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Copyright Constance Mier,
2007-201
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Recommended overnight kayak or canoe trips in the Everglades
  • Everglades City to Picnic or Tiger Key, 15 miles round trip
    This is one of my favorite and most familiar overnight trips. There are a couple of routes to
    choose from for this type of mileage.  The most popular route is via Indian Key pass with a
    nice detour into a beautiful creek that connects Indian Key pass with the southeastern point of
    Gaskin Bay (click on thumbnail image below to see a map of this route).  By doing this, you
    avoid  some of the Indian Key pass boat traffic (which includes the massive tour boats).  
    Another route is to head through West Pass Bay past the mouth of Ferguson River and into
    West Pass, or take a detour to Fakahatchee Island (a decent rest stop).  Fakahatchee Island is
    out of the park proper, but is campable on a very large shell mound. This route adds about 1
    mile.  We usually come up to Picnic Key between Tiger and Picnic Keys. Since the hurricanes
    of 2005, a lot of both of these keys have been cleared and for good or bad, there is more
    campable beach areas.  Of the two, only Picnic Key has a port-a-john.  If you come in
    between Tiger and Picnic Keys, you'll go south until you veer southwest around the corner of
    Picnic Key, Once you round the corner heading into the gulf, you'll see the facilities
    immediately.  The southwest beach from that point on is prime real estate for kayak camping.  
    There are other campable areas, but they are mostly inhabited by powerboaters.  Tiger Key is
    campable on its northwest tip and this seems to be the favorite among campers.  You have a
    pretty lagoon on one side and the gulf on the other.  It was cleared out by the 2005 hurricanes,
    but it's still a relatively small beach area for more than one party of campers.  I prefer the
    beach area that is directly south of the point and facing directly west.  Lots of space here.  Last
    word of caution, low tide on either of these keys means a fair amount of walking to and from
    your boat.  Plan smartly!
Dolphins are a common site as you paddle toward the gulf.  This was taken in
West Pass after having left the Everglades City ranger station and were
heading to Picnic Key
.
Constance Mier, 2007
Constance Mier, 2007
Sunset on Picnic Key, with southwest end of Tiger Key in the distance.  
The driftwood you see sticking out of the sand litters the beach, thanks to
hurricane Wilma.  Despite the devastation, the effect offers interesting
photo opportunities.
Constance Mier, 2007
Sunset on Tiger Key, from the north side.  Way off in the distance you can
spot Cape Romano.  Once again, hurricane Wilma left this island wrecked,
but with more beach area cleared for camping.
Constance Mier, 2007
A campsite on Camp Lulu. Here, we are camped on the east side and in the
distance, you can see Tiger Key.  From here, you can take a short walk
along the beach and get to the lagoon that's located on the west side.  There
is also a newly-painted building near the lagoon that use to be inhabited by a
man who "squatted" on the island for years.
Constance Mier, 2007
Constance Mier, 2007
The Lopez River campsite.  The structure is the old cistern built by Gregorio
Lopez around the end of the 19th century.  There is another camp site on the
other side of the structure.
Dinner time on Sunday Bay; a rare moment as we had both platforms, one for
cooking and hanging out, the other for sleeping.
  • Everglades City to Camp Lulu, 17 miles round trip
    You can basically take the same route as you do to Tiger Key.  Once you get to the northwest
    point of Tiger Key, head west about 1 mile. You]ll cross the Everglades National Park border
    about 1/2 mile from Camp Lulu, and you'll enter the 10,000 National Wildlife Refuge (see
    thumbnail below for map of route).   Camp Lulu is out of the national park proper, so camping
    there does not require a permit (but you do need to leave your float plan at the ranger station).  
    This is a popular spot for motor boaters and paddlers so you almost always see others on the
    island. Since the 2005 hurricanes, there is a greater area for camping and you can pretty much
    choose your spot all along the eastern shoreline of the island.  A lot of people like to camp on
    the southern side facing the gulf, or on the lagoon, which can be accessed by paddling around
    the gulf side of the island.  There are no port-a-john facilities on Camp Lulu (or any other
    campsite outside of the Everglades National Park).
  • Chokoloskee Island to Sunday Bay, 16 miles round trip
    If you want a simple trip that includes chickee camping, this is it. Basically, you can take the
    same route as described above for the Lopez River trip.  From Cross Bays head east past
    marker 125 into Sunday Bay and follow the left shore line until you get to the opening of the
    hidden bay where you'll find Sunday Bay chickee.  That's the nice thing about this chickee,
    it's hidden away, you can't see it from Sunday Bay.  You won't see the chickee on your #41
    map, the rangers will give you a supplement map when you get your permit.  It's a very
    short distance and not a navigational issue by any means.  This is a relatively popular site for
    the through paddlers on the Wilderness Waterway, so consider yourself lucky getting a
    permit during the busy season.  I was fortunate the first time I camped here to have the
    entire chickee to myself.  If you have time after setting up camp, explore the area behind the
    chickee, you'll find some hidden bay-lettes with lots of birds to photograph.  Beware, very
    low tide can make this chickee unapproachable under the worse conditions.  
  • Chokoloskee Island to Lopez River via Turner River & Cross Bays, 13-16 miles round trip
    This is another one of my favorite overnight trips.  It's excellent for those days when you
    have a morning in-coming tide as you can ride up Turner River with ease. This is a
    backcountry trip, bringing you to the Lopez River campsite.  You can take the short route
    from Chokoloskee directly to The Lopez River, but it's only a 5-mile journey one-way. We
    typically leave Lopez River to get back to Chokoloskee the next day via this route, making it
    a 13-mile trip all together.  By taking Turner River from Chokoloskee Bay, you add about 3
    miles to your trip.  This is a gorgeous route, taking you along 2 beautiful rivers.  In the fall, I
    see flocks of roseate spoonbills among egrets, herons and ibises along the Turner River, an
    incredible display of color. There are some rest stop opportunities along the way, before
    getting into Cross Bays.  Once past Cross Bays, you can detour into crooked creek or take
    the more direct route into Lopez River.  If you do take crooked creek, you pass the
    wilderness waterway markers 125 and 126. The campsite is about 1 mile from the mouth of
    the crooked creek.  The campsite is moderate in size compared to the other backcountry
    sites and you can separate yourself from another party by camping on the opposite side of
    the old cement cistern. From your campsite, you'll witness dolphins passing by as they ride
    the tides in and out, feeding along the way.  You'll hear them before you see them!  Getting
    back via Lopez River through Chokoloskee Bay (the 5-mile route) is a bit tricky at low tide,
    beware of shoals in the bay and stay close to the shoreline on your right.  Follow the right
    shore line and look for the channel markers as you head toward Chokoloskee Island.  By the
    way, we put in on the side facing Turner River from Outdoor Resorts.  Be prepared to pay for
    parking and put-in, call in advance for information.
Overnighters (1 night, 2 days), click on a thumbnail images below  to see the routes:
It is helpful to have a marine chart of the area to better understand these routes. You may purchase marine charts of the Everglades at waterproofcharts.com.  The
chart for the Ten Thousand Islands area is #41 (north of Lostmans's River) and  for the Flamingo/Whitewater Bay/Hells Bay area, you'll need #39).
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