St Johns River info?

S

snal

New member
I'm trying to plan a trip starting in the Jacksonville area this fall. I have a friend in south Georgia who's been waiting for an invitation to travel aboard "Thelma-Lou" for awhile, and he's only an hour from Jacksonville.
Any advice about side trips (creeks, or really remote areas) on or off of the St Johns would be greatly appreciated. This will likely be a 3 day, round-trip.
Thanks!
 
Larry, Sorry I missed you on the Tennessee earlier this month. Back in Florida now and who knows, paths may cross here. My normal boating is here on the St. Johns and from personal enjoyment of boating I like the river south of Lake George best. From Jacksonville down toward Lake George it is a big river. Much more remote (and out of the old Tarzan movies) south of there. If you are able to car to Sanford and travel downstream (north) from there you will see the wilds of Florida and the old river. You can venture off into several lake and go around Hontoon Island (state pake) with good overnight docks. If you use the north end of the river you should come south to travel Dunns creek and Murphy creek. They are good for alligator sighting. You can travel to Cresent lake on Dunns creek. Another side trip would be up the Oklawaha river. From Jacksonville to Sanford is about 165 miles on the river and a neat trip which I have not made in one run with my Tug. See "lil" Toots album for a few shots on the St. Johns. Have a good trip and message if I can give specific info. Ron
 
Snal one place I would highly recommend is Hontoon Island State Park. It's a few miles north of Lake Monroe and about 2 miles from Blue Springs State Park. It's a really nice marina with good showers and nice floating docks. It's surrounded by wild life also. Their rate is very reasonable $16 per night or $8 if you are on medicare. This includes 30 amp electric and water. This is 165 miles from the mouth of the river. Silver Glen Run is a interesting place also on the west side of Lake George. From Jacksonville to Palatka the river is very wide with a few side creeks that are pretty nice. Once you make it to Palatka the river narrows thats where you hit Murphy and Dunns Creek side trips. There's a city owned dock in Palatka that's $10 per night. It's about 1/4 mile south of the bridge and has some water and electric 20 amp. There's a nice marina on the east side of the river just before you get to Lake George also with fuel. I haven't been any further south than Sanford but there's and upscale Marina right in Sanford which is about $30 a night but if you go there stay on the north side of the marina the birds are terrible on the south side. Shopping is within easy walking distance. If you PM me you mailing address I'll loan you a few brochures, books and charts I collected on my trip this spring. 3 days isn't very long to see the river. I spent 10 days and only made it to Sanford and back.
 
Enjoy the river cruise. Once you get south of Palatka the river will become old florida. Where the river goes through downtown Jax there is a restaurant complex called "The Landing", free dockage can spend the night but no services. Depending on the tides I have seen dolphin in that area. Not sure of the part between there and Palatka. At the north end of Lake George is the Georgetown Marina. Friendly people,small store, they have slips with electric,H20. There are also some small apartments for rent which are clean and cozy. They sell gas/diesel (not sure what fuel you use but after Georgetown Marina the next place that sells diesel is Pier 44 in DeLand.There are numerous spots in Astor that sell gas)) Once in Lake George there are two spring runs you should be able to get into. On the Northern end of Lake George is Salt Springs, toward the southern end is Silver Glenn springs. Weekdays are a little more enjoyable at both as they tend to get crowded during the weekend.Both of these springs are along th western shore. Be aware of the Navy bombing range on the southeastern part of the lake. Once in Astor the Blackwater Inn is a nice spot for a bite to eat ,though there is limited docking. I second the note on Hontoon Island State Park Also take a cruise on the Dead River around the backside of the island for some good fishing and nature shots. Here I have seen deer,black bear, hogs and some REALLY BIG GATOR'S. Enjoy the river.

Frank
 
Thanks everyone!
For this trip, it would be worth the extra drive (land based) to get to the more remote part of the river. We'll likely prefer anchorages VS marinas, and the more remote/isolated the better. Cruising, even slowly, with scenery being more important than miles covered, and casual, relaxed fishing at or near the anchorages. We'll probably take a couple of small kayaks, tied to the frame above my cabin any way that we can, or drag them behind the boat, for fishing.
 
There are good public boat ramps at both Astor (Hgwy40) and Deland (Hgwy44) where you can leave your vehicle. If DeLand ramp is full go across bridge to Pier 44 and talk to Danny, for a fee he will let you keep vehicle there and usage of his ramp. There are numerous spurs off the main river where you can get lost in "Old Florida" with great fishing and good anchorages. I have been on this section of the river where at times I have not seen another person for the whole day. Other than the aircraft flying overhead you could be the first explorers. In Deland on the river we have the Shady Oak Fish Camp with food and cold beer( next to the Hgwy 44 bridge and across from Pier 44). If venture into town(DeLand)which is approx 6 miles east there are numerous restaraunts , watering holes all in a historic setting.

Bring your bug spray and beware that this is our thunderstorm season. These storms come up fast and are severe. They tend to form over the river due to our geographics and coastal breezes. Watch out for the gators and if you decide to swim take the boat to mid channel and stay away from the shore and weeds. For fun turn on the spotlight at night and look at all the red eyes staring at you...
 
If you do travel north from Sanford, shortly before Hontoon Island and FL 44, odds are you will wind up in Lake Beresford, a lovely area. If so, I offer three hints: 1) GO SLOW; not all the debris from the tornado has been removed or sunk yet. 2) Near the far end to port you'll see a C-D 16 hanging in a boat house. Drop in. 3) To resume your journey, go back and turn right; Hontoon Island is less than a mile.
 
Just like Frank/lakelab indicated about the Astor community. Great place. Deliverd a boat to the Robbins family there, home right next to a ramp actually, and enjoyed the Silver Glenn Springs. Very nice spot. I want to make a trip back down there at some point and just poke about the area myself. Great food at every place we ate...

I think the Brigner's on C-Pearl also spent about a week on the St. John withing the last year....not sure which sections.... Hit ol Jeff up. I know they really enjoyed the trip.

Byrdman
 
Another big plus for Astor,
Astor Marine will store your tow rig and trailer for $1.00 per foot per month. Leaving the 25 ft Ranger in storage cost me $25 per month. ( they don't count the hitch) When on the river I left the pickup with camper for $20 per month. It is only a couple of blocks to the launch. It is all fenced in and open six days a week with people there all day. Nice bunch of people. Good place to hit the river to go to Silver Glen or Blue springs, Salt Springs or Hontoon State Park. We will use this storage every year.
captd
 
Larry and Jo,
If you all are starting from the Jax area, there are some really great suggestions from the Brats above. Toby and I completed an 11 day trip in May beginning on Lake Harney west of Mims Florida. We traveled north to Jax, up the ICW to Jekyll Island and then back south on the ICW to our home on Merritt Island, Fl. In May, that was about as far south as we could start our trip based on the available water depth at that time of the year. Lake Harney begins what is considered the middle section of the River. We would have started farther south if the water had permitted. Our county has now gotten up to the average rain level for this time of the year, so there is more water to run on now.

We traveled extensively on the River south of Lake Harney for about 4 years in a Lowe 14' aluminum boat with a 30 HP Johnson before we got our 22' Dory last June. But even in that boat, water depth was a seasonal factor in being able to get off the main channel and explore the back waters. One of the 3 main tributaries of the St. John's is just south of Lake Harney. The Econlockhatchee River flows in from the west about 1-2 miles south of Lake Harney and is navigable for quite a few miles back towards it's headwaters near Orlando. A really beautiful and primitive river with only 2-3 houses/cabins along it's banks. Also good fishing. Many folks kayak this river because it is so beautiful and relatively free of larger boats. The major lakes south of Lake Harney in order are Puzzle Lake, Lake Poinsett, Lake Winder, a dam and then Lake Washington west of Melbourne, FL.

Check out our album for St. John's River Mini Loop to see what the river looks like in the Lake Harney area. The Econlockhatchee is about 1 mile south of the bridge that you will see in the first picture and the cattle along the River is just after we moved out of Lake Harney into the River.

PM me if you want information about any specific lakes or areas in that section of the river. We have many photos that we have not posted in our album. We made another trip between Christmas and New Years and have several pictures of that trip that were never made into an album. We hooked up with Captain D on that trip in the Hontoon Island area for a cold one.

Tad
 
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