Informative articles about the best Florida kayaking trails, canoe trails, paddle trails, coastal trails, river trails, spring runs, wildlife paddles, wilderness rivers, wilderness paddling.
This is your first step in planning adventures for the coming cooler weather. We’ve paddled dozens of Florida waterways and here’s our pick for the best places to kayak by region plus a few “unsung” favorites we recommend you discover.
Masking the spine of suburban sprawl from Fort Pierce to Jensen Beach is an unexpected escape into the wild.
Lake Norris & Blackwater Creek are hidden gems of the Wekiva River system near Orlando. The dwarf cypress in the lake are like a gorgeous watery bonsai garden. It’s an easy paddle worth seeking out for its great beauty.
If you’ve ever dreamed about exploring a deserted tropical island, here’s your chance: Take your kayak down to the Florida Keys and paddle out to Indian Key State Park to explore jungly ruins and snorkel a rocky shoreline.
Milton has grown from the “canoe capitol” in Florida’s Panhandle into an outdoors center with eco-resorts and multiple activities. The area’s white-sand rivers are terrific to kayak or tube and there are good hiking and biking trails. Milton has an interesting historic district too.
Vast and remote, the Ten Thousand Islands off Florida’s southwest coast seems challenging to visit, a labyrinth of twisting channels through thousands of remote mangrove islands.
November chill has brought the manatees back to the springs, with mid-November reports of 150+ manatees at Blue Spring. If you’re lucky, you can see manatees in lots of waterways around Florida, but here are a few locations where, in winter, you can reliably admire these charming creatures — and even kayak with them.
Atsena Otie island is a ghost town founded before Florida was a state. It’s a half-mile kayak trip from the Cedar Key beach and rewards you with a sandy beach, an atmosperic cemetery and good paddling and birding.
This gorgeous, wild, winding river is well-known in Florida, but can only be paddled when water levels are high enough — and thanks to recent rains, that is NOW. This river belongs on the bucket list of those who love the Florida outdoors.
It’s a long way from just about anywhere — and that’s part of its beauty. But it’s also a great place to bicycle, kayak, hike, watch sunsets and spot birds. An 1859 hotel, now a charming B&B, plus fresh seafood restaurants add to its appeal.
Jonathan Dickinson State park can keep a lover of the outdoors busy for days with hiking, biking, kayaking, camping, wildlife watching and soaking up the natural beauty.