fivenights

Recommended 6-day kayak or canoe trips into the Everglades

Both of these trips begin and end at Outdoor Resorts on Chokoloskee Island. The first trip begins in the back country and leads out to the gulf via Lostmans River
on the 4th day. The second trip is opposite of the first; it begins in the gulf, heads into the backcountry via Lostmans River on the third day. Mileage provided is
an approximation and can vary according to routes. Several photos are below.

Trip One (73 miles roundtrip)

Day 1: Chokoloskee Island to Watsons Place (16 miles)

Day 2: Watsons Place to Lostmans Five

(11 miles)

Day 3: Lostmans Five to Willy Willy

(11 miles)

Day 4: Willy Willy to Hog Key

(13 miles)

Day 5: Hog Key to Pavilion Key

(12 miles)

Day 6: Pavilion Key to Chokoloskee Island

(10 miles)

Day 1: Chokoloskee Island to Watsons Place (16 miles)

I love this first day's route, it takes you on the beautiful Lopez River and three incredibly awesome backcountry bays.

When

out

here, I realize how

vast the Everglades is (I cannot imagine what it was like before most of it was destroyed). We

put in on the

east

side of

utdoor

Resorts marina (the

starting point for the wilderness waterway). As

you head toward to the

mouth of Lopez

River, beware of shoals

and

follow the channel markers. The Lopez

River is

eautiful

and I can see why Gregorio

Lopez made his

homestead here.

At about 5 miles into the paddle, s

top at the Lopez River campsite for a

break and check out the

old water cistern he built over 100

years ago.

Up from Lopez campsite you'll f

ollow crooked creek

nto

Sunday Bay, where

you'll

follow the wilderness waterway markers

into Oyster and Huston Bays. On a map, these bays look small in

comparison to

the gulf of Mexico, but in a kayak

canoe, they are not. I've been caught on these bays in 25-30

knot winds and it is

mind

blowing. You may have to hug the

shoreline and which shoreline

you hug will depend on the direction of

the winds. Once

you get

into Huston Bay and

can see

marker

108 , head in a more southerly direction toward the

right, away from the

markers. You'll see

the island where marker 107 is

situated, the island has an old house still standing that you'll spot easily from a

distance. Stay

right of that island and once

along side it, follow the right shoreline into the passage that will lead you to the

Watsons Place.

Watsons Place

is rich in

history and if you can, read Peter Matth

sson's book "

Killing Mister Watson"

before you

camp there. Once

you know the

story, it makes your stay

more interesting and you'll actually believe you've seen ghosts

Day 2: Watsons Place to Lostmans Five (11 miles)

From Watsons Place you'll head back up the Chatham River and follow the right shoreline toward

waterway marker 99 (which

will be sitting on the far

end of an island on your left). Continue following the shoreline into Chevelier

Bay and head toward marker

93. Chevelier Bay can be very imposing with

20+ knot winds, especially when they are coming out of

the northeast. On one of my

trips, I had the wind directly behind me and I literally surfed across

that

bay. It seems the relative shallowness of these

backcountry bays allows the waves to break, like a surf, rather than swell and loll

across the bay. I'm

not sure which is worse

surfing or lolling,

when you have the wind coming at you from the side. Once across Chevelier you'll

head into the protected area

where you'll find Darwin's Place. This is a nice place

for a short break (port-a-john

available). From there, continue following the

markers into Tarpon Bay

and then Alligator Cree

k. Y

ou'll

paddle through

couple of creeks,

lligator

being the first

and will

likely

get up close and personal with a few gators. They

are typically lounging on

the mud near the water's edge and pay little attention

to you unless you

et too

close and

threaten its space.

Please

don't

intentionally get

too

close to one, just leave them be. You

can get some excellent photos without getting close. Beware of

powerboat traffic through these

creeks as well, keep your ears

and eyes alert and be ready to move aside. In all, the creeks make

this day's route a particularly interesting one, giving you a

nice

peaceful contrast to the large open bays in between.

Alligator creek leads into another large bay, Alligator Bay followed by Dad

Bay. Keep your eyes peeled for the markers. Once

out of Dads Bay you'll

head into Plate Creek and Plate Creek Bay, passing the chickee that is situated on a small island in the bay.

You could stop for a break but it is off the route

slightly. You'll meander through one more small creek and once out, you'll

see

Lostmans Five ahead. This campsite is small with two chickee-sized

platforms and a dock where the port-a-john sits. Without

the

platforms, this site can be extremely muddy, so be grateful for the hard platform. You'll have a

beautiful sunset here, as you

gaze

across the small bay in the evening

Day 3: Lostmans Five to Willy Willy (1

miles)

This route begins on a beautiful and relatively wide creek. This creek has an openness to it, unlike the tighter creeks from the

day before. You'll spot

several birds including osprey along this route, especially early in the morning. The route takes you into

Onion Key Bay and you'll follow the markers through

several large mangrove islands. I think this area (between Onion Key, Third

and Second Bays) is one of the most beautiful backcountry areas north of

Lostmans River. You will feel very far removed from

civilization back in here and I rarely see powerboats near by. It is absolutely breathtaking as you work

your way through the

islands. Continue following the markers until you reach marker 44 at the entrance of the Big Lostmans Bay. If you are using chart

#41, you will not have a map for this route beyond marker 4

you

will

need map #39 to continue on.

Marker 44 is where you will

stray away from the

wilderness waterway and make a compass bearing (north east) right into the mouth of Rocky Creek. Once

the creek, you'll meander through some

diverse ecosystems. You'll pass your usual mangrove forests but you'll also be getting

into

the more freshwater area of the Everglades where sawgrass

grows abundant. The Willy Willy campsite is about 2 miles into

the

creek on your left, situated on a corner of Rocky Creek and another creek heading

northward. This campsite is a bit larger than

Lostmans Five but does not have a platform. It's plenty high enough to avoid excessive muddiness and has a

dock for powerboats.

Beware, this is a popular site for powerboat fishermen. My companion and I once shared this site with 6 fishermen who managed

get about 1500 sq-ft of cheap tent space on the site. That left us barely enough room for our 2 tiny tents and kayaks. It had the

potential to be a miserable

overnight for us, but they were nice guys, quite respectful and quick to offer us ice, beer, use of their

trash bag, etc. The creek is deep enough for

powerboat fishing, so beware of boats as you wind through the creek as well.

Day 4: Willy Willy to Hog Key (13 miles)

This is an awesome route in every way and can be relatively fast if you plan it correctly. You'll be heading out to the gulf via

Lostmans River so time your

trip according to the tides. You do not want to be heading out to the gulf

this powerful

river during

an incoming tide. When I took this route, we had an

outgoing tide until about 9 am. Accordingly, we left Willy Willy

promptly at 7

am and were out in the gulf by 9 am. We flew out of the backcountry that

morning! To begin, you'll backtrack all the

way to ma

51. At this point, you can make your compass bearing toward the west opening into Second

Bay. Follow the left

shoreline and stay

to the left of the large shoal before you round the corner into Lostmans River. Once in the river with an outgoing

tide, relax and enjoy

the ride. This river is grand with the morning light to your back,

and with an outgoing tide

you'll be heading into the open gulf in no

time. So take your time, get out at the sandy bar on the right for a short break if you like. You are leaving the "dark" back country

into the well lit open gulf,

and it's a joyful experience. I love the backcountry, but when you come into the gulf after a few days

the backcountry

, it's quite a contrast. It reminds

you of how vast and diverse the Everglades is. As you get closer to the gulf, you'll

come into

the opening of the river where several shoals await you.

Before the 2005 hurricanes, there was s small opening (very

small at low

tide) that you needed to follow

carefully

until you cleared the island. After 2005,

things shifted and there seems to be a wider

opening now.

Follow the right shoreline of the river to get out, staying on the north end of the island that sits in

the middle of the

river opening.

Once out into the gulf, it's only a short distance to Hog Key, less than 3 miles. Hog key was devastated by the 2005

hurricanes and

has plenty of camping space to show for it. There is a very large shoal on the gulf side, extending around to the

north end. I've

camped on

the north end and on the west side. At low tide, plan to walk a few hundred feet with the kayak or canoe.

Day 5: Hog Key to Pavilion Key (12 miles)

It's a gulf route all the way, from one gulf island to another. You can take a break on Turkey Key along the way. From there,

we ma

e a beeline to

the far south end of Pavilion Key or you can head around the islands (near Duck Rock) in front of Pavilion

Key

get to the more popular (and crowded)

north end .

Day 6: Pavilion Key to Chokoloskee Island (10 miles)

Back to Chokoloskee Bay via a 10-mile route that really doesn't feel like 10 miles, it feels shorter. Once you cross the bay

and

are heading east of

Crate Key, it's smooth all the way. Turtle Key offers a nice rest stop. Basically from Lumber Key,

you take the

same route back as I described for the 2-

night trip from Rabbit Key. One thing I will mention, I see more

osprey nests on this route

than most others, and it's rare not to see dolphins feeding as they

move with the

tide.

Trip two (61 miles round trip; see my Lostmans Expedition, New Years Eve Trip story for more detail on this route)

Day 1: Chokoloskee Island to Mormon Key (15 miles)

Day 2: Mormon Key to Hog Key (8 miles)

Day 3: Hog Key to Lostmans Five (11 miles)

Day 4: Lostmans Five to Watsons Place (11 miles)

Day 5: Watsons Place to Lopez River (11 miles)

Day 6: Lopez river to Chokoloskee Island (5 miles)

Day1: Chokoloskee Island to Mormon Key (15 miles)

We chose this direction for the trip based on tide schedules. We wanted to avoid taking the Lostmans River against a tide, so

the t

rip was planned

such a way that heading into the backcountry via Lostmans would provide us the right conditions. Plus, we

were counting on some winds that would be

more favorable for us by heading this direction. We also planned it so that our longest

day would be the first day and there would be a couple of relatively

short days thrown in. During this time of year, the weather

can change quickly and become nasty with 20+ knot winds, making your travel tougher and

slower.

So it's always good to thrown

in an easy day or two, at least for an old person like me.

Because we are heading into the gulf, we put in on the gulfside of the

utdoor

Resort

marina and follow the Chokoloskee

Island

shoreline toward

Rabbit Key pass. Watch for shoals along the bay, especially at low tide. During that time, it is best to stay

to the shoreline. Before you get to Turtle

Key at the end of the Rabbit Key pass, head south betwe

n Rock Hole and Lumber

Keys and

make a compass bearing toward Pavilion Key. Don't head

out to Pavilion, rather stay close to the mangrove islands on

your left and

continue in a more sout

easterly direction. There are some break opportunities in

this area as well, near Duck Rock

Cove. Continue

on past the Chatham Bend right into Mormon Key. Camp on

the

north end of the northwest corner to

avoid the shoals

at low tide.

Day 2: Mormon Key to Hog Key (8 miles)

This should be a leisurely day i

the weather is favorable. You can take your time, do some fishing or photography along the

way. You can stop at

Turkey Key for a break. Basically, head sout

east directly to Hog Key. You can camp on the gulf side but

beware of the shoals (sand, not oysters) for

loading and unloading the boats.

Day 3: Hog Key to Lostmans Five (11 miles)

With an incoming tide, you'll breeze into the backcountry, but enjoy the scenery along the way. We left Hog Key at day break

so the sun was just

barely peeking over the horizon. This made for a gorgeous paddle toward the Lostmans River as the sun rose

over the mouth of the river. This area is well

known for fishing, take advantage of that if you are a fishermen. Watch for the birds

as you head into the river, there are plenty of shoals for them to perch

and wade around looking for breakfast. Also, look for

manatee or dolphin moving up tide toward the backcountry. This is a spectacular route, one of my

favorites as you head into

Second Bay and eventually Onion Key Bay. Enjoy the couple of creeks you'll meander through before getting to Lostmans Five.

you had an easy time of it getting to Lostmans Five, set up camp and head out through the Lostmans Five creek next to the campsite.

It goes on

forever, so be mindful of where you are as map #41 does not continue beyond a mile or so. The campsite is small, like a

chickee with two platforms (to

avoid the excessive mud). Enjoy the sunset from the dock in the evening.

Day 4: Lostmans Five to Watsons Place (11 miles)

This is the opposite direction of day 2 from trip

one above. Take a break at Darwin's Place before heading through Chevelier

Bay, especially if the

winds are picking up. Once in the Chatham River, follow the left shoreline until you get to the opening of an

intersecting river about a mile from Watsons

Place. Then head over to the right shoreline and follow it until you round a corner and

come up on Watsons Place. Enjoy another sunset from the dock.

Day 5: Watsons Place to Lopez River (11 miles)

This is the opposite direction of day 1 from trip one above, minus the section between Chokoloskee Island and Lopez River

campsite. There is an

alternative route for this day. After leaving Watsons Place and heading toward Huston Bay, continue hugging

the left shoreline (basically, follow the left

shoreline all the way from Watsons Place to Huston Bay) around

the corner

into the

Huston River.

From there, head right into House Hammock Bay. Past

the mouth of the bay on the left is a little creek (hiding behind

a point)

that leads into a small bay. Go in there, follow the right shoreline and you'll find some

wooden planks lined up on the mud,

hidden

in a corner of the bay. This is the site of Totch Brown's father's moonshine still, built in the 1920s. You can get

out and walk

about 100 feet or so to find it quite easily. A bit of Everglades history

and you can read all about it in Totch's excellent

autobiography

After

sightseeing, head back to House Hammock Bay, and

head northwest to the north end of the bay where you'll come into a large river that takes you back to

the wilderness waterway

route. Follow the left shoreline to marker 119. You'll find a nice oyster island to take a break before heading into Sunday Bay.

From Sunday Bay, head into Crooked Creek (around marker 125)

hat leads into

the Lopez River. The campsite is on your left, about one mile

from the

creek. Enjoy the evening on this campsite, as the dolphins pass by with the tides.

Day 6: Lopez River to Chokoloskee Island (5 miles)

An easy day for sure, short and sweet. Take the tide out and try to time it so you arrive in Chokoloskee Bay at high tide to

avoid the numerous shoals

that await you near marker 127. Instead of going around to the gulf side of Chokoloskee Island w

ere

you originally put-in, head to the east side. You'll

avoid even more shoals and it's a bit shorter. Head toward the east side of the

island and follow its shoreline (the Outdoor Resorts is basically the entire east

side of the island) until you get to the wilderness

waterway put-in.

The Watsons Place campsite. Some of the old farm
equipment is still there, including a water cistern.

Constance Mier, 2006

Near marker 89 on Chevelier Bay, near the creek
leading to Darwin's Place campsite.

Constance Mier, 2006

A view from Lostmans Five campsite in the evening.

Early morning on Rocky Creek, in front of the Willy
Willy campsite.

Constance Mier, 2006

Horseshoe crabs mating on Pavilion Key.

Hog Key campsite, 4 months after Hurricane Wilma.

Constance Mier, 2006

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 chart #39).