(Keywords: Hiking, Paddling, Boating - Florida)
Everglades City
Featuring:
Mangroves and Coastal Marsh
Paddling
through mangrove tunnels, meandering through the marsh. While you may not get lost, you will certainly spend some time wondering where you are.
Especially when you know you're way ahead of the boat behind you, yet you
can hear them as if they're a few feet away. Download this GPS Map
for a birds-eye perspective of the water trails.
Click on the binoculars to see a demonstration ExpertGPS displaying an aerial view of the canoe trial connecting Halfway Creek and the Turner River. mangrove_expert.jpg (Approx. 84 KB) opens in a new window.
GPS Map
- Download the free GPS Map in GPS eXchange (.gpx) file format, which can be read and transferred to your GPS using free GPS software. (The .gpx file will appear in a new window where you can File > Save as... on your computer).
GPS Map Details
File Name: everglades.gpx
File Size: 84K
Revised: 16 April 2002
Datum: WGS84
Class A1 and B1
Data
Waypoints: 31
Routes and Tracks:
- Wilderness Waterway (Everglades City to Lopez River)
- Rabbit Key Pass
- Sandfly Pass
- Indian Key Pass
- "Le Mans" Backcountry Route to Picnic Key from Indian Key Pass
- Halfway Creek Canoe Trail
- Turner River (incomplete)
- Concho Billy Hiking Trail
- Sandfly Island Hiking Trail
- Canoe Trail connecting Halfway Creek and Turner River
Adventure Travel Tip
In the marsh, the bugs are downright oppressive except in Winter. Best time to go is December through February. If you can be flexible during marginal months, plan your trip after a cold front has come through. In summer, you'll go insane without a toxic slathering of DEET insect repellant. Better yet, wear a Baja Shirt* and Bug Netting*.Adventures in Print:
For more trip options, check out the Guide to Sea Kayaking in Southern Florida by Nigel Foster* which includes details about multi-day trips on the Wilderness Waterway beyond the Lopez River.More Info
Slow is the fastest way. In the narrow passageways, obstacles abound - above and below. Break your paddle down and stroke with half. This is no "tunnel of love" if you happen to be in tandem with someone who's not a good team player. I high recommend a short-length, sit-on-top kayak for trails like Halfway Creek.
Halfway Creek and the Turner River are excellent ways to explore the Everglades' Mangrove Ecosystem (see links below for maps to adjacent areas). These water trails are good day trips in the Everglades City area. Most paddlers put-in off Tamiami Trial (U.S. Hwy 41) and head towards the big water, although the trip can be done in either direction. You will need to arrange for parking and shuttle service. A loop trip from Everglades City can be made by connecting on a canoe trail between Turner Lake on Halfway Creek and the Left Hand Turner River.
For a full-service outfitter, I recommend North American Canoe Tours. Operated in conjunction with Ivey House Bed 'n' Breakfast in Everglades City, NACT provides kayak and canoe rentals, naturalist-guided tours, shuttle service, and private boat launch in addition to first rate accommodations. (They don't pay me a commission for this link, but if you make a reservation, please say you heard about them through the Travel by GPS web site anyway.)This area straddles two, Everglades National Park and Big Cypress National Preserve. For more info, rules and regulations regarding these areas, see:
Everglades National Park www.nps.gov/ever
Big Cypress National Park http://www.nps.gov/bicy/
Adjacent GPS Maps:
Everglades Ten Thousand Islands; Ocean view sunsets, only a days paddle from Everglades City.
Everglades Coastal Prairie; Self-drive Wildlife Viewing and Hiking in Big Cypress Country.
