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Paddling Locations |
Saltwater, Space Coast South |
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This section includes destinations for
Kayaking the Indian River Lagoon and
tributaries in Southern Brevard County
and Northern Indian River County.
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Mullet Creek /
Honest John's Fish Camp
Mullet Creek and Honest John's
Canals offer an opportunity to
experience a true old-Florida fish camp,
one of the last ones remaining, complete
with an 1890s Florida pioneer home. A
visit to Honest John's really is like
traveling back in time. The mile-long
drive into the camp winds through old
citrus groves and into a beautiful
tropical hammock where the fish camp
settles into the shore of Mullet Creek.
Peacocks, guineahens, ducks, chickens
and dogs are likely to greet you upon
your arrival. The Smith Home rests under
centuries-old oaks and orchid-laden red
cedars; the old Malabar train depot
serves as a storage shed nearby. Never
one to be wasteful, decades ago Honest
John Smith floated the depot across the
Indian River on a barge to save it from
being torn down and replaced. Like the
Thousand Islands in Cocoa Beach, Honest
John's Canals are the product of
dredging of historic salt marsh areas
for mosquito control in the 1940s and
'50s, resulting in a myriad of winding
canals and dozens of mangrove-lined
islands that have become a haven for
wildlife. The canals provide shelter for
manatees, dolphins and a wide variety of
coastal birds.
Enormous trout, snook, redfish and
tarpon likewise are partial to Mullet
Creek and the neighboring canals.
Needless to say, the fishing here is
legendary, as is Honest John, fondly
known as the "Cracker of All Crackers."
Holder of the camp record of 13 lbs 4 oz
for the gator-sized spotted seatrout he
pulled from right in front of the
baithouse, Honest John was best known
for his fanatical aversion to wearing
shoes. In fact, upon his death, Honest
John was buried without his shoes, and
all six pallbearers attended the funeral
in their bare feet. Over the years, tall
Australian pines have taken over Honest
John's islands, providing shade during
hot summer days and resting places for
brown pelicans, anhingas and ospreys.
There is no other sound like the gentle
whoosh of the wind whispering through
those pines. Honest John's has easy
access to the Indian River Lagoon, with
scenic views of mangrove shorelines.
Directions: Go south from Melbourne
Beach on Highway A1A for about 10 miles.
Turn right in the driveway one half-mile
south of the yellow caution light in
Floridana Beach. Look for the Honest
John's Fish Camp sign. Canoe and kayak
rentals are available. Launch fee is
$5.00. For information, call
321-727-2923.
GPS N 27 56.055 W 80 30.216
Google Satellite Image
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Long Point Park
700 Long Point Road, Melbourne Beach
FROM US-192 (Melbourne Cswy) go 16 miles
south on SR-A1A and turn right into the
park.
FROM Sebastian Inlet go 1 mile north on
SR-A1A.
This 84.5-acre conservation area and
urban district river park offers
shoreline fishing, waterfront full
service camping, a fishing dock, a pond
for wading birds, another pond for
swimming, a small bridge connecting to
Scout Island for over a mile of nature
trails. Kayaking from here provides the
opportunity to paddle several islands
and channels in the area as well as
paddle the lagoon south to the Sebastian
Inlet area. This campsite and Sebastian
Inlet have both been my favorites since
moving to the Space Coast as a kid in
the late 1960s.
GPS N 27 52.475 W 80 28.213
Google Satellite Image |
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Sebastain Inlet State Park
One of Florida's most popular state
parks, Sebastain Inlet is a mecca for
snook fishing and is easily located on
Highway A1A about 15 miles south of
Melbourne Beach. When you see the big
bridge, you are there. Sebastain Inlet
State Park has something for just about
everyone. For kayaking the Sebastian
Inlet area there are several places to
launch from. I highly reccommend against
launching within the inlet itself as the
currents can be very strong. The
northernmost put in is at the Inlet
Marina just south of long Point Park.
This provides direct access to Cambells
Pocket and the maze of islands that lie
between there and the inlet itself. Next
there is a boat ramp on the Campground
(south) side of the inlet. Drive west
past the camping area and you will see
it to your left on the Indian River
Lagoon. South of the Inlet, A1A runs
right along the Lagoon and this also
makes a great launch site. In addition
to the kayaking there are hiking trails,
biking trails, good snorkeling, diving,
great fishing, boating, two museums, and
a great sand bottom shallow swimming and
wading lagoon. Don snorkeling gear and
swim along the rocks separating the
wading lagoon and the inlet and you will
see snapper, sheepshead, and many other
small fish species. (More info on Space
Coast Outdoors Snorkeling page.) There
are two museums on site. The McLarty
Treasure Museum tells the story about
the
Spanish Treasrue Fleet of 1715,
that wrecked along the Florida southeast
coast in that year. The El Capitan was
the northernmost shipwreck of the 11
ship fleet that was driven ashore by a
massive hurricane in July of 1715 and
broke apart on the shallow reefs within
a mile of the south jetty. All 11 ships
were lost and over 1,000 sailers died.
The museum is on the site of the
survivors of the El Capitan campground.
The Sebastian Fishing Museum tells the
history of the area's fishing industry.
GPS N 27 51.683 W 80 26.931
Google Satellite Image
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Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge
From Melbourne Beach, take A1A
south, cross Sebastian Inlet and
continue south. Facilities are located
on the west side of A1A on the north end
of historic Jungle Trail, which is a
great birding location itself,
especially during migration. From
Wabasso, head North on A1A and you will
see the entrance to the wildlife
refugeand jungle trail on the left
before you get to Sebastian Inlet.
Established by an executive order of
President Theodore Roosevelt on March
14, 1903, Pelican Island was the first
national wildlife refuge in the United
States. It was created to protect egrets
and other birds from extinction by plume
hunters as hats with plumes had become a
fashion rage in the country at the time.
This was the first time that the federal
government put land on the side for the
sake of wildlife. In 2003, to celebrate
it's centennial, new public facilities
such as an observation tower and
boardwalk have been installed. These new
facilities are providing the public with
the first opportunity, in it's 100-year
history, to view the Pelican Island
rookery from land and without the use of
a boat. Located 1/2 mile south on Jungle
Trail, the viewing are includes parking
and two foot trials. Park at the Viewing
Area; Pete's Impoundment Foot Trail is
accessible from the Centennial Trail.
Bicycles, horse back riding, pets and
motorized vehicles are not permitted on
the trails.
By Kayak, Pelican Island can be
accessed via a 2.5-mile paddle from the
Wabasso Causeway. Along the way you'll
pass beautiful mangrove shorelines and
small islands. The waters around the
island are shallow and clear; it is not
uncommon to see dolphins frolicking and
gentle manatees loafing. The area
between Sebastian Inlet and Pelican
Island is a nursery ground for juvenile
green sea turtles. You might get lucky
and see one of these colorful,
endangered turtles feeding on sea
grasses. In spring and summer, hundreds
of brown pelicans nest on the island, as
well as endangered wood storks, several
species of threatened wading birds,
anhingas, cormorants and American
oystercatchers. Sunset brings on a
spectacular show as hundreds of birds
fly in to the island to roost.
Caution: Like many similar nesting
islands in the state, Pelican Island is
protected and posted. Please stay
offshore of the signs to avoid
disturbing the birds. DO NOT go on the
island.
GPS N 27 48.218 W 80 25.607
Google Satellite Image
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Crane Creek
Crane Creek in Melbourne is accessed
from Melbourne Riverview park and
paddling north along the Indian River
Lagoon to the mouth of the creek. Be
careful to avoid boat traffic in the
main channel of the Harbor. Turn left
(west) into the creek and you will pass
the Florida Tech Floating Docks, and the
Melbourne Yacht Club, and continue under
the railroad bridge. When you see the
Melbourne Wastewater Treatment Facility
to your left, stay to the left and
paddle up the Left Fork in the creek.
the creek will soon wind into a
seemingly wilderness creek under a tree
canopy all the way to the Babcock Street
Bridge.
GPS N 28 04.394 W 80 35.953
Google Satellite Image
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Turkey Creek Sanctuary
1518 Port Malabar Blvd. NE Palm
Bay, FL 32905
Located behind the Community Center
and next to the Palm Bay Library at
1502 Port Malabar Blvd. NE, Turkey
Creek Sanctuary is over 100 acres of
natural Florida along the banks of
Turkey Creek. There are jogging
paths and a boardwalk through the
woods and overlooking the creek with
a canoe launch on site.
However it is better to put in at A
J Goode Park in Port Malabar.
Turkey Creek features spectacular
wildlife and scenery with a tropical
setting as well as some of the
highest bluffs to be seen along a
Florida stream and the opportunity
to explore a nature sanctuary. The
trip begins in a wide estuary, a
no-wake manatee zone, where the
gentle creatures are often seen
peacefully munching on aquatic
vegetation. Upstream from the wide
mouth of the creek, the waterway
moves through a broad region of
braided channels. Central channels
through Willow Swamp are recommended
to avoid residential development on
the north and south banks. The
character of the creek changes
dramatically upstream as residential
development and salt-water influence
is left behind. The channel narrows
and the flow quickens as the creek
winds through dimly lit, lush
hardwood forest. Precipitous sandy
bluffs, the remnants of an ancient
coastal ridge, are encountered at
the upper reach of the creek. From
the tops of the relic beach dunes --
leftovers from the Pleistocene Era
of mastodons, giant tree sloths and
saber-toothed cats -- classic scrub
habitat descends into lush hydric
hammock that surrounds the dark
waters of the creek. Desert
inhabitants like gopher tortoise,
eastern indigo snake and scrub
lizards are right at home in the
sandy xeric habitat found on the
ancient dunes.
GPS, Sanctuary Main EntranceN 28
01.016 W 80 36.289
Google Satellite Image, Sanctuary
Main Entrance
GPS, Goode Park N 28 01.788 W 80
34.940
Google Satellite Image, Goode Park
(Launch Here)
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Goat Creek
Goat Creek is located on US-1 2.8
miles south of the intersection with
Malabar Road, and can be accessed by
launching from a sandy beach on the
western shore of the Indian River Lagoon
near the intersection of Valkaria Road
and paddling north along the lagoon .4
miles north to the mouth of the Creek.
From here Goat Creek is an easy paddle
upstream under the US-1 bridge, then a
railroad bridge, past a few houses,
under a third bridge and becomes a very
attractive paddle as the winding creek
gets smaller.
Google Satellite Image, Mouth of Creek
GPS, US-1 Launch Site N 27 57.942 W
80 32.548
Google Satellite Image, US-1 Launch Site
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St. Sebastian River
The Sebastian River is a three-prong
system. The North Prong and South Prong
share a common mouth into a wide bay
that empties into the Indian River
Lagoon. Aside from sharing a common
mouth, the two natural prongs are
distinct in character. A favorite
stopover for manatees, the Sebastian
River is one of the last major waterways
on Florida's lower East Coast that has
not been heavily developed. In addition
to manatees, you can expect to see
alligators, turtles, gars, hogs, river
otters, kingfishers, anhingas, ospreys,
bald eagles and other raptors, brown
pelicans, cormorants and numerous herons
and egrets.
The Sebastian River North Prong flows
out of St. Sebastian River Preserve
State Park. The intimate nature of the
North Prong is a welcome contrast to the
open expanse of Sebastian Bay. Along the
way, vegetation changes from salt-water
mangrove habitat to scrubby pine and oak
flatwoods to freshwater marsh. The
narrow stream meanders through dense
vegetation with a wide variety of water
birds that take advantage of the many
perches. At its upper extreme, the North
Prong is like a tunnel through
vegetation. There are several choke
points where paddlers must negotiate
tree branches. Interesting tropical
bromeliads and other epiphytes cover the
limbs. Paddlers will eventually reach a
point where the water is too low and
vegetation too thick for further
upstream travel. On the way back, stop
at the Buffer Preserve's canoe dock to
enjoy a break and explore the many
hiking trails available.
From Dale Wimbrow Park, the Sebastian
River South Prong starts out several
hundred feet wide. The very steep north
bank ranges from 5 to 15 feet high, with
sandy bluffs that are all that remains
of relic sand dunes along an ancient
shoreline. As you paddle upstream, the
waterway narrows considerably and
vegetation changes dramatically as you
leave brackish waters near the river's
mouth. Banks become low and accessible
with cabbage palms and oaks leaning out
to provide roosts for anhingas and
wading birds. Some parts of the waterway
are covered over by trees, creating
green tunnels. Numerous dead-end false
channels await unwary paddlers. A
compass and topographic maps are helpful
for avoiding these cul-de-sacs. Near the
southern extreme, the meanders become
tortuous and, in some places, the stream
nearly doubles back on itself. Paddlers
should watch for submerged deadfalls,
especially while negotiating the
switchbacks.
Directions: Both Prongs as well as
Sebastian Bay can be reached from Dale
Wimbrow Park on Roseland Road (CR 505).
The park is accessed from either I-95 or
US 1. Take the CR 512 exit (Exit 156)
when coming by I-95. Drive east on CR
512 to Roseland Road. Turn left on
Roseland Road and follow it to the park,
which is on the left. If coming by US 1,
turn west on CR 505 at the town of
Roseland (just north of the city of
Sebastian after you cross the Sebastian
River) and drive to the park, which is
on the right. Camping is available at
nearby Donald McDonald Park.
Google Satellite Image, Dale Wimbrow
Park
GPS, Dale Wimbrow Park N 27 48.659 W
80 30.211
Google Satellite Image, Donald McDonald
Park
GPS, Donald McDonald Park N 27
49.507 W 80 30.258
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