7 Reasons I Keep Returning to Paddle King’s Landing
If you’ve been here on the blog for a while, you might already know that I tend to revisit places. I mostly share about spots that are local, so I get the chance to visit multiple times—early in the day, during the summer and winter, on weekends and weekdays, with kids, without kids, with friends, or just me and my husband. Visiting a place in different ways helps me get a better feel for it.
King’s Landing is one of those places I keep going back to, and today I want to share why.
Table of Contents
- What is King’s Landing?
- 1. Location
- 2. Beauty
- 3. Wildlife
- 4. Paddle and Swim Year-Round
- 5. Beginner-Friendly
- 6. It’s Fun!
- 7. Reservations
- More Info
What is King’s Landing?
Before I get into why I return so often, I wanted to explain what exactly King’s Landing is.
King’s Landing is a privately-owned kayak, paddleboard, and canoe launch located along Rock Springs Run. They offer rentals, guided tours, and primitive camping, and they even have a small shop stocked with the must-haves for a successful paddle.
Rock Springs (also known as Kelly Park) is a completely separate place, managed by Orange County. That’s where the springhead is located and where you’ll find tubing and swimming.
The two are literally separated by a rope strung across the water.
1. Location
King’s Landing is located in Apopka, Florida. It’s right in Central Florida and super easy to get to. For me, it’s a straightforward 45-minute drive.
It’s:
- 30 minutes north of Orlando
- 60 minutes west of Daytona Beach
- 90 minutes northeast of Tampa
Address: 5722 Baptist Camp Rd., Apopka, FL 32712
2. Beauty
I don’t know if I can fully describe how beautiful the spring run is. The water is crystal clear, clean, and a cool 72°F all year. The flow is constant. The bottom is mostly white sand, but there are also sections of eelgrass and other aquatic plants. You can see straight to the bottom, and if you bring a mask, you’ll be rewarded with gorgeous underwater views.
The shoreline along Rock Springs Run is completely wild and thick with lush vegetation such as palms, oaks, and lilies. It stays that way because people don’t picnic or hang out along the shoreline. That helps preserve its untouched feel.people don’t picnic or hang out along the shoreline. That helps preserve its untouched feel.
3. Wildlife
When the water is pristine and the land surrounding it stays mostly undisturbed, the wildlife shows up too. Over the years, we’ve seen otters, raccoons, egrets, and fish while paddling. Other visitors have reported spotting deer, black bears, and even alligators.
The wildlife adds to the beauty and wildness of King’s Landing. And the clear water makes it easy to see and enjoy it all without disturbing anything.
Because there’s so much life here, it’s really important to give wildlife space and not interact with or feed them.
4. Paddle and Swim Year-Round
Some springs in Florida don’t allow swimming or paddling at all. Others only allow one or the other, or have strict rules about when each is allowed. But at King’s Landing, you can stop and swim anywhere along the Emerald Cut, and you can do it year-round.
For example, Blue Spring State Park allows paddling and swimming in the spring run, but closes that access during manatee season (November 15 to March 31). Silver Springs State Park doesn’t allow any swimming at all. And some parks have strict separation, with a designated swimming area where paddleboards, kayaks, and canoes aren’t allowed to enter.
At King’s Landing, it’s different. You can paddle and swim in the same areas, whenever you want.
5. Beginner-Friendly
This is a great place for beginners. A lot of people try paddling for the first time here. There is a bit of a current, and paddling upstream can be kind of a workout, but you can always stop and rest along the way. And once you turn around, you get to ride the current back and just steer.
The Emerald Cut is only 1 mile one way, which is perfect for newer paddlers.
There’s also another option, a longer paddle route that’s very different from the Emerald Cut. It’s 8.5 miles one way and takes around 4.5 hours to complete. The water on that route isn’t as clear, there are way more alligators, and there aren’t really any places to stop and swim.
6. It’s Fun!
Yes, paddling is fun in general, and so is hanging out at the springs. But there’s something extra fun about King’s Landing. To be honest, I can’t quite put my finger on what it is. Maybe it’s the feeling of freedom. There aren’t a ton of strict rules, but the rules that do exist make sense and help protect visitors, wildlife, and the environment.
You can swim, paddle, eat lunch on your board, take a million selfies, float with friends, laugh, and play. It’s one of those places that just feels carefree, like you’re enjoying the springs the way you did as a kid.
I’m not saying it’s the funnest place ever, but I’ve definitely had more fun here than at most other places. I think it helps that so much of the water is shallow, with just enough deeper, swimmable areas to make it feel exciting and easy at the same time.
7. Reservations
It might sound odd to say this, but I actually like that King’s Landing uses a reservation system. I know not everyone loves that, and usually I don’t either, but here, it works. Having a scheduled launch time keeps things moving and helps avoid long lines or major crowding. It makes the whole experience smoother.
The reservations are also really easy to make, and you can sign the waivers online too, which makes check-in a breeze.
If they’re having a slow day, they’ll sometimes allow walk-ins. I’ve seen people get turned away from Kelly Park and end up paddling at King’s Landing instead.
More Info
If you are ready to paddle at King’s Landing, check out my blog post with lots of info, tips, and paddle routes: Paddleboarding in King’s Landing, Central Florida
Other places to paddle: