Paddling King's Landing to Emerald Cut in Apopka, Florida

If you like to do some paddling and want to take a nice dip in a spring, set a date to check out King's Landing. Located in Apopka, Florida, King's Landing is a place where you can rent kayaks or canoes and paddle back to Emerald Cut for a swim in the beautiful pristine spring water.

If you have your own vessel, you can launch from King's Landing for a small fee. If you don't have one, you can rent one of theirs to use. You need to reserve it ahead of time, because if you show up on a whim they may be all gone. Get your reservation in early to use one of their vessels. They do also offer guided tours for those who feel more comfortable with a guide.

Once you arrive, you park in the road leading up to King's Landing. They have some large porta-potties there, a small store, and an area to check in. The staff provided great customer service on our visit. We rented a canoe for four hours. Once you enter the vessel you paddle about five minutes out of the short canal where you will choose to go left or right. To the left you will paddle into nature downstream. Going to the right you will paddle upstream to Emerald Cut. The paddle ends at Emerald Cut, where there is a bridge that is part of Kelly Park. 

At Emerald Cut you can park the vessel and get out for a swim in the gorgeous pristine spring water. The water is about waist deep, crystal clear, and feels amazingly refreshing. There are many small fish swimming around, too. On the way back it's downstream, so the current does most of the work. You just need to steer so you don't end up in the trees.

The paddle back to Emerald Cut takes about one hour, but floating back down it took 35 minutes. If you do both the left and right side out of the canal it's about three hours total. 

This is a great experience! Not only is the Emerald Cut area beautiful, but the paddle all the way back to it is as well. The water is crystal clear, shallow, and you can see everything along the way. We saw many birds, fish, dragonflies, and even a snake swimming in the water.

To get more information or reserve your vessel at King's Landing, visit their site here.

Check out the video of King's Landing to Emerald Cut: