Chassahowitzka (The Chaz)

The Chaz is the kind of river that ruins you for boat ramps with no character. Launch at the head and the first thing worth doing is the short paddle up to the main spring, a first-magnitude vent boiling up about 350 feet from the put-in, clear enough that the limestone shelves underneath look close enough to touch. From there it is all side creeks: Seven Sisters, Crab Creek, and the one the locals just call the Crack, a cave-mouth swimming hole off Baird Creek with a rope swing and water cold enough to take your breath. The whole river is a designated Outstanding Florida Waterway, which is the state's way of saying do not mess this one up. One thing nobody tells first-timers: you launch at the spring and drift downstream with the current, so the easy part is the way out and the work is the way home, and if the tide is dropping while you head back you will earn that paddle. Watch for motorboats on the main channel; the springs and the narrow creeks are yours, but the middle of the river is shared.

Where do I park, and is it free?

Cost

$5 / car (cash) (as of 2026-06)

Parking

Limited

Restrooms

yes

County ramp at the spring head with a small lot that fills early on weekends. Restrooms on site.

How clear is the water?

Gin-clear near the spring head, tannic and saltier as you near the bay.

What will I see?

• Manatees push up into the warm spring runs when the Gulf turns cold
• River otters in the side creeks, bald eagles and ospreys nesting along the banks

What's the fishing like?

Spring-river and flats: redfish, trout, and snook, with sheepshead on oyster bars toward the mouth.

What about the current?

Current readings come from Chassahowitzka River (USGS, right at the launch).

How do I share the water here?

The gin-clear water is the whole reason to come, and it clouds in seconds. Stay off the soft bottom around the spring vents, and give the wintering manatees a wide berth: chasing or touching them is a federal offense and pushes them off the warm water they need.