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This is nearly 1 3/4 hours S.W from Gainesville (10 miles below Homosassa Springs).
The cost is $50 per person. ($39 for "wanna go" members). With your own boat it's $35 per person. ($25 for members). ** There's also a $3.00 (approx) per vehicle parking fee.
Calendar of Tour dates: www.adventureoutpost.net
Calendar of Tour dates: www.adventureoutpost.net
Description
The Chas, as this river is commonly known, is the quiet, unpretentious little sister of the popular GOMER (Gulf of Mexico Region) spring rivers. But, when I say little, I'm referring to the head springs. the main river channel is surprisingly wide, but relatively shallow.
With Crystal and Homosassa rivers vying for attention to the north and the siren's song of rhine-stoned mermaids luring tourists to Weeki Wachee to the south, the Chas has gone relatively unnoticed. That, in itself, would usually be enough to make this a must-do trip for the "wanna go" crew - but there's more! This river's isolation is no mere fluke. It runs through the heart of a beautiful, 40 square mile wetlands known as the Chassahowitzka Swamp. And, if that's not enough, there are springs too. Granted they're not the big, showy fountains of her sister rivers - but some are very nice.
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An old crab-man once told me "there ain't no ho's in Chassahowitzka." It took me a moment to realize he wasn't trying to crush any dreams I might have of finding a meaningful relationship on this river, but was simply letting me know that the locals pronounce the river's name, "Chassawiska." The "ho" is silent.
I had been drifting alongside the grizzled old-timer for nearly an hour, me in my little canoe, he in his flat, open crab-boat. What had started as a passing "hello", had evolved into full-blown conversation as he kindly doled out colorful anecdotes and lore in answer to my questions. He told me of outlaws, such as Al Capone, who sought refuge in the area's remoteness and of huge tarpon, which even today, draw fishermen from around the world. He even waxed a little poetic when describing the thousands of water birds which, on good years, fill the trees during nesting season, and were the driving force behind the creation of the Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge.
With dusk settling in, it was time to part ways. The crab boat's engine sputtered to life as the old man pulled away. As he pushed out the throttle, he turned back one last time and, trying to restrain his sparsely-toothed grin, shouted over the roaring engine, "nope, no ho's here, he he." I don't know if it was the joke or the love of his lot in life, but at that moment he was truly delighted with himself - and so was I.
Highlights
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As you'll learn from the caution signs on the highway coming down, there are bears in these woods. But here, as elsewhere, the Florida black bear is an elusive critter. You have a much better chance of spotting an otter, deer or wild hog rooting along the river bank. Winter brings great birding to this area. Spoonbills, eagles, osprey and every egret in the (Florida) book love this water. Night herons (black-crowned and, more commonly, yellow-crowned) are more common here than most Central Florida rivers.
Another positive aspect of this trip is the shortage of motor boats. They're here--no question about it--but not in disturbing numbers. Most are commercial fishermen in small, open crab boats, who are generally more respectful of paddlers than sports fishermen and recreational boaters.
Difficulty
This is an easy, round-trip paddle. We'll be on the water about 3 - 4 hours. The Chassahowitzka is a fairly wide, tidal river, and even during the stronger periods of the coming and going tides, the current is relatively weak. Even the little feeder streams, some of which we'll explore, are slow.
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