Get Out, Ocala!

From paddling the scenic spring-fed rivers to riding an ATV through the Ocala National Forest, there are numerous outdoor adventures available within an hour’s drive.

Mickey Pierce retired from the Navy in 2005 after 28 years of service. His retirement gift was a 19-foot custom-made prone paddleboard. He started racing prone in the ocean—belly down and paddling with his arms.

Eventually, neck issues from his time in the Navy led him try stand-up paddling, where you stand on the board and use a long oar to propel yourself through the water.

“It still provides the thrill but we don’t have to get up and down so much,” he explains. “I just fell in love with it.”

Now, with a home on the clear waters of the Rainbow River in Dunnellon, he spends two to five days a week paddling the river, depending on the season. He has trained his Australian shepherd, Kai, to ride with him. He paddles with his wife of 42 years, Dawn Pierce, his neighbors and friends. “It’s just a fun little neighborhood,” he says. “Everybody will start up the river, and as you pass people’s houses, people just join in.”

Other times, it’s a party on the river, such as when they set up a game of Frisbee football in the water.

“When we get the right people, it is a tremendous workout,” he offers. “The next day, you’re going to be sore—in your gut —from laughing so hard. It’s just wild.”

Then there are days when he heads out solo.

“Sometimes I make it a point to go by myself, headphones on, pull my hat down low, and take off and get a good workout in.”

The Ocala/Marion County area has several rivers that can be paddled throughout the year because the spring-fed temperature is a constant 72 degrees.

“You can’t beat the Rainbow River,” Pierce asserts, “but any of the rivers are fun.”

The best thing for beginners to do is rent a board for your height and weight and take a lesson or go paddling with someone who knows what they’re doing, Pierce recommends.

If you prefer to canoe or kayak, you can rent a kayak at a concession on any of the area’s rivers or bring your own. KP Hole Park in Dunnellon is a popular launching site into the Rainbow River for tubers and paddlers.

The wide and scenic Silver River is a favorite among kayakers, says Chris Spontak, president of the Marion County Aquaholics Paddlers Group.

The Silver River is also one of the best places to spot an enormous amount of wildlife, including alligators, Spontak states.

“If you leave the gators alone they’ll leave you alone,” Spontak asserts. “They don’t want anything to do with you. More people eat gators than gators eat people.”

Sometimes, the Aquaholics will paddle into wilder and more remote areas, such as the Withlacoochee River Gum Slough near Inverness or the isolated Waccasassa River in Levy County. Juniper Springs in the Ocala National Forest is also on the wild side. “It’s wilder,” Spontak affirms, “but still gets plenty of traffic.”

Beginner or experienced, anyone is welcome to join the Aquaholics, Spontak reports.

Paddlers group: www.mcaquaholics.com
For places to paddle in the area: www.paddleflorida.net

Choose Your Adventure

In addition to tubing and paddling the rivers, you can zipline through a canyon, spy alligator eggs in the tall sawgrass from an airboat, go on a bird walk, scuba and snorkel in a sinkhole, ride more than 80 miles of mountain bike trails, ride an ATV through the Ocala National Forest and visit one of the many parks in greater Ocala and Marion County. Here’s a guide for a fun day outdoors.