Paddling Tiger Creek in Lake Kissimmee State Park

Tuesday, February 22, 2022

Hi Blog!

This is our last full day here in Lake Wales, Florida. We decided to re-visit Lake Kissimmee State Park. The last time we were here, we hiked the Buster Island Loop Trail. Today, we decided to launch our kayaks on the Zipperer Canal and paddle our way to Lake Kissimmee.

The dock supervisor made sure our kayaks were shipshape.

The Zipperer Canal is named after the former owner of property, William Zipperer. His estate sold the property to the State of Florida for a state park. The Zipperer canal runs between Lake Kissimmee and Lake Rosalie. In order to control lake levels, a dam now blocks the route between the two lakes.

After about a half mile, we soon found ourselves entering Lake Kissimmee.

Lake Kissimmee covers some 38,000 acres from the Kissimmee River’s mouth on the north end to the river’s exit near US Highway 60 on the south end. It is the fourth lake in the Kissimmee chain of lakes and is known for its fantastic bass fishing. The lake is six miles long by three miles wide -- plenty of room for seaplanes to take off and land.

As we made our way out into the main lake, we took note of the entrance to the state park. We set a waypoint so we could begin to track our progress around the lake.

A great white heron stood guard at the entrance to the Zipperer Canal.

You always know when an airboat is nearby. 

After paddling a mile around the perimeter of Tiger Cove, we found the entrance to Tiger Creek. The lone tree on the shore of Kissimmee Lake made the perfect perch for the bald eagle to eat his lunch.

Another great white heron stands guard at the entrance to Tiger Creek.

We paddled up Tiger Creek for about a mile. We saw three bald eagles, all kinds of herons, egrets and limpkins.  All the while, fish were leaping out of the creek. While the current wasn't strong, it did feel good to turn and float with the current back to Lake Kissimmee. Back in Kissimmee, we encountered an anhinga on a stick.

The great white heron guarding the entrance to Zipperer Canal was still there, and was gracious enough to allow us to pass.

With the wind behind us, we finished our paddle by basking in the sun.

The boat launch in the state park made it easy to put in and take out our kayak

At four miles, it wasn't our longest paddle, but it did allow us to explore more of the real Florida. Tomorrow we move to Fort Pierce to visit with our friends - George, Nan, Jim and Nanc. Stay tuned for more adventures in RVing!