Short notice! Lady paddler heading to Curry Howard State Park, on Marathon in the Fla. Keys for Aug. 23 - Aug. 29. Site is reserved. Taking 2 kayaks. One slower, more stable, SK and my fav 20’ FSK. First time going and going alone so far. Can’t find anyone to join me. Not looking for any relationship involvement, just a paddling buddy. And, of course, any advice would be most welcome. How bad are the mosquitos? Where are the good launch points and best places to paddle without huge waves and stiff winds? I can do rough ocean paddling, but want this trip to be a lazy, restful, fun trip. What are some good camping recipes? What’s to do at night? Where’s the cheapest lobster? Any and all information would really help me. And, of course, if there’s anyone who wants to make the trip on short notice. I have the boats and a large tent. Other camping gear. 420 friendly. Want to know more? Hit me up. Thanks!
First : It is Curry Hammock Stat Park
Next: yes it is a great place to paddle
There is a nice small sandy kayak launch in the day use area off to the left as you are facing the water.
It is a short walk from the camp ground, but we always drive out of the camp ground, turn right and go about a hundred yards and then park at the far end of the parking lot which is about 25 yards from the launch area.
You launch into a protected bay.
There are lots of good paddle ops there, especially if the wind is light.
Since you have never been there before, the first one you should do is the circumnave of your Key,(“Little Crawl Key”)
This will also give you a chance to paddle through a mangrove tunnel
Make sure you have a good tide though since you won’t be able to make it all the way around at lower tides.
After you launch turn right and go out into the Atlantic. Then turn right again and just paddle the Key
in a clockwise fashion. After you exit the mangrove tunnel, you’ll be in the inner part of the bay you launched from and your launch/take out will be ahead on your right.
There are many other good paddles there, but it will take up too much space for me to put them here, so check out our Google website at: https://sites.google.com/site/flkeyskayaktrips/
Look under the middle Keys. There are also a lot of other paddle trips around Marathon.
If the wind is out of the east, pick a paddle on the Florida Bay side. If it is out of the west stay on the Atlantic side.
If you want to paddle through a mile long mangrove tunnel that is no wider than your kayak check out the
“Sister Creek” paddle in Marathon, but a GPS is a must for it
If you have any questions or need more info just give me a shout.
On the mosquitoes/ no see-ums: Pick up a “Thermacell”.
You can get one in Walmart, Home Depot or Bass Pro Shops.
You can sit outside at your picnic table all night long. With out one, you won’t be a happy camper!
Have fun !
Jack L