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Photography
& Sightseeing Cruises

There is a sunrise and a sunset every single day. Come enjoy one with us, the natural Florida way!

If you think of Florida as palm trees and crowds on white sandy beaches, you don’t know Florida!

Relax! If you like that sort of thing, it’s nearby. But if you want to experience the REAL natural Florida, you need to visit Blue Cypress Lake Tours, about 25 miles west of beautiful, traditionally Floridian Vero Beach, on the Atlantic Ocean.

At Blue Cypress Lake, you will not find crowds of people on the shores. Our shores are full of cypress knees and dark waters with duckweed and alligators.

What you WILL find is true Florida wilderness, teeming with layers of life from silt at the bottom of the lake to the clouds.

Blue Cypress Lake

The call of the Osprey

When ospreys leave their nests to hunt, they make high-pitched “cheeps” to stay in touch with their feathered families. There are MANY ospreys here at Blue Cypress Lake.

This call can be loud and repetitious; some complain that the call is irksome.

Don’t believe us? Hear for yourself!

Cruise Blue Cypress Lake
with Capt. Don Buhr

About Us

We are Don and Barbara Buhr,  your cruise and tour hosts with the pontoon boat on Blue Cypress Lake. Blue Cypress Lake is a nature lover’s paradise. A place we have called home for decades. Come discover “Old” Florida in all its’ natural beauty! It’s truly great fun for all ages! ​ We will share with you some of Florida’s best kept secrets, and we’ll experience breath-taking moments together as we share this beautiful lake and its wildlife! Let us take you on a cruise where you can kick back, relax, rewind and get back to a reality you will never want to leave. ​    
Blue Cypress Lake

Photography
& Sightseeing Cruises

There is a sunrise and a sunset every single day. Come enjoy one with us, the natural Florida way!

If you think of Florida as palm trees and crowds on white sandy beaches, you don’t know Florida!

Relax! If you like that sort of thing, it’s nearby. But if you want to experience the REAL natural Florida, you need to visit Blue Cypress Lake Tours, about 25 miles west of beautiful, traditionally Floridian Vero Beach, on the Atlantic Ocean.

At Blue Cypress Lake, you will not find crowds of people on the shores. Our shores are full of cypress knees and dark waters with duckweed and alligators.

What you WILL find is true Florida wilderness, teeming with layers of life from silt at the bottom of the lake to the clouds.

The call of the Osprey

When ospreys leave their nests to hunt, they make high-pitched “cheeps” to stay in touch with their feathered families. There are MANY ospreys here at Blue Cypress Lake.

This call can be loud and repetitious; some complain that the call is irksome.

Don’t believe us? Hear for yourself!

Cruise Blue Cypress Lake
with Capt. Don Buhr

About Us

We are Don and Barbara Buhr,  your cruise and tour hosts with the pontoon boat on Blue Cypress Lake. Blue Cypress Lake is a nature lover’s paradise. A place we have called home for decades. Come discover “Old” Florida in all its’ natural beauty! It’s truly great fun for all ages! ​ We will share with you some of Florida’s best kept secrets, and we’ll experience breath-taking moments together as we share this beautiful lake and its wildlife! Let us take you on a cruise where you can kick back, relax, rewind and get back to a reality you will never want to leave. ​    

See the REAL Natural Florida

Osprey at Blue Cypress Lake

We’ll take you back to nature

Just getting here is an adventure. After turning on to Blue Cypress Lake Road from SR 60, you will travel about 5 miles into Florida’s interior, past coastal plains and pastures, through  wetlands, and finally to Blue Cypress Village.

Osprey at Blue Cypress Lake

Egret regrets

The elegant Great Egret is a white heron. They may regret to hear that, but any ornithologist will tell you it’s true.

Fresh air out there

Just look at that! All that water. All that air. Come take a tour with us and we’ll take you there.

Herons pairin'

Little Blue Herons are pairing in the spring! Don’t call them “little” to their faces… (Soft egos; sharp beaks).

Nature Hike

Who doesn’t enjoy a nice walk in the Florida wilderness? The fish, that’s who! Enjoy our graded dirt roads, but watch for vehicles, be prepared and watch for gators!

Services

Photography Cruises

Get your equipment ready! We’ll take you out for a cruise on Blue Cypress Lake just about any time you want to go. But we recommend early morning and late afternoons for optimum color, light and wildlife activity.

Bird watching

Is watching birds your thing? This is the place! You will see osprey, bald eagles, herons (great and small), cormorants, ducks, geese, cranes, gulls, hawks, and more.

The natural freshwater lake has the highest concentration of osprey nests in the world, says Richard Baker, local Audubon Chapter president and former director of the Florida Medical Entomology Lab in Vero Beach who’s been studying ospreys at Blue Cypress since 1990. “At least no one’s come forward to dispute it, and we’ve had experts here from all over.”

That’s because, Donna Halleran, local Audubon vice-president, says, “nowhere else in the world do you see ospreys nesting so close together.” 

Alligators at Blue Cypress

Gator sightings

There’s a good reason no one swims at Blue Cypress Lake. It’s crawling with alligators. When the evenings are cool, they’ll be creeping to land for warmth. When it’s warm they like to hang out in the shallow water near the edges of the lake, where the plentiful wildlife offers a daily buffet for these prehistoric lake residents.

If you want to see alligators, we’ll take you where they are waiting for you!

Restore your inner peace

Fresh air. Clean water. Abundant wildlife.

Wide. Open. Spaces.

 

little gator

FAQs

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What should I bring with me?

Bring everything you think you might need on a boat ride: hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, and bug spray. You may bring your own food and drinks if you like. We do not carry a cooler so our guests have more room. There is a tackle shop at the park for convenience items, but the hours are not regular. Bring ice if you want it. We do not have a dependable source for ice at the lake.

How big is Blue Cypress Lake?

Blue Cypress Lake is 6,500 acres in area. That’s about 3 miles by 5 miles. The average depth is 8 feet.

Why is it called Blue Cypress Lake?

It’s called Blue Cypress for the way the cypress trees look when reflected in the water.

Are there hotels near the lake?

“Near” is relative. There’s the Heartbreak Hotel in Kenansville, or you can drive 25 miles east to Vero Beach, which is on the Atlantic Ocean.

At Blue Cypress Lake, Blue Cypress Lakeside Cabins offers cabins for rent. Please ask us for details or contact them at 772-770-2067.

Where in Tarnation is Blue Cypress Lake?

Blue Cypress Lake is just off FL State Road 60 on Blue Cypress Lake Road, about 25 miles west of the  I-95 Vero Beach exit; and about 7 miles east of the Florida Turnpike Yeehaw Junction exit. We are about 1½ hours from Orlando.

Blue Cypress Lake is the headwaters of the St. John’s River that runs north and out through Jacksonville.

source: Wikipedia

Blue Cypress Lake

Blue Cypress Lake
Location of Blue Cypress Lake in Florida, USA.
Location of Blue Cypress Lake in Florida, USA.
Blue Cypress Lake
Location of Blue Cypress Lake in Florida, USA.
Location of Blue Cypress Lake in Florida, USA.
Blue Cypress Lake
LocationIndian River County, near Fellsmere, Florida
Coordinates27°45′15″N 80°44′37″W / 27.75417°N 80.74361°W / 27.75417; -80.74361
Primary outflowsSt. Johns River
Basin countriesUnited States
Surface area6,500 acres (2,600 ha)
Average depth8 ft (2.4 m)

Blue Cypress Lake, originally called Lake Wilmington, is a lake in Indian River County of the Treasure Coast in Florida. It is the largest lake in the Treasure Coast and Indian River County. It is the headwaters lake of the St. Johns River. The sources of water are several creeks from the south (Mudfish Slough, Padget Branch, Holman Canal, and Fisher Creek), two from the west (Trim Creek, Blue Cypress Creek), and Moonshine Bay from the North that flow into the lake. All the water flows out of the lake to the northwest into M Canal and Zigzag Canal. The lake is over 6,500 acres (26 km2) in size, 21 mi (34 km) in circumference, and has an average depth of 8 feet (2.4 m). The lake is 2,100 acres (8.5 km2) larger than Lake Washington, 27 mi (43 km) north of this lake. The lake's name comes from the blue appearance of the cypress trees as the morning sun's rays reflect off the water. A fishing camp called Blue Cypress Lakeside Cabins is 4 mi (6.4 km) off State Road 60. The Blue Cypress Village (about 70 units) is south of the small boat canal from the fish camp.

Amenities on Blue Cypress Lake[edit]

Photography and Sightseeing Cruises are available from Blue Cypress Lake Tours.

A boat ramp, dock, picnic area and restrooms are adjacent at the Lakefront Park.

Blue Cypress Lakeside Cabins offers waterfront cabins and manufactured homes to rent daily and weekly. Located at the westernmost point of the lake, this fish camp is located in Blue Cypress Village, a hamlet on the lake which has only 3 streets, 73rd Place, 73rd Lane, and 73rd Manor. It is 24 mi (39 km) from Fellsmere by road.

Geography[edit]

Blue Cypress Lake is located at 27°45′15″N 80°44′37″W / 27.75417°N 80.74361°W / 27.75417; -80.74361. It is the headwaters of the St. Johns River. The lake is over 6,500 acres (26 km2) in size. It is directly west of Fellsmere, 11 miles (18 km) away. To the north is Palm Bay, to the west is Yeehaw Junction, and to the east is Fellsmere.

See also[edit]

External links[edit]

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Blue Cypress Lake Tours
21777 73rd Lane

Vero Beach, Florida 32966

(772) 569-5573
8 a.m. – 5 p.m  EST