Bear Creek

With recent low water levels, our opportunities to get into any good swamps has been very limited. But, Bear Creek is a nice exception. This trip offers a great opportunity to get up close and personal with a hardwood swamp while paddling along a scenic little stream. This river is about 1 hour southeast of Gainesville.

The cost is $50 per person (or $39 for "wanna go" members). With your own boat it's $39 per person ($29 for members).

Calendar of Tour dates: www.adventureoutpost.net


Description

This remote little stream offers a great opportunity to explore the wild beauty of a swamp without getting wet (usually). Here, we'll explore the maze of creeks and sloughs that braid through the beautiful swamps of the lower Ocklawaha basin.

The first leg of our journey follows Bear Creek and Indian Village Slough into the heart of the swamp. Much of this section lies within Little Lake George Wilderness Area. Cypress, tupelo, maple, cabbage palm, holly and more, form a closed canopy overhead. In their shadows, we take in the rich sights, sounds and smells of the regal bottomland forest.

After a couple of hours paddling, we emerge from the shaded serenity of the swamp onto the wide open expanse of St. Johns River. Here, we'll rest, drifting in a floating garden of spatter dock, water lettuce, water hyacinth, duckweed and water ferns, enjoying lunch and watching the hustle of river commerce. Many birds live along the St. Johns and there's always the possibility of spotting a manatee.

After our brief, rejuvenating siesta, we'll gratefully return to the quiet fold of the river forest. At it's mouth, the Ocklawaha, is a fairly wide river but narrows as we make our way upstream against a very modest current. Soon, we re-enter the river swamp, following a series of small watery trails, with names like Turpentine Creek and Tusintak Creek. This last leg of our journey carries us through a section of Caravelle Ranch Wildlife Management Area before landing us back at our original launch site. This is a round trip.


Wildlife

Florida's swamps, in general, are a virtual smorgasbord (are my Danish roots showing?) of wildlife. The Ocklawaha river swamp is a prime example. The year-round abundance of woodland birds swells considerably in winter with arriving migrants. Manatees are a possibility in the vicinity of the St. Johns river. Other wild residents include bears, eagles, osprey, deer, otters, egrets, herons, ibis and other water birds. This section also has a healthy 'gator population, as well as snakes and an occasional wild hog. We often see wading birds, ranging from lone limpkins to flocks of 100+ white ibis feeding among the cypress knees and buttressed trunks of ash, tupelo and oak.


History

Remains of an ancient Indian village site and a nearby shell mound, located on the high ground south of Indian Village Slough, attest to prehistoric occupation of this area. In the historic period this section of the Ocklawaha River, with it's vast swamp lands, has gone relatively untouched. For more on the Ocklawaha river's past, see Ocklawaha trip history).


Difficulty

There is no good ground for us to get out and have lunch, so we'll be sitting in our boats to eat at the edge of St. Johns River. There are some little tussocks of ground around the bases of trees in some places, where you can stand and stretch or use a bush if necessary. This is a small stream, and is therefore subject to an occasional fallen branch or tree that requires a pull over or around. We didn't encounter any on our last trip here, but it's a real possibility. This, combined with the length of trip (4-5 hours) makes Bear Creek a poor choice for anyone with physical limitations or low endurance.


Questions or reservations: e-mail - riverguide2000@yahoo.com , or call   (386) 454-0611