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Ten Thousand Islands: Sandfly Island is perfect ‘intro’ kayak trail

Explore one of Ten Thousand Islands on this easy adventure

Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge is one of the wildest areas in Florida, and that’s one reason it beckons to us.

Kayaking Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge off Everglades City, on the trail to Sandfly Island
Kayaking Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge off Everglades City, on the trail to Sandfly Island. (Photo: Bonnie Gross)

The mangrove islands scattered off the Gulf coast in Southwest Florida are full of brilliant color —  intensely green foliage, vivid blue sky – and abundant wildlife, from the flocks of birds to the manatees, dolphins and all sorts of fish in the water.

Kayaking Ten Thousand Islands is one of the best ways to see this vast wilderness. The kayak trail to Sandfly Island is the perfect introduction that even those with moderate kayak experience can tackle and enjoy.

The Sandfly Loop kayak trail has some great things going for it:

Launch site at Gulf Coast Visitor Center of Everglades National Park, the entry point to the 10,000 Islands National Wildlife Refuge.
Launch site at Gulf Coast Visitor Center of Everglades National Park, the entry point to the Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge. (Photo: Bonnie Gross)
  • It’s relatively short. At about five miles, it takes two or three hours of paddling (plus an hour to explore Sandfly Island.)
  • On Sandfly Island, you can dock, have a picnic and walk a one-mile trail past vestiges of pioneer homes.
  • You can extend the paddle as long as you’d like by exploring the many passageways, bays and islands around Sandfly Island.
The boardwalk on Sandfly Island inside the 10,000 Islands National Wildlife Refuge.
The boardwalk on Sandfly Island inside the Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge. (Photo: David Blasco)

The trail starts at the kayak and canoe launch at the Gulf Coast Visitor Center of Everglades National Park.

On the sunny December Saturday we paddled this trail, we had perfect conditions – no wind, no clouds, temperature in the low 70s.

Map of Sandfly Key kayak trail.
Map of Sandfly Key kayak trail.

A group of 20 kayaks launched in front of us, and I was concerned we’d contend with them on the trail. They headed southeast, however, and, except for one canoe and two or three power boats, we had the whole route to ourselves, including Sandfly Island itself. Solitude is one of the precious experiences of the Ten Thousand Islands.

When planning this trip, there are two things you must do: Check the tide tables in advance and get the trail map at the ranger station before you start.

The tides are important because the launch area gets very shallow and muddy at low tide and the changing tide generates a considerable current in narrow passes in Ten Thousand Islands.

The ideal time to leave is a few hours before low tide, so you kayak out with the falling tide and then return when the rising tide helps carry you back to Everglades City.

Gumbo limbo trees on Sandfly Island inside 10,000 Islands National Wildlife Refuge.
Gumbo limbo trees on Sandfly Island inside Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge. (Photo: Bonnie Gross)

The trail starts with a 1.5 mile kayak across the open water of Chokoloskee Bay. You’ll see the channel markers nearby within which power boats stay. As you enter the islands, you’ll pass one with a sandy beach; that was the only beach we came across on our route. (There are beaches on several of the outer rim of islands reachable on more ambitious or overnight outings.)

While the Ten Thousand Islands can all look confusingly similar, it is easy to spot Sandfly Island – the portapotty on the dock is visible the whole way!

Nearly every manatee-zone sign has an osprey nest inside the 10,000 Islands National Wildlife Refuge.
Nearly every manatee-zone sign has an osprey nest inside at the Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge. (Photo: David Blasco)

The island itself is covered with tropical hardwood hammock vegetation. If you like gumbo limbo trees with their peeling red bark, you’ll love Sandfly Key; it’s full of beautiful specimens.

The most fascinating thing about Sandfly Key is its human history.

The Calusa Indians created the high ground with shell mounds built over many years.

In the 1870s, white pioneers began inhabiting Sandfly. The Bogess family lived here in the 1920s, farming tomatoes and contending with what had to be the misery of thick mosquitos, clouds of no-see-ums (also known as sandflies), summer heat and dripping humidity.

We can see traces of the Bogess homestead; there are foundations, a cistern, a tamarind tree and papaya trees that they probably introduced.

At one point, a bubbling puddle is marked with a sign indicating that fresh water wells up here at the site of a well that the Collier Corporation dug – 384 feet deep – in 1922. Today, the slightly salty water is still popular with birds who have few sources of fresh water in the area.

Mangrove islands at 10,000 Islands National Wildlife Refuge.
Mangrove islands at Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge. (Photo: Bonnie Gross)

The return paddle takes you through and around various neighboring islands. The route is not marked, but the map is very accurate and it’s not hard to follow. (Taking a wrong turn and ending up in a dead end is also part of the Ten Thousand Island experience.)

A guidebook I own suggested an alternative route that circles Sandfly Island. We didn’t take it but the ranger at the visitor center said that’s a fine way to go too.

A few precautions:

  • Check the weather and avoid high winds or the possibility of lightning.
  • Wear or bring shoes that can get wet and muddy; you’ll need them at the launch. Closed-toe shoes are recommended because of the sharp oyster beds and barnacles.
  • If you were to consider doing this trip in the summer – and I wouldn’t — head out as early as possible to avoid the heat and afternoon thunder storms.
Solitude in 10,000 Islands National Wildlife Refuge.
Solitude in Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge. (Photo: Bonnie Gross)

Planning your kayak trip to Sandfly Island:

Your visit to Everglades City

We love visiting Everglades City. It’s a small fishing village with fresh seafood, historic buildings and access to many outdoors adventures.


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Chris

Thursday 13th of July 2023

We moved down to Florida last year from MN. I am an avid paddler in the BWCA (Boundary Waters Canoe Area), and now that we are living here, my son (16) and I would like to kayak out to the island(s) for a night or two. Here are a few questions since this is much different than the cold waters of MN. What is a good kayak on a budget you would use (sit under, sit on top, cargo outside, cargo inside, etc)? And any other advice? Feel free and email. Thank you!

Bob Rountree

Friday 14th of July 2023

Kayaking in Florida is not much different than kayaking anywhere else, at least in terms of gear. I prefer a sit-on-top and my wife prefers the security of a sit-inside. The biggest difference is weather, especially in the Ten Thousand Islands, where the brutal humidity of summer and early fall is unbearable, not to mention the mosquitoes and pop-up storms. The best time of year to paddle (and camp) in the Ten Thousand Islands is from mid-November through May. Hope that helps.

Anja

Wednesday 22nd of June 2022

We are planning a trip to Florida for end Sept/early October and I have just discovered your website - so useful, thank you for all the great info. Kayaking Ten thousand islands was one of the activities on my wish list, but now I am concerned about your remarks regarding the time of the year. Is this a bad idea in late summer also?

Bob Rountree

Thursday 23rd of June 2022

I hate to tell you this, but late summer is the worst time of year to paddle the Ten Thousand Islands. It's hot, muggy and the mosquitoes will eat you alive. It's also peak rainy season and storms pop up out of nowhere.

Gene

Saturday 13th of November 2021

Great article! So how bad are the sand flies on sandfly Island during the winter months?

Bonnie Gross

Sunday 14th of November 2021

Not bad at all in winter! I didn't do it in the summer (and wouldn't) but on the breezy winter day, we really were unbothered. Bonnie

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