I cannot emphasize the tides enough so I’m going to talk about them again. If you are young and blissfully full of life and want an adventure that you can talk about for years, go ahead and ignore the tides. But if you are young and blissfully full of life and want an adventure that you can talk about for years AND want an enjoyable and pain-free paddling trip, listen to what I have to say.
First, when deciding on campsites and routes, it is useful to understand how the Everglades National Park is divided (not literally) into areas. For trip planning purposes, it can be divided into three sections: The Ten Thousand Islands (northern end), the middle rivers section and the most southern portion, the Cape and Whitewater Bay area. The Ten Thousand Islands area is the most northern portion of the park and begins at the Lostmans River and extends just north of Picnic Key. It is in this portion where you will find Everglades City and the rangers station. The campsites in the Ten Thousand Islands include 3 chickee sites in the backcountry, 4 ground backcountry sites and 9 beach sites. On the gulf side, the beach campsites are primarily located on keys or islands scattered throughout the area.
Navigating through the Ten Thousand Islands to your campsite does not have to be difficult if you stick with the marked channels (i.e., Indian Key Pass, Rabbit key Pass). But most of the time, the best part of paddling through the Ten Thousand Islands is when you get off the marked routes and do some exploring. For this, you need to have a marine chart and compass (or GPS) on hand, otherwise you can get terribly lost in no time.
South of the Lostmans River begins the middle river area of the park that takes you as far south as Shark River. Here you will find a convoluted maze of rivers that take you out to the gulf or get you into the deepest backcountry in the park. Unlike the Ten Thousand Islands area, the gulf side of this area is one long continuous coastline interrupted by several rivers; rather than the maze of islands that characterize the northern end of the park. Within the middle river area are 2 beach campsites, 4 ground backcountry sites (among the most beautiful and remote in the park) and 3 chickee backcountry sites.
South of the Shark River begins the cape and Whitewater Bay area, which includes the Hells Bay trail and Coot Bay. The coastline continues south and veers east as you pass 3 distinct points before it begins an easterly direction to Flamingo (where another ranger station is located). The three distinct points are Northwest Cape, Middle Cape and East Cape, all beach campsites. The very large Whitewater Bay comprises the largest portion of this area and can only be accessed from its northern and southern ends from the gulf. No where along the cape region between Shark River and Flamingo can it be accessed. Shark River, Whitewater Bay and Hells Bay Trail can lead you into the deeper backcountry area through North River, Roberts River, Lane Bay, Pearl Bay, and Hells Bay. There are 4 beach campsites along the coastline, (which is for the most part one long continuous beach), 2 ground backcountry sites including Alligator Creek, and 10 chickee backcountry sites.
Recently, the park built a couple chickee platforms in Florida Bay. These stand about 8 feet above the water line and are very difficult to access for camping. There are also 2 ground sites on the bay.
As you decide on your trip route, you’ll also decide on whether or not it will be a one-way trip (i.e., doing the entire length of the Wilderness Waterway or the coastline) or a loop trip that begins and ends at the same point. Loop trips are much easier to plan and execute for obvious reasons, you just have to decide where the beginning and end point will be. For loop routes, there are several locations to choose from; Flamingo area which includes Coot Bay Pond and Hells Bay Trail for the southern end, and Everglades City and Chokoloskee Island for the northern end. Coot Bay Pond launch site is located approximately 3 miles from Flamingo on Ingraham Highway. Hells Bay Trailhead is located another 4 miles from there, also on the highway. Both launch sites have adequate parking space. At Flamingo, you have a marina (see photo above) from which you can launch, but you can also launch from the campground.
To get to the cape, Flamingo is your launch site. To access the backcountry such as Lane Bay or Watson River, Flamingo is an option, but launching from Coot Bay Pond cuts off the Buttonwood Canal section of the paddle. Hells Bay Trail will get you into Hells Bay and Lane Bay without going through Whitewater Bay. Although the Wilderness Waterway officially comes into and out of Flamingo, launching from either of the other two sites will get you to the waterway, one way or another.
Everglades City and Chokoloskee Island are located in the Ten Thousand Islands. It is from one of these locations that you will launch for a loop trip in the Ten Thousand Islands or a one-way trip to Flamingo. On Chokoloskee Island, your launch site is Outdoor Resorts, where you can access the gulf side from one side of the road or the backcountry side from the other side of the road. Beware, it costs $10 to launch (per car) and $10 to park each day. To save money when you have more than one car, do a quick shuttle and park all but one car at the rangers station in Everglades City. There is no charge at the rangers station in Everglades City for launching or parking.
Unless your first destination is Picnic or Tiger Key, Chokoloskee launch site is the most convenient. It cuts off 3 miles, which can make a difference when you are trying to cover some long distances.
Now, about those tides. When you are planning a loop trip that include both gulf and backcountry, you can avoid paddling against the tide with a little planning and some flexibility. Because you will be paddling in a circle, you have two directions to choose from. For instance, say you are planning a 4-day paddle that includes the following campsites: Sunday Bay chickee, Watsons Place and Pavilion Key. In what order should you go? From Chokoloskee Island, let’s say you plan to get on the water by 11 am. According to your tide charts, you have low tide at 9:30 am at Chokoloskee and 97% moon visibility. This means you will have an in coming tide the rest of the morning, and by 11 am, it will be rushing in with the full moon effect. You could paddle out against the tide and be miserable, or you could head into the backcountry and let the tide take you up the Turner or Lopez Rivers into Sunday Bay. You wisely choose to spend your first night on Sunday Bay. On your last day from Pavilion Key back to Chokoloskee, you have a high tide at Chokoloskee at 2 pm. If you can get off the island 3 or 4 hours before high tide at Chokoloskee, you’ll have plenty of time to ride it back into Chokoloskee Bay and you’ll probably avoid a very low tide at Pavilion Key.
Remember, the tides are strongest with a full or new moon, the full effects are most evident when in the tidal rivers leading to and from the gulf, and the closer to the time of high or low tide the lower is the effect as you approach slack tide.
LOCAL KNOWLEDGE: The paddle between Everglades City into the backcountry is probably the least aesthetic, its mostly in open bay waters that can get quite choppy, and it can be downright frustrating if you are working against the tides. To me, launching from Chokoloskee Island is so much better; I can be at the mouth of the Turner River within minutes. If you can take the cost, launching from Outdoor Resorts for backcountry trips is the best way to go.
These are just some general ideas and tips on planning a paddle route through the Everglades National Park. Part 4 will provide specific information on certain campsites and routes.
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