Kayak SW Florida                    
Kayak Everglades National Park & The 10,000 Islands National Wildlife Refuge          

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Crossing Chokoloskee Bay and heading out to our island paradise.

Quick Stop for Lunch on Day 1

Pulling up on Rabbit Key to camp

Shells on Pavilion Key

Dolphins in the Gulf of Mexico

Horseshow Crab on Picnic Key

Pulling up on Rabbit Key to camp

The Everglades refers to an area encompassing 2.5 million acres of land in southern FL. 
Everglades National Park which is 1.5 million of these acres was established in 1947.  It was the only National Park to be selected due to its biodiversity.  It is a World Heritage Site and a World Biosphere Site. The Coast of Everglades National Park is over 100 miles of roadless, wild coastline.  In the U.S., only in Alaska can you find a coastline this remote and inaccessible. 
 

Everglades National Park is comprised of a number of diverse ecosystems like

Prairie
Pinelands
Fresh Water Swamp
Mangrove Forest
Barrier Islands
Open waters of the Gulf of Mexico

What comes to mind for most people when they hear the term "Everglades"  is usually  Swamp. (Alligators, snakes etc.)  While this is part of the Everglades and part of Everglades National Park, where we kayak is not in the Swamp, but rather in the Mangrove Forest, Barrier Islands, and Gulf of Mexico.   These areas where we kayak are salt water environments.  Most frequent wildlife sightings are dolphin, wading birds, manatee, rays, sea turtles, osprey, Bald Eagle, oysters/clams, and lots of shells.

                                     So what does it look like where we kayak?

Pictures on the left..
We usually meet at the Island Cafe at 305 Collier Ave in Everglades City for breakfast and a trip run down. After we drive minutes to the Gulf Coast Park Visitor Center, pack our boats and launch.  We cross Chokoloskee Bay (1- 1.5 miles wide )and enter a maze of mangrove forest.  Thousands of islands make up this region this it is named locally as 10,000 Islands.  This area is extremely difficult navigating, and why most people really need a guide.  The most common comment I hear from clients is "how do you ever find your way, it is a complete maze of green islands and everything looks the same" 

At first glance, it really does look all the same. But with careful eye to detail, you start to notice the subtle differences as we pass thru ancient islands and thruways.  This is the second largest mangrove forest in the world.  Bangladesh hosts the largest. 

We paddle out passes and wind thru islands which are called Keys. The definition of a key is an island that is formed by mangroves, much as an atoll is an island formed by volcanoes.  So here we use island and key interchangeably. 

We travel to the designated backcountry campsites where we have been permitted to camp.  These are island sites for most trips.  Only on our Coast to Coast Trip (Flamingo to Everglades City) do we end up on mainland FL at Cape Sable. Each island/key has a unique maximum number of people that are allowed to camp there each night to preserve the environment and keep it an intimate experience for those camping.

Each island that we camp on has white sandy beaches of varying size and length.  Smaller islands mean less numbers of campers are allowed to stay there on any given night. The park allows permits to be issued no more than 24 hours in advance. We chose our island destination on skills of participants, desires, weather forecast, and availability. We always end up with  great choices or gorgeous locations.
 

The closest island from our launch is Jewel Key. This is a small key, just outside of Sandfly Pass about 5 miles from Everglades City. It is the newest addition to permitted camping, having been opened to campers in 2009.  Many charts do not indicate this as a camping key yet, nor do the guidebooks. Other keys we may camp on for our first night include

Picnic (6-7 miles)

Tiger  (7-8 miles)

Rabbit (8 miles)

Pavilion (11 miles)

Generally we do not visit any other islands on our first night unless we are doing an advanced/high mileage trip.  All of these islands are unique and beautiful. 

Most 3 day trips we spend our two nights on the same island to avoid the packing/unpacking of kayaks each day.  We get out on the first day, set up camp, have some dinner, maybe paddle at sunset, star gaze, walk the beach, read etc.  The second day is exploring, we usually have lunch on one of the other islands, and frequently explore mangrove tunnels, hidden coves, or paddle open waters. The desires of the group and the weather dictate our schedule.  Third Day is breakfast, break camp and then spend the day paddling back, taking time to enjoy the area. Tides dictate when we land in Everglades City. We never go against the tide unless there is some important reason to do so. (example, weather forecast looks stormy in the afternoon)

Trips of 4-10 days we move base camp, each trip varies as to the number of times we move.  A 4 day trip does not mean we move every day, but probably at least once.  Each trip we do is customized to group desires and weather forecast.  Mother Nature always has the last say in what we do. 

More on Alligators and Swamp

Alligators need fresh water to survive, so they live in mostly in the swamp areas.  Swamp areas are more conducive for hiking or visiting boardwalks, not so much for kayaking

Alligators are an essential component of a healthy Everglades Ecosystem, digging gator holes for homes and nesting purposes, these holes are deep and generally retain fresh water even in the dry season that SW FL experiences each winter.  These areas are on mainland FL (in the swamps) and not out on the islands where we kayak.  Clients frequently are interested in seeing Alligators (though not necessarily kayaking with them)  We are happy to recommend one of many viewing areas in Big Cypress National Preserve where you can stop after your trip to view and photograph these magnificent creatures. This is located approx a 15 minute drive from our launch site in Everglades City. Fakahatchee Strand is also nearby, and is home to the famous Ghost Orchid.

Southwest Florida is a diverse and absolutely gorgeous area to explore. We encourage all clients to extend their time here and explore the surrounding areas.