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Paddling Locations |
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Saltwater, Space Coast South |
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This section includes destinations for
Kayaking the Indian River Lagoon, Banana
River, Port Canaveral, Thousand Islands,
Eau Gallie River, and other estaurine
destinations in Central Brevard County.
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Merritt Island |||
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Port Canaveral
At Port Canaveral, you can enjoy the
activity of North America's busiest port
(second largest cruise ship terminal in
the world) along with outstanding
wildlife. Two different boat ramps offer
plenty of access to this exciting
recreational area. Within the Port
itself, large ships to be seen include
some of the world's most elegant cruise
ships, freighters and tankers from many
countries, fishing boats of all types
and a wide variety of U.S. Naval
vessels. The northeast quadrant of the
Port is a Trident submarine base, and
the west turning basin is home to the
U.S. Coast Guard Station. Military ships
are common as Canaveral is a favorite
port of call for captains as well as a
popular transfer locale. Port Canaveral
is the world's only quadri-modal port,
utilizing transportation by water, land,
air and space. Following a Space Shuttle
launch, you might be fortunate to see a
recovery ship bringing the Shuttle's
rocket booster engines through the Port
on their return to the Kennedy Space
Center.
Wildlife is abundant, with manatees,
dolphins and plenty of birds to see,
especially in and around the locks,
which connect the Atlantic Ocean to the
Banana River estuary. Please observe
security rules while in or near Port
Canaveral. Stay 25 feet away from docks,
and 100 feet away from moored vessels.
Keep a 300-foot distance from all ships
in transit. There is no access to the
west turning basin when any cruise ships
are in port. Canoes and kayaks may use
the locks; however, the lockmaster will
not open on demand for them. Paddlers
must wait until a motor vessel
approaches for the locks to open.
Primitive camping is available on spoil
islands west of the locks. A full
service campground is available at Jetty
Park. A new, 1500-foot pier along the
south jetty provides for both day and
night fishing.
Directions: There are two boat ramps
at the Port. Both are on the south side.
From north Cocoa, go east on SR 528 from
I-95 or U.S. 1. After you cross the
Banana River, follow the signs for the
South Docks and go into the south
entrance to the Port (George King Blvd).
To reach
Freddie Patrick Park, go east on
George King Blvd to its intersection
with Flounder Road. Turn left on
Flounder Road on go to the end. The park
with boat ramps is on the right when you
reach the water. To get to Port's End or
Rodney S. Ketcham Park, near the
Canaveral Locks, turn left off of George
King Blvd onto Dave Nisbett Drive. Turn
left again onto Mullet Road and follow
it around to the park. You will reach
the locks if you continue going west on
Mullet Road. Info: 321-321-783-7111 or
visit www.portcanaveral.com.
Freddie Patrick Park GPS N 28 24.501
W 80 36.803
Freddie Patrick Park Google Satellite
Image
Rodney S Ketcham Park GPS N 28
24.517 W 80 37.866
Rodney S. Ketcham Park Google Satellite
Image
Port Canaveral Google Satellite Image
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Thousand Islands
Cocoa Beach's Thousand Islands are a
flood-tide delta deposit, formed in the
past by a breach in the barrier island
by a strong storm surge. The natural
movement of beach sand has since closed
the inlet, but the islands remain.
During the early 1970s, ditching by
dragline was used in an effort to
eliminate salt marsh in order to control
mosquitoes. Most of the productive salt
marshes that once rimmed the Indian
River Lagoon were degraded in a similar
manner. One side effect of this dredging
was the creation of a maze of narrow
trails through mangrove islands and
hidden hammocks that are spectacular for
kayaking. The canals provide shelter for
manatees, dolphins and a wide variety of
coastal birds.
This area is rich in both tropical and
temperate plant species, some of which
are found not much farther north than
the Thousand Islands. The vegetation
communities of the Thousand Islands
include three habitat types: natural
marsh, dredge-spoil and tropical hammock
associated with shell middens. Middens
are trash piles of clam and oyster
shells; all that remains of Florida's
original inhabitants -- pre-Columbian
Native American Indians. These unique
tropical hammocks, in particular,
provide resting space and feeding areas
for neotropical migrant bird species;
the wetlands and ponds are a haven for
many wading birds and migratory
waterfowl. Salt marsh in the Thousand
Islands is somewhat different than salt
marsh found in other areas of the Banana
River Lagoon. Instead of the typical
temperate cord grass/needle rush plant
community found on Merritt Island (a
good example is Kaboord Sanctuary),
Thousand Islands salt marsh is dominated
by tropical salt marsh plant species
such as glasswort and saltwort and is
fringed by all three species of
mangrove.
Directions: Launch from the end of
Ramp Road in Cocoa Beach. From the
intersection of SR 520 and Highway A1A,
go south on A1A for several miles. Just
past the Minuteman Causeway, turn right
on 5th Street South. Go one block west
to North Brevard Avenue and turn left.
Take the first right on Ramp Road and go
to the park.
Ramp Road Park GPS N 28 18.558 W 80
36.855
Ramp Road Park Google Satellite Image
Thousand Islands Google Satellite Image
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Samsoms Island
Samsons Island is a 52 acre island
nature preserve owned by the City of
Satellite Beach accessable only by boat.
The island has three docks or landing
platforms. The Main dock is on the Grand
Canal east of the island with a landing
platform on the north and south side of
the island. The island also has
designated walking trails, and rustic
campsites. Paddling only trails have
been cut along the western portion of
the island and the city of Satellite
Beach has done a fantastic job of
removing exotics and restoring native
habitats to the island. Fishing on the
flats west of the island and along the
shoreline mangroves of the grand canal
can be excellent. The City of Satellite
Beach can be very proud of this project.
The easiest access to Sampsons Island is
via the
Oars & Paddles Park in Indian Harbor Beach
(see just below).
From Oars and Paddles Park , paddle west
down the canal past Telemar Marina until
you reach the Banana River just south of
Mather’s Bridge. Paddle north under the
bridge and proceed past the first two
canal openings and turn east into the
third canal. It is only a few hundred
yards north of the bridge and will soon
turn to the North. This is the Grand
Canal and paddling north from here about
two miles will take you past many
expensive homes to Sampsons Island .
When you pass under the Lansing Island
Bridge, the Island will be about a mile
away on the left. You will pass a canal
leading to the Banana River and then a
landing dock along the only stretch of
undeveloped land you've seen to this
point. This is Samson's Island. You can
also paddle north from Mather's Bridge
along the eastern Banana River Shoreline
to the island. Again the Island will
stand out as the only undeveloped
stretch of land. The total paddle either
way is about 2.3 miles.
All Samsons Island visitors remaining on
or arriving to the island after dusk
must have a valid visitor permit.
This permit is available from the
Satellite Beach Recreation Department
during their business hours,
Monday-Friday 8:30am-6pm. Those wishing
to secure a permit must bring in their
driver's license & information on boat
(model & length). The permit is issued
annually and is valid through 12/31 of
the current year.
Visitors with permits are instructed to
phone in their request to visit the
island after dark (campfire or camping)
prior to each visit.
Also ask for an overnight parking permit
for
Oars & Paddles Park. This will allow
you to leave your vehicle at the park
for the duration of your campout at
Samson's Island without the vehicle
getting towed away. The Satellite
Beach Recreation Department is located
in the David R. Schechter Community
Center at 1089 South Patrick Drive,
Satellite Beach, FL 32937,
Phone: (321) 773-6458
GPS (Samsons Island) N 28 10.997 W
80 36.685
Google Satellite Image (Sampsons Island)
GPS (David R. Schechter Community
Center) N 28 11.015 W 80 36.365
Google Satellite Image (David R.
Schechter Community Center) |
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Oars & Paddles Park
1329 Banana River Drive
Indian Harbour Beach
This facility is home of the
Space Coast Crew Rowing Club
(www.spacecoastcrew.org) as well as a
popular area for non-motorized
recreational activities including
canoeing, rowing, and paddling.
Amenities at this site include a
boathouse, pavilion, restrooms, pedway,
improved parking, picnic tables and a
long sloping dock providing access to
the water. The nearby Grand Canal just
north of Mathers Bridge is a popular
training location for Olympic and
collegiate sculling teams. The four-mile
long canal is bordered on the west by a
long strip of spoil deposit, which is
divided into three islands. The central
island is a nature sanctuary known as
Samson's Island. Some of the area's
finest homes border parts of the Grand
Canal. The Canal is a great place to
paddle when it is too windy to paddle on
the open waters of the lagoon. Access
from the park to the Banana River is
through Whiting Waterway. To reach the
Grand Canal, go north in the Banana
River and under Mathers Bridge. The
entrance to the Grand Canal is the third
canal mouth on the right a few hundred
yards beyond Mathers Bridge. Watching
sculling teams practice in the Grand
Canal pretty much requires some kind of
a boat, unless you're lucky enough to
view them leaving the park or passing
under Mathers Bridge on their way to the
Grand Canal. The best place for viewing
collegiate sculling teams from land is
from locations along Crane Creek in
Downtown Melbourne.
Directions: From I-95 or US 1 in
Melbourne, go east on Eau Gallie
Causeway (SR 518). Just after crossing
the bridge over the Indian River, turn
left and proceed north on South Patrick
Drive (SR 513) for .9-mile. Turn west on
Banana River Drive. For information,
visit www.brevardparks.com, or call
321-255-4400.
GPS N 28 09.020 W 80 36.072
Google Satellite Image
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Ulumay Wildlife Sancturary
805 Sykes Creek Parkway, Merritt Island
This 436.53-acre bird reservation and
sanctuary offers a wilderness escape in
an urban environment and is an
international attraction for
bird-watchers. Historically documented
as a village of the Ais Indians who
disappeared around 1720, it is a natural
lagoon and bird rookery linked with
canals created for mosquito control and
surrounded by a manmade dike. There is a
main paddling channel of several miles
that runs along a wide expanse of
mangrone marsh dotted with islands.
Bring a compass or handheld GPS unit as
it is easy to get lost in here if you
venture off the main canoe trail. But it
is a beautiful place to paddle with
abundant wildlife. A 7 mile hiking and
biking trail on the dike provides access
to the non-paddler as well. A
birdwatching tower offers a scenic
overlook of the lagoon. Projecting into
Sykes Creek at the southwest corner of
the park is a fishing pier commonly
known as the Old Humpbacked Troll
Bridge. Although troll sightings are
rumored, visitors are likely to view
dolphin and birds such as the wood
stork, belted kingfisher, and white or
brown pelican. Alligator dormant season
is October through May, however,
visitors are advised to be cautious
year-round.
Directions; FROM US Hwy 1 go 2.9
miles east on SR-520, turn left and go
about 0.5 miles on Sykes Creek Parkway.
The park entrance is on the left.
GPS N 28 22.317 W 80 40.426
Launch Site Google Satellite Image
Sanctuary Google Satellite Image
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Eau Gallie River From
Ballard Park
924 Thomas Barbour Drive,
Melbourne
Ballard Park in Melbourne is
situated at the mouth of the Eau
Gallie River on the Indian River
Lagoon just south of the Eau Gallie
Causeway. Putting in here allows you
to paddle the Eau Gallie River
upstream until the river passes
underneath the Croton Road bridge
abouth 2.5 miles away. There will be
one portage over a small dam at
about the 1.5 mile point. Much of
the river is lined with high end
waterfront homes but there are still
sections where shoreline vegetation
is present and wildlife sightings
include anhinga, double crested
cormorant, herons, pelicans and
other bird species, as well as
alligators and turtles.
Directions; From US 1 south of
Eau Gallie Blvd.(Eau Gallie
Causeway), turn east on Thomas
Barbour Road, and follow it to the
end at Ballard Park
GPS N 28 07.487 W 80 37.501
Google Satellite Image
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