we living in Minnesota and do a lot of kayaking in the summer. Going to Ft Meyers Beach this winter, looking for a good place to kayak… guided tours… places to see… wildlife… where should I go.
read
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/florida-keys-kayak?store=book&keyword=florida+keys+kayak
Foster and Burnham.
There’s a livery on the Estero River across from Koreshan State Park.
Cayo Costa State Park from Pine Island or Captiva
see Paddlenet ‘Trips’ message board for Flamingo to Long Key Boomerang
Off Sanibel, NOAA weather will report seas at 2’ or less on green water.
You may also want to join or just
monitor or contact the Ft. Myers area kayaking Meetup group at http://www.meetup.com/fortmyerskayaking/. Should be a wealth of local knowledge. Rick
Big Carlos
– Last Updated: Jul-20-14 9:09 PM EST –
BC is the water off Sanibel's Causeway. NOAA will have an online map.
I live there using the Sanibel lot off the causeway.
Always a pleasant exercise day with going with tide options. If windy then one side of the causeway is not. I use a GPS with Blue Charts navigating shoals and bars flows. Going over onto the River side then thru the Matlatcha Preserve brings solitude.
A Thousand Islands trip out of Collier Seminole State Park or the north side Everglades Station at Chokoloskee is wilderness paddling. Again, use Images for Island names from a NOAA map.
Matlacha or Lovers Key
In Matlacha, which is between Cape Coral and Pine Island, visit Mel the Guide who is located to the right across Matlacha Bridge. Great guy and guide in some very pristine waters. In Estero (south of Fort Myers) on rt 41, is the Estero River that meanders to a bay which lies between Estero and Fort Myers Beach (Island). Estero Outfitters (Paula)runs the shop and launching onto the river might be accessed. From there paddle to Mound Key, one of the highest areas in Lee County and purportedly home to Calusa Indian chief(s). You can also reach mound key from Lovers Key. Really nice and mostly protected water paddles. Watch out for oyster beds at both of the above locations. Another area is Franklin Lock…If you go down to the Thousand Island area, go with a guide or GPS and a map- it is very tidal with decent current, lots of skinny water and you can be in deep do-do if the afternoon thunderstorms bring lightning and wind… If you go to Cayo Costa Island, be sure to paddle the Tunnel of Love cut from the bay side to a hundred yards from the Gulf- nice sandy beach to go shelling and go swimming. Get there from the park just south of Pineland Marina. That is about a seven hour round trip paddle, usually with wind and tides against you on the return trip. Stop at Cabbage Key along the way and post your dollar on the wall of the restaurant and climb the tower for an awesome view. Have fun, be careful.
Thanks for all the input!
Really appreciate the time you all took to address the question…