Paddling the Everglades Wilderness Waterway: Your All-in-One Guide to Florida's 99-Mile Treasure plus 17 Day and Overnight Trips (Menasha Ridge Press Guide Books) - Softcover

Genzen, Holly; Sullivan, Anne McCrary

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0897328981 ISBN 13: 9780897328982

Publisher: Menasha Ridge Press, 2011

Synopsis

Create a canoeing or kayaking experience you’ll never forget, through Florida’s Everglades National Park and the 99-mile Wilderness Waterway.

Those in the know will tell you there is only one way to truly experience Florida’s Everglades National Park, and that is by canoe or kayak. Whether you are a novice paddler or a seasoned whitewater river runner, Paddling the Everglades Wilderness Waterway is your all-in-one guide for safe adventure on this spectacular route.

Authors Holly Genzen and Anne McCrary Sullivan present 17 of their favorite day- and overnight trips from various Everglades departure points. Having spent years exploring this maritime labyrinth, the authors share their intimate knowledge of historic Everglades rivers and bays, the endless horizon of its Gulf Coast, the eerie beauty of its mangrove forests, and the secrets of ancient tribes and early American pioneers. Descriptions of wildlife abound (the birds! the alligators!), as do the details of exquisite flora that flourishes here.

Inside you’ll find:

• The complete 99-mile Wilderness Waterway route between Everglades City and Flamingo—north to south and south to north
• 17 day trips and overnight paddles
• Nearly 30 campsites and gazebo-like chickees stilted over the water
• Maps, GPS coordinates, trip preparation, safety tips, and waterway etiquette
• An expansive directory of Everglades flora, fauna, people, and places
• Intimate observations about Everglades history, environment, and its future

Whether you only have time for a brief Everglades visit or are embarking on a 10-day expedition, this book is for you.

About this title

About the Author

A longtime outdoor adventurer, Holly Genzen has a master’s degree in outdoor education and a PhD in educational administration; she was an associate professor at National Louis University. An avid hiker, she has solo thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail, and in recent years, she has focused her canoeing and kayaking activities on Florida’s many springs, rivers, and coastal trails. She has been a volunteer resident at former President and Mrs. Hoover’s Camp Rapidan in Shenandoah National Park, and she is a volunteer at Trout Lake Nature Center in Eustis, Florida. Holly lives in Leesburg, Florida, with her husband, Gary, and cat, Sherman. McCrary Sullivan had her earliest water adventures before she was old enough to walk. She is now an avid paddler and a naturalist volunteer in Everglades National Park. She first visited the park as an artist in residence, and her book of poems, Ecology II: Throat Song from the Everglades (WordTech Editions; Cincinnati, OH; 2009), explores flora, fauna, and ecology through a poetic lens. She has an MFA in poetry and a PhD in English education, and is recently retired from National Louis University where she was a professor of interdisciplinary studies.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

SECTION 1/U:

• Everglades City (Gulf Coast Visitor Center)/Chokoloskee Island (south end)
• Gulf Coast Visitor Center: N25° 50.730' W81° 23.234'
• Chokoloskee Island: N25° 48.537' W81° 21.442'
• Estimated paddling distance: 3.5 miles

NORTH TO SOUTH: Everglades City to Chokoloskee Island

Launch your canoe or kayak to the right of the Gulf Coast Visitor Center at Everglades National Park. The park provides a wheelbarrow to carry your gear from your car to the launch site on Chokoloskee Bay. Make every effort to launch near high tide because launching at low tide may necessitate pulling your craft through thigh-deep mud before you can climb into your boat and paddle off. (For alternative, fee-based launch sites, see Appendix 2, Launch Sites, on page 269.)

Just before you reach the bridge, you have two choices―the Causeway Canal route or the Chokoloskee Bay route.

Be aware that launching on an outgoing tide will make it difficult to paddle under the bridge if you are planning to take the Causeway Canal route. On the other hand, the advantage of the Causeway Canal route is that you avoid the waves and oyster beds of Chokoloskee Bay. For the canal route, turn left (east) and paddle under the causeway bridge and then turn right, heading southeast along the canal that follows the eastern side of the Chokoloskee Causeway. Be sure to stay to the far left (east) as you paddle the canal because the western (right) side can become too shallow to paddle.

The advantage of the Chokoloskee Bay route is that it conveniently passes Historic Smallwood Store (see page 260), and it makes a delightful place to stop for a break. If the tide is ripping out under the bridge and you fi nd that you cannot paddle against the tide, take this route for sure. On the Chokoloskee Bay route, continue southeast down the bay and pass Chokoloskee Island on your left (east). Watch out for the oyster beds.

SOUTH TO NORTH: Chokoloskee Island to Everglades City

Heading for your takeout by way of the Causeway Canal route, pass Chokoloskee Island to your left (west) and the Turner River to your right (east). (See “Chokoloskee Island” on page 248.) You will be funneled into the canal that lies to the right of the Chokoloskee Causeway. The advantage of this route is that the canal itself offers a calm passage with great birding. The disadvantage is that you may face a ripping incoming tide as you paddle under the bridge.

Stay to the right in this canal, as the left side can become impassable at low tide. When you come to the bridge, turn left. Pass under the bridge, turn right, and head to your takeout point at Gulf Coast Visitor Center, Everglades National Park, in Everglades City.

If you are coming in via the Chokoloskee Bay route, paddle northwest across the bay, passing Chokoloskee Island to your right (east). This route is often wavier than the canal option, and the shallow bay is lined with oyster beds. The advantage is that you will pass Historic Smallwood Store on the west side of Chokoloskee Island. Now a museum, the store is worth a visit, particularly if you are waiting for the tide to come up for your takeout at Everglades City. You can purchase your first cold drink since you left Flamingo.

Leaving Smallwood Store, paddle northwest from the northern end of the island, passing the Chokoloskee Bridge on your right. Gulf Coast Visitor Center will appear shortly on your right. The takeout point lies immediately past the visitor center.

Make every effort to take out near high tide because there is no dock. Low tide may necessitate dragging your boat through thigh-deep mud. The park provides a cart to carry your gear to your vehicle.

Edition details

• Publisher: Menasha Ridge Press
• Publication date: 2011
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0897328981
• ISBN 13: 9780897328982
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 322