Palatlakaha River

The Palatlakaha River is a river in Lake County, Florida. It forms the principal headwater of the Ocklawaha River, a tributary of St. Johns River. The source of the Palatlakaha River is at Lake Louisa, itself fed from the Green Swamp[1] by two streams known as Big Creek and Little Creek.

From Lake Louisa the river flows north through a chain of lakes known as the Clermont Chain of lakes, which are 17 in total.[2] In order the major lakes are Lake Susan, Lake Minnehaha, Lake Palatlakaha, Lake Hiawatha, Lake Minneola, Cherry Lake, Lake Lucy and Lake Emma. From Lake Emma the river flows through a swampy area to enter Lake Harris.[3]

The river is 30.9 miles (49.7 km) long.[4] The upper section of the river forms the 26.22-mile-long (42.20 km) Palatlakaha Run, a waterways trail for canoeists and kayakers organized by Lake County.[2] There are six water level control dams on the river that are closed to keep water levels higher during drier periods.

References

  1. ^ Dolan, Thomas J.; Hermann, Albert J.; Bayley, Suzanne E.; Zoltek, John (1984-11-15). "Evapotranspiration of a Florida, U.S.A., freshwater wetland". Journal of Hydrology. 74 (3): 355–371. doi:10.1016/0022-1694(84)90024-6. ISSN 0022-1694.
  2. ^ a b "Palatlakaha Run". Lake County Blueways. Lake County Parks & Trails. 2010. Archived from the original on 10 March 2019.
  3. ^ "Background, history and geography of the Palatlakaha River". Exploring with Clark and Pam. Archived from the original on 4 November 2016. Retrieved 2011-11-30. An account of a kayak trip in 2008
  4. ^ "Palatlakaha River". Lake County Water Atlas. University of Southern Florida Water Institute. Retrieved 17 January 2026.

28°46′00″N 81°52′15″W / 28.7667°N 81.8708°W / 28.7667; -81.8708