Silver River
Jenny in her kayak shortly after entering the river at Silver Springs State Park.
Best of the World 2025
On Friday Jenny and I took the kids to school, loaded up the kayaks, and drove to Silver Springs, a state park located within the Ocala National Forest and Florida’s first official tourist attraction, according to Wikipedia. I’d only kayaked the Silver River once before, and I was sick at the time. I’ve been itching to get back ever since.
The Ocala National Forest was recently listed on National Geographic’s Best of the World 2025, a list compiling the 25 best places in the world to visit. The list includes exotic locations like Thailand, Indonesia, Greenland, New Zealand, Malaysia, South Africa, and Sweden, among others, and it surprised me to learn Ocala made the lineup. I guess when something is in your own backyard, it’s easy to take it for granted.
The timing of the Top-25 list and our Silver River paddle was a coincidence, but it gave me an opportunity to look a little closer and to be grateful for what we have here in Florida. I’ve felt rusty. I’m ready to get back into a rhythm of camping, kayaking, and exploring our backyard.
Below are some images from the trip. Queue the Jurassic Park theme song.
Jenny’s Forester all loaded up.
A female anhinga dries her wings atop a log.
Jenny explores the cypress swamps along the edges of the river.
An alligator collects some sun. We saw about six or seven gators of varying sizes, from babies on up to 10-footers. It’s fascinating watching them swim across the clear water.
A roseate spoonbill perches in a tree along the Silver River, a rare sight for this area.
A manatee surfaces for a breath. I followed this manatee for about 20 minutes up river, repeatedly losing and then relocating it. I regretted not bringing a circular polarizer for my lens.