the day if possible. You will be wow'ed just as we have been each time we've visited.
How to get there:
The easiest way to get onto The Chaz is by putting in at the Chassahowitzka River Campground at 8600 W. Miss Maggie Drive, in Homosassa, FL.
It's just $5 to park a vehicle without a trailer, and $7 to park a vehicle with a trailer. If you don't have your own watercraft, you're in luck! They rent several types of watercraft at VERY reasonable prices.
Single kayaks - $30/Day
Two person kayaks - $40/Day
Mad River canoe - $40/Day
Jon boats - $45/Day
Paddleboards - $45/Day
Call the Campground directly at 352-382-2200 for boat rental reservations.
Camping:
If you're a couple hours away and are looking to stay for more than a day, it's also a fantastic place to camp while you're in the Springs Coast area of Florida. We'll be making a more detailed post about the Chassahowitzka River Campground in the future, but for now, we'll leave you with the fact that we LOVE it. It's so family friendly. Clean, key coded bathrooms, gate that closes and locks every evening. Extremely kind staff. So much shade in the campground, fun amenities. It's a good place.
There is so much more to explore on the Chaz than just Seven Sisters and The Crack, but since those two spring areas are close to the boat ramp, they're good places to start with the family. You can see in this map below how many cool places there are to check out if you have the time to do so, or have a boat with something else powering it besides my dinky mom-arms and my paddle, haha.
We hope you enjoyed Day One of our 3 Rivers in Three Days series of posts! Next up will be the beautiful, magical, Crystal River. Let us know what you think in the comments!
