The best places to kayak and canoe around Clermont

Spring is here and with it brings plenty of warm weather and sunshine. We’re ready to get outside and start enjoying watersports again now that the lakes, springs and rivers around Clermont won’t be so icy cold. Check out Toyota of Clermont‘s top picks for the best places to kayak and canoe around our community, and start packing up your car to hit the road!

Lake Louisa State Park: If you live in Clermont and you haven’t been to Lake Louisa State Park yet, we don’t really know what you’re doing with your life. This incredible park has three separate lakes to explore and sits mere minutes from downtown Clermont on US-27. As long as you can hand-carry your vessel to the water, you can use it (but no gasoline motors). Plus, Dixie Lake Outpost rents two-person canoes as well as single and tandem kayaks if you don’t have them or don’t want to bring your own gear. There’s also hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, and camping, to name just a few other activities you can do off the water.

Lake Minneola: Lake Minneola has a beautiful waterfront park – Waterfront Park – in Clermont where you can launch your kayaks, canoes, and boats. Plus, there’s a beachfront area with a cabana, playground, and water park for the kids to relax in and enjoy when you get back from exploring Lake Minneola, which is 1,906 acres big (so plenty to see). There’s even a pier you can walk out on, as well as a nearby restaurant where you can enjoy food and drink waterside. And don’t forget about the biking and walking trail around the lake when you’re ready to get off the water!

Palatlahaka River Park: This beautiful park offers access to the Clermont Chain of Lakes and the Crooked River via a launch for kayaks, paddleboards, and canoes. It has two fishing piers you can use to catch freshwater fish, as well as a playground for the kids and a pavilion with grills for when you return. See what Florida marsh wilderness REALLY looks like in this 2.5 mile loop that also allows you to head out into the scenic nearby river.

Crooked River Preserve: Crooked River Preserve is beautiful, but it’s also got some pretty cool history attached to it. It sits at the northernmost edge of Lake Wales Ridge and used to be an island when Florida was still mostly underwater in ancient seas. There’s a hiking trail (biking not recommended – it’s soft sand) as well as a canoe launch near the trailhead. You can reserve canoes in advance and bring your lunch to enjoy a day on the water.

Cypress Cove Marina on Lake Minnehaha: This beautiful lakeside getaway is one-of-a-kind. Not only can you rent tiny homes on the water (they’re amazing) and RV sites for camping, but you can also rent kayaks, canoes, and paddleboards to explore Lake Minnehaha. Plus, there’s a lakeside bar that boasts live music and food trucks on the weekend, as well as boat slips if you want to bring your boat along for the ride.

The time change is this weekend which means we get an extra hour of daylight – don’t let it go to waste! Explore Clermont and from our Clermont Toyota family to yours, enjoy it!

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