Jacksonville, FL

Explore Jacksonville from a new perspective

Explore Jacksonville with Canoemobile! Wilderness Inquiry’s Canoemobile is a fleet of vans each with six, handmade, 24-foot Voyageur canoes, safety and paddle equipment, and a crew of outdoor educators. The centerpiece of the Canoemobile is integrated classroom and outdoor education experiences utilizing under-appreciated urban resources, especially urban waterways. Canoemobile programming and educational activities operate in collaboration with local, state, and federal partners. Enjoy the company of others, work as a team, and learn about the watershed in your backyard!

Sample Itinerary

Students arrive at location
Wilderness Inquiry welcome activity
Program partners facilitate rotating activity stations like:
> watershed modeling
> water quality testing
> fish and wildlife
> team building
Wilderness Inquiry facilitates paddling experience:
> water safety
> paddle/equipment instruction
> a paddle lasting about 30 minutes
Reflection and closing activity

What To Expect

You will be paddling in 24-foot Voyageur canoes, following the river's shorelines. The Voyageur canoes hold 6-10 paddlers. They are stable boats, designed specifically for safe trips on big water. Paddling distance varies depending upon the route. It is active but not strenuous.

Wilderness Inquiry outdoor educators are experienced boat captains that provide paddle and safety instructions. One boat captain will be with each canoe to steer the boat, ensure safety, and facilitate a fun experience for everyone!

Program partners will lead land-based activities surrounding urban water topics. Youth will rotate among the activity stations and paddling in canoes.

For clothing and gear, it is important to consider the weather.
Here is a list of suggested items:
- Rain jacket/poncho (WI will have ponchos available)
- Jacket or sweater
- Shoes that you are willing to get a little dirty
- Water bottle (WI will have drinking water available)
- Hat to protect you from the sun and rain
Optional items:
- Sunscreen, lip balm, sunglasses
- Camera in a plastic bag to keep it dry
- Day pack

A note about the itinerary: Our trips are real adventures in the outdoors. While we'll make every effort to follow the itinerary listed here, elements may change due to weather or reasons beyond our control.

Jacksonville is located on the banks of the St. Johns River, Florida's longest river. During its slow 310-mile journey, the St. Johns River morphs from a marsh in Indian River County into a broad waterway with expansive views as it flows to northeast Florida and into the Atlantic Ocean. Its northward flow and extremely low flowrate make the St. Johns an unusual waterway. During especially high and low tides, the river can reverse flow as far south as Lake Monroe — 161 miles upstream from the river’s mouth.

Historically, a variety of people have lived on or near the St. Johns, including Paleo-indians, Archaic people, Timucua, Mocama, Seminoles, and French and Spanish settlers. Many animal species including manatees, largemouth bass, crabs, shrimp, river otters, waterfowl, blue herons, bald eagles, alligators and more inhabit the St. Johns.