In the Everglades National Park, there are 3 different camping sites; beach, backcountry ground sites, and chickees. Chickees are free standing wooden platforms that span about 14 by 12 feet. Some are double platforms connected by a walkway where a port-a-let sits off from the center of the walkway. The Pearl Bay chickee is a bit larger (15 X 15 ft) than the others and is handicapped accessible, making this chickee a bit more comfortable in terms of space allotment. Most of the chickees are double and each platform is limited to one party and no more than 6 people. I’ve stayed on a chickee platform with 2 tents and four people. If you include chickee camping, make sure you are comfortable in confined quarters with other people. Chickee camping can be quite fun and allows you to stay in some beautiful backcountry bays and rivers. But a word of warning to kayakers, loading and unloading from a chickee can be difficult especially with low water levels. You can have a > 4-ft distance between the water line and the chickee platform and this makes getting in and out of the kayak challenging. No doubt, chickees are more canoe friendly.
Among my favorite chickee sites, primarily for the view, are:
Lane Bay: It's a single chickee overlooking Lane Bay and gives you the ultimate peaceful experience in the glades
Hells Bay: At sunset, the view can't be topped
Rodgers River: It's actually on a bay and offers one the best open views in the middle river area of the park
The backcountry ground sites can be the most interesting, the most remote and the most lively, all depending on the site and the time of year. Getting on and off the backcountry sites with your boat can be easier than a beach site that is highly influenced by the tides. Most of them have docks, so these sites are accessible to and quite popular with powerboaters. Some of the backcountry sites are quite small, like Lopez River or Willy Willy, and you may have to share it with several other people from 2 other parties. One last point, Camp Lonesome and Willy Willy can be very difficult to get on and off from a kayak or double canoe if the dock is being occupied by powerboats. Little ground space is left around the docks for a kayak or canoe to access the land directly from the water. We had to cut several low lying branches and clear some brush at Camp Lonesome where we were 2 kayaks and 2 canoes sharing the space with 2 powerboats.
Although the backcountry campsites can get cramped, they can also offer you the best camping experiences. If you are interested in the human history of the Everglades, there are several campsites that help tell the story. Most of these sites sit on a shell mound, built by Calusa Indians. Later, these sites were inhabited by European and American homesteaders 100 years ago or so. Perhaps the most famous site is The Watsons Place, previous home to Ed Watson, a notorious character in the Everglades a hundred years ago. Outlaw that he was, Watson was also a shrewd businessman, landowner and farmer who became quite successful. However, it is also believed that he killed several people, which led to his murder. What ever the story is, staying at the Watsons Place is interesting and it's located on the beautiful Chatham River. Several old pieces of farm equipment are still scattered about. This site as with a few others has a cement structure that once served as a cistern or foundation for a home.
Probably the biggest issue with the backcountry sites is the presence of mosquitoes and no-see-um bugs. Some sites are buggier than others, Broad River being the worst of them. Don’t let this deter you especially during the winter months when the bugs are as bad (between Dec and April) and with a nice breeze, you can generally have a bug-free evening.
Among my favorite backcountry ground sites are:
Lopez River: the river is magical; it’s not unusual to hear the tell-tale sound of the dolphins as they blow through their air holes while passing through with the tide in the evenings.
Watsons Place: for nostalgic reasons (I always have fun there), but also because the Chatham River is awesome.
Darwin’s Place: because it is near Gopher Creek, one of the most remote and beautiful areas in the Everglades.
The beach campsites are the essence of camping experience in the Everglades. These are what people primarily come here for; to sit on a beach at sunset, get a campfire going, and listen to the waves coming on shore; a classic Florida scene.
Getting on and off the beach with your boat makes beachcamping more interesting. Unlike the backcountry sites, tidal influences are significant. Leaving or pproaching a campsite at low tide can mean dragging or carrying your boat for dozens of feet. On the other hand, coming into a gulf side beach, like Picnic Key, with 20-25 knot westerly winds can be precarious as the crashing waves push you violently toward the beach. But, this is not as nerve wrecking as getting into the water under the same conditions or having to do so in a canoe.
Once you are safely on shore, finding a camp site above the high tide line is necessary. You also want to make sure your boat is safely above that line as well. Choosing the best campsite location depends on several factors including wind direction, storm predictions, location of other campers, and shoal length. Wind direction should be considered when deciding on which side of an island to camp and also which island to camp on, when choices are available. Why is wind direction such an important consideration? One word: bugs. Winds above 5 knots are ideal for camping because they help keep the no-see-ums at bay and if you know your wind directions, you can choose a location that will provide you the best breeze action. The flip side of that is when you know there is a storm coming. In which case, wind protection should be considered. Carry a weather radio with you and check it at least daily; the weather can change dramatically in the Everglades and you want to be prepared for anything.
The shoals along the shoreline should also be considered. At low tide, try to avoid areas where you have the longest shoal in front of you, this means you will be carrying your boat quite a distance before you have enough water to paddle in.
In the Ten Thousand Islands, my favorite beach sites are:
Picnic Key – for the location, sunsets, and beauty
Tiger Key – for the location, sunsets, and beauty
Rabbit Key – for the full moon rise, sunsets with osprey nest, and ability to walk around the island
Turkey Key – especially on the south side which has a beautiful sunrise view
In the middle and southern regions, Highland Beach has been a popular site, but it has changed since the 2005 hurricanes. The ideal spots for pitching a tent have disappeared, but there is still enough coastline for lots of choices. Highland Beach is notorious for very large shoals at low tide. Graveyard Creek is another example of a beach site that has been dramatically altered as a result of the hurricanes. This site was once a beautiful beach site, seated along the creek as well as the gulf. The hurricanes pushed the beach up into the mangrove forest and now, the campsite is confined to the dense area of the mangroves. It still beautiful, but it is buggy and cramped.
About 10 miles south of Shark River is the cape, beginning with Northwest cape and continuing on to Middle and East Capes. Basically, it’s 10 miles of continuous beach. Northwest cape has got to be the most beautiful of all the sites. You’ll see so many tarpon, dolphin and pelican action from your campsite, the entertainment never stops.
LOCAL KNOWLEDGE: If you are planning a multi-day trip with 4 or more night stays, consider base camping at one of the sites. My favorite base camp is Darwins Place from which I can head into Gopher Creek. The creek begins about ½ mile from Darwins in Cannon Bay and leads you eventually to Rookery Bay, a great area for fishing but also for wildlife photography. This is a spectacular area to explore and you can easily spend more than one day here. Any campsite where you have several areas close by for exploring is an opportunity for base camping. Consider base camping at Middle Cape and exploring Lake Ingraham, or at Cape Lonesome and exploring the nearby creeks and bays. The choices are many, but remember, you cannot base camp on a chickee; there is a 1-night stay maximum rule for those sites.
Stayed tuned for part 5, I'll provide some recommended routes for multi-day trips.
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