If you have been reading our articles for some time, you’d probably know that we’re a fan of kayaking. There is plenty of amazing places in Southwest Florida where you can rent a kayak and go for an adventure. Whether it’s in the peaceful and quite mangrove waterways of Everglades or out in against the waves of the open sea in the Gulf of Mexico, there’s always a challenge that would fit everyone. Kayakers can fish, or camp out in their destination spots or play with the dolphins and manatees when they’re here in this blessed region. So now we’ll look at three good areas that first come into mind when kayaking in Southwest Florida.
The Halfway Creek
If you love kayaking that also happens to be a plant biologist or just perhaps simply somebody who’s interested in plants, then being lost in the Halfway Creek off of Everglades City is something you may want to put yourself in. Halfway Creek Canoe and Kayak Trail promises a plethora of trees, hanging plants and orchids that you can feast your eyes upon. The trail blooms perfectly during March and this is where the bromeliads and the spiky plants, ferns and other airplants usually show up the best. This is one kayak trail that is packed with stuff to see, especially if its explored with a rather trained eye.
Sandfly Loop Kayak Trail
Sandfly Island should be the perfect starting point to those who want to see the rest of the islands. It leads to a kayak trail that’s perfect for those who have moderate experience in the art of kayaking. This is called the Sandfly Loop Kayak Trail and it’s relatively short for, just about five miles. You start off with a group, maybe a dozen or so and it should take you no more than three hours of paddling plus you’ll get to explore the Sandfly Island yourself which takes more or less about an hour. On the island you can place your things, take a rest, have a nice picnic and maybe even walk along the trail that’s a mile long, to stretch those legs from all that sitting down in the kayak. You can brush your feet along the sand, watch the sea birds fly, think of something romantic perhaps. And the best thing about this trail is that you can extend the trip by exploring more islands if you want to.
The Peace River
The Peace River is very easy to navigate. There’s just the right amount of current so that you won’t need to paddle hard and there are no narrow corners that require tricky maneuvering. Thus, the river is quite inviting to people who are new into kayaking. The best thing about the Peace River is that it’s got ancient cypress trees that seem to reach the sky and mighty oak trees and on the river banks will be small alligators and on the branches, a wide variety of birds. First time kayakers should get a good sense of what being close to nature feels like when paddling along the river and perhaps be even inspired by the beauty of the natural environment to make them explore more parks and sanctuaries.
