Ocklawaha River Kayak Camping New Years Eve

Filmed 12-31-2021. Ocklawaha River, Ocala National Forest, Ocala, Florida.

For this adventure, we set out on the Ocklawaha River in the Ocala National Forest. This turned out to be a great way to ring in the New Year, with perfect weather and a great campsite! We started our trip at Ray Wayside Park, winding our way up the north flowing river, admiring the swamp lilies which seemed to stretch forever into the cypress forests.

We looked closely for the famous Rhesus macaques, and eventually found a small troop. However as with most of the wildlife we saw, they were shy and stayed hidden from camera view. We also noticed on this trip that while we saw several alligators, they were all on the small side.

We found a rare dry spot to camp about 7 miles into our paddle, which was a spacious campsite big enough for several tents and hammocks. We set up camp with plenty of time to enjoy the afternoon and watch the river flow by as the sun set.

The following morning we set out for the second half of our trip, stopping at Gores Landing for a pit stop and eventually finishing our trip at the 316 boat ramp.

This was a fun trip, and a very quiet river. We only saw a couple of people both days we paddled, and we enjoyed the solitude.

[KLR.Camper]

What a way to end a year and start another. Beautiful. IMO, you don't need the music. The serene paddling/nature sounds alone are gold. 👍