Class: typically flat water, 1-2 mph, good for beginers.
Put-in: Dunnellon, Florida at the Centennial Park on SR 41 just before the bridge that crosses the Withlacoochee River.
GPS: 29 02.80 N....82 27.89 W....(approx.)
Directions: ...Map of Area
Parking: Paved parking.
Facilities: Restrooms, boat launch.
Park Fee: none
Take-Out 1: Same as put-in, if you wish to make the round trip.
Trip Time: 5-6 hours round trip
Take-Out 2: Goldendale Ave Boat Ramp
Trip Time: approximately 3 hours
You paddle west from here past some homes and business that are built along the banks. But after a short while you feel as though you have gone back in time. You pass by hardwoods, cypress, and other varieties.The Withlacoochee River South has its' origins in the Green Swamp and flows northward about 100 miles before it empties into the Gulf of Mexico. The fishing is great here and the Withlacoochee is known for holding the records for the largest big mouth bass. Besides bass there is speckled perch, blue gills, stumpknockers, and catfish.
There are many types of flowers blooming on the banks. And in August and September water lilies dot the water.
 
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You can travel for some distance hearing nothing but the sounds of the birds. You can see Herons, Egrets, Purple Gallinules, and other types of marsh birds. The wood stork likes to visit here in the winter. There are always turtles and aligators resting on the banks or a downed tree.
It is a very leisurely paddle. You can take out at a boat ramp on Goldendale Ave, if you don't wish to paddle back. It is about 3 miles west of the put-in, on the left hand side of the river. The river will take a sharp bend around a large grassy area. There you will see the boat ramp. This is considered the "Withlacoochee Backwaters" or the beginning of Lake Rousseau.
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