Explore the beautiful Winter Park Chain of Lakes in a Clear Kayak!
Clear Kayak Through The Winter Park Chain of Lakes
Venetian style canals through the scenic Winter Park Chain of Lakes!
Welcome to the scenic, historic, and beautiful city of Winter Park! Your adventure through the Winter Park Chain of Lakes will begin on the shore of Dinky Dock Park nestled right next to Rollins College. The tour will take us through 3 of the 7 lakes and will last about 2 hours.
Your tour guide will be waiting for you down by the shore ready to greet all guests and give an overview of the paddle before getting everyone loaded into their kayaks. Once everyone is ready to go, let the fun begin! If you’ve chose the Sunset Paddle, we’ll be making our way in our front row seats to the most picturesque sunset in the city. If you’ve opted in for our glow in the dark tour, we’ll be lighting up the night with LED equipped kayaks!
We start in Lake Virginia where your guide will begin with basic paddling instructions and some fun facts of the college and lake! A few minutes into the paddle we will arrive at a small opening in the waterway that will lead us in to the Fern Canal. The venetian style canals that we will travel through during the tour are lined with lush plants and trees while the canopies of Spanish moss create a natural shade to keep us cool during our travels. These canals were once used as transportation for logging. During the glow tour, fish love to chase the lights and you can often see them tagging along on the tour through the sides of your lit up kayak!
Out of the canal we go and we arrive to lake Osceola – the largest lake of our paddle. While you’re taking in the beauty of the open waters, your guide will point out and give you information on Winter Park’s flora, fauna, and the incredible million dollar homes that adorn the lake’s shore lines. We’ll paddle through a field of giant lily pads that can be seen through the clear kayaks. Bird lovers, rejoice! You’ll be sure to spot many kinds of flying friends throughout the tour. Herons, Egrets, and even Anhinga’s love to make an appearance.
After a bit of a paddling we’ll arrive at the entrance of the Venetian Canal. This is the longest canal in the chain of lakes lined with semi-tropical vegetation, more million dollar homes, and their boat houses! Keep your eyes peeled for otters and turtle sightings!
Then we reach the last lake in our travels – Lake Maitland. This lake is home to the priciest and most exquisite estates on our tour. The scenic lake is the grand finale and turn around point! Before doing this, your guide will be sure to point out Kraft Azalea Gardens. A picturesque park known for being the backdrop to many weddings, engagement (we’ve even hosted one!), and photo shoots. We’ll take a few minutes to relax and soak in the scenery before heading back to the starting point.
WHAT TO BRING
- Hats
- No shoes – we don’t allow shoes to be worn in the kayak.
- Water (no glass or styrofoam is allowed on the waterway)
- Clothes you can get wet. The paddles may drip a little bit of water on you, so you’ll want to wear clothes you don’t mind getting a little wet!
- Camera/Phone Camera – we provide small dry bags for your phone, wallet, keys, etc!
- Towel – great for afterwards to dry off if you’ve gotten at all wet.
- Change of clothes