santa fe canoe outpost day trips

I took my husband here for his birthday, and we had the most wonderful time! We did the 7-mile canoe trip, and we loved how customizable the trip was. We were able to come at any time and be picked up at any time, so we got to have a very leisurely trip and never felt rushed. The people at SFCO give you a detailed map with spot-on directions and descriptions of how long it will take to get from place to place . I'd highly recommend going in the wintertime and in the morning. We got to see the steam rising up off the river in the morning (about 9:30 am) when it was still cold, and the river was so quiet and peaceful! We only say saw one other person during our 4-hour paddle down the river, so it was a very secluded and romantic experience! We would highly recommend this place to anyone wanting to get away and relax for a day!

We have visited the area twice this year, staying in Newberry with family. Both times we went kayaking and have used outposts facilities. They are a friendly bunch and will do all they can to help, including carrying your canoe to the launch site and collecting you from your destination at the end of your trip. Prices for hired canoes/kayaks are reasonable -although we had our own on one trip. The trip itself was amazing, so beautiful and we even got to "see" naked ed, what a legend!

My wife and I have canoed and kayaked many times. The Canoe Outpost was definitely one of our best experiences. The Santa Fe River is pretty slow, so be prepared to paddle. Most people paddle at a leisurely pace, which is the perfect way to enjoy the wildlife and flora along the river. The folks at the Outpost were great. Excellent service and a great price. If you love canoeing then you should definitely check out this excellent outdoor adventure.

My husband and I were looking for something to do and found this place on Trip Advisor. The staff was very informative and friendly. We enjoyed a day of kayaking. The view was beautiful, the price was right and it was an overall great day!

This is a do it yourself adventure. If you do not know how to paddle, ask for help and you will get a quick lesson on boat handling. They leave you alone on the Moonlight Paddle but that does not mean they are not nearby if needed, they are nearby. No guide is provided, if you want a guide, ask but be prepared to pay an hourly rate. If you want to socialize you should go to a bar. If you cannot handle shoals you should not be on the river. I have paddled this river dozens of times and seldom see snakes but they are there. If you expect the outfitter to do all the work you might hint at a nice tip, then give them a nice tip. If you want concierge service there are other businesses that offer concierge service but the price will be much, much higher. Jim Wood and gang do a good job of providing the equipment and transportation for a fair price. I have used Canoe Outpost's services many times, they are dependable, you will not be forgotten or left.

Maybe, somehow we looked like expert canoeists? The "map" given prior to setting off is so basic it could easily be improved, with washroom info, places to park your canoe, which springs must be walked to & which springs you can canoe to, miles between each landmark, etc. Thank goodness it was a gorgeous weather day & the water was like a mirror...bcuz even with all that going for us we managed to overturn our canoe! At the "Three Little Islands" landmark the water looked good on the left hand side but much to our dismay our canoe got grounded on some major rocks & a tree hidden under water! :( Just ahead of us were two young boys in a kayak & their Aunt & a friend in a canoe and they SAVED us & our stuff! We were in a state of shock at being overturned & seeing our belongings floating away...we did thank this family a lot! In the end we managed to make our rendez-vous with the ride back to the outpost. The van which drove us back did not qualify for any safety guidelines, so the drive was uncomfortable & we were glad to make it.

My wife and I went on a moonlight paddle.First, the river is great for paddling. It's big enough that you're not running into things, but small enough that you're not going to get much boat traffic.The canoes and kayaks are pretty typical, as is the facility. There is a dock, but they don't really seem to use it, preferring to slide the boat into the water from shore with you in it.There was no paddling instruction offered. We didn't need it, but they didn't know that.There didn't seem to be a guide out on the water. We never saw one. I assume someone would have paddled out had they noticed not everyone had come back in a reasonable time, but we were very much on our own.When we got back, there was no one there to help us with the boat. He showed up as we were climbing up from the dock, and then expected us to carry our paddles and PFDs up to the office for him. We didn't mind, but he definitely seemed to be slacking.They advertise a bonfire and s'mores afterwards. The fire would have qualified as a campfire, but I wouldn't call it a bonfire, and there were no s'mores.We may go back, because the river's nice, but if you're a beginning paddler, I'd recommend going someplace else, especially for a moonlight paddle.

I have canoed this river many, many times. My family and friends have always received top notch service from Canoe Outpost. They know everything from river conditions to how Naked Ed is doing. We even get tips on where we can expect cell service and they always ask how many garbage bags we need - not only for our stuff but so we can pick up anything we see along the trip. -- and they handle the recycling for us when we get back. They are always on time when they pick us up- which has caused us to have to really pick up the pace sometimes - HAH- Go you'll love it

Great river. Service getting us ready for the trip was excellent. Staff was knowledgeable about the river and places to stop down river. We paddled 7 miles down the river. They picked us up right on time. We will rent there again.

I was looking for a place that rented canoes, for myself and my three sons to go on the Santa Fe for the day, and this place was the only place that came up on the internet . . . I should have known, when I spoke to the man on the phone, that they are not very interested in customer service. He rushed me on the phone, when I had questions about location and pricing, but I figured that they must be busy. When we showed up, and were the only people there, and they STILL spoke in a rush and in a very gruff manner (even rushed us into the boats saying "you're wasting your time on the river, when I was trying to put sunscreen on my kids), I then assumed they were in a rush because they were expecting a camp group supposedly. The river itself was beautiful - saw a small alligator, about a hundred turtles, and of course "Naked Ed" (interesting). Our pick up point was the 7 mile stop (Rum Spring/Island), which unfortunately is horribly trashy, cigarette butts everywhere, lots of people smoking, drinking, etc - which is really a shame for such a gorgeous spot, I can't believe there isn't better enforcement of cleanliness there. But the worst part of the experience was when the van came to pick us up (I should note they were very prompt though), and again were rude and acted as if we were inconveniencing them. When my 16 yr old son went to help load the canoe, one of the men actually yelled at him, "Don't touch that please" in a really mean tone, and my son was trying to be helpful. What is amazing to me is that they had no other business when we were there, and I would think they would have all the time in the world to at least be friendly. Unfortunately, as we were headed back to our hotel, I then saw a different canoe outfitter - next time we will go there and hopefully it will be a better experience. I am looking forward to experiencing this river and the area agian, just not with these people.

I have been there a few times now, for both daytime trips and now a full moon paddle. Very reasonably priced, food information from the staff and adequate equipment. The full paddle day trip was a good experience going downstream where they ultimately pick you up and bring you back. The full moon paddle is very special upstream paddle to the spring head and a lazy with the flow paddle back under the beauty of the full moon on the river. The full moon paddle was about as quiet an experience as one could have.

great retreat to the "wilds" of northern florida. people nice, boats clean easy slow ride down a lazy river, just birds, turtles and mullet.

A group of 8 of us canoed and camped down the Santa Fe River. The Santa Fe Canoe Outpost will drive you, the canoes, and your belongings (tent, backpacks, cooler, whatever you have) to a starting point for canoeing down the river. They drop you off there, and will take your belongings to wherever you will be camping so that you don't have to canoe with them. After you camp for the night, they pick up your stuff again, and take it back to the outpost where you began. They then pick you up at the end point of the canoe trip and dive you back to the post. GREAT EXPERIENCE with this business!! The canoe trip was amazing!!! We took our time and canoed, swam, and snorkeled for about 4 hours until we got to our camping spot. The next day, it took about 3 hours or so to canoe to the destination where we were picked up by the Santa Fe Canoe Outpost people. We took our time that day as well. Along the way, some of the water is brownish, due to tree leaves falling in. In other places, the water is crystal clear!! There's a lot of little springs along the way that are gorgeous! I definitely recommend getting out of the Canoe and snorkeling along the way!!We saw a lot of fish and turtles, a snake or two, and even a couple of goats!! Yes, goats! The place we camped is called Lilly Springs, which is a very small spring. Lilly Springs is owned and inhabited by a super nice man named Naked Ed. Yes, he's naked!! haha He's a nudist and kind of a local legend, but isn't creepy at all and will let you camp on his land for $10.00 a person. He's very nice and friendly, but will keep to himself and leave you alone. He lives in a tiny palmetto thatched hut on the water. He works out camping deals for people through the Santa Fe Canoe Outpost, so be sure to talk to them about it in advance! There are also other stopping points along the way where you can get out and drink, eat, or lay out in the sun. We even passed an area full of spring breakers partying at one of the springs. Over all, I would definitely recommend canoeing and camping the Santa Fe River through Santa Fe Canoe Outpost!!