Wakulla County’s wealth of natural beauty is a prime attraction for outdoors enthusiasts. And now, the county is unveiling its newest eco-tourism attraction- a paddle trail that connects the waterside communities of St. Marks and Panacea.
The trail’s ribbon cutting ceremony drew a crowd of trailblazers from around North Florida hoping to be the first to traverse the eco-attraction. The group of paddlers included Kelly Lutz, who’s been waiting years for a new trail to emerge.
“I happened to grab the paper on Friday, which is something I rarely get the opportunity to do, and I saw the opening of the paddle trail-the ribbon cutting ceremony in the paper. And the threat of the maps! That’s what’s bringing me here because I would really love to see how they’ve mapped it out,” Lutz said.
The Apalachee Bay Maritime Heritage Paddling Trail is made up of 10 trail segments that can be paddled all at once or separately. The trails range in difficulty from novice to expert and stretch from the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge to Bald Point State Park. Doug Alderson with the state’s Office of Greenways and Trails thinks the wide range of choices will bring in more tourists and he’s making a bold prediction about how many.
“I think we’re going to have thousands of people you know, over the next few years do these trails from within this county, from Leon County, and I think from other parts of the state and other parts of the country. So, I think it’s a turning point for this county, for the paddling trails in this county for people to come together and really enjoy these trails,” Alderson said.
Paddle trails have drawn nature enthusiasts from around the state to the Wakulla River, but some of the lesser known creeks, rivers, and estuaries went neglected and unmapped. Pam Portwood, Director of the Wakulla County Tourist Development Council, is sure the new paddling trail will help introduce Florida’s outdoorsman to those lesser known waterways.
“Paddling is very popular in Wakulla County but a lot of people are really focused on the Wakulla River and so this is something that can get people out to all of the awesome creeks, and coastal areas, and other rivers in the county that are just as beautiful and just as awesome,” Portwood said.
The paddling trail project is funded in part by state and federal grants but much of the costs are shouldered by a 12-agency partnership including the Tourist Development Council. St. Marks Mayor Chuck Shields said the money spent is a good investment in local businesses.
“We hope that people will come here-they’ll frequent our restaurants, the marinas, the kayak rentals and it’s just you know, it’d be more and more people coming to St. Marks,” Shields pointed out.
County officials say tourists won’t be alone on their journeys either; they should expect to see wildlife including manatees, sting rays, dolphins, sharks, and even bald eagles. For more information, would be adventurers should log on to VisitWakulla.com
