Alligator Creek overnight

[Michael Palozzola]

I am looking to get my feet wet for camping by kayak. I was looking at possibly doing this site but the comments I read on Everglades Diaries about many gators and crocs present makes me hesitant. I was wondering possibly a stupid question. How do you keep the gators away from the site at night safely?

[Kim Gass]

Thanks for the heads up on gator behavior near a campsite.

Its been more than once ( but less frequent now that I use a kitchen basecloth) that I have dropped silverware through chickee planks. and jumped in to wade in search of a lost fork.

Northerners might relate to bear activity. The campsite you occupy might be of interest to a bear not because of your camping practices are, but rather of what others have done in the past.

  For me, when I go to a watery Everglades  campsite, I tend to think that "smells are wiped out". I ought to be thinking more of what other residents of the area are used to (ie gators) and what "free meals" they may expect.

Same principle,, different location.

BTW I am a Northerner used to bears wandering around my property..just for perspective. Yes we do have a bit of snow shovelling to do to get the canoe trailer out before venturing south.

[Jay]

My experience with Crocs and Gators is they both tend to dive off the banks when you approach...many of the Gators surface and check you out 20-30 seconds later...not all - but many.

On the other hand, I have had my share of Crocs either surface pretty quickly and head right for me, or start following.  Not sure if they are looking for a snack or just trying to chase me from their territory.

In the less remote - more heavily traveled areas, the Gators tolerate humans more and don't always dive in.  If you have ever been up to Shark Valley in Feb-April when the water is very low, there  can be hundreds of Gators up on the path (on a cool morning) that you ride bikes a couple of feet from - and they don't move.

+1 on the bucket operation - I bucket bathe, bucket wash clothes, bucket everything.  Why take the chance. Just because you don't see them - doesn't mean they aren't there.  They can stay under for 20-30 minutes...or more.

[daniel]

hi sarah...

not a dumb question at all. the easiest thing (though not always true, but very frequently so) is alligators are usually very dark... almost black, and crocs are usually olive colored, light. this of course can change, but mostly i have found this to be so. also, their heads are shaped differently... alligators have a kind of blunt, rounded head while the croc has a pointier, narrower head and snout. also, crocs' teeth jut out, you can see them... while an alligator's teeth aren't visible if his mouth is closed. 

[Sarah Orman]

Thanks for the information and the tips. I hadn't though about the washing dishes. Do boil the water once you pull it out of the lake/creek/ocean? Can you wash stuff in salt water or do you have to carry enough fresh water to do dishes and stuff? I am so used to camping in the Boundary Waters where we have an endless supply of clear, fresh water I am having trouble envisioning the process in the Everglades.

[Kim Gass]

You can wash in salt water but its pretty silty often.   Try not to bring too much food. Disposal of scraps is one thing that can habituate them.

Yes you should boil any water gathered.  But a gallon of fresh  water per person a day in the winter should also cover any washing needs.

I don't worry too much about getting out of my boat to take a rest stop and standing in the water. A friend of mine fell out of the boat and landed on a gator. Both moved pretty fast in opposite direction.

[Swamp Hunter]

  I agree only the very large gators could be problematic, not to be taken lightly and its the one you dont see that will get you. I have stepped on gators walking in the dark, knocked of my feet and scared them more than I but yes I have been attacked. Luckily a large gator changed his mind, at the waters edge, mouth wide open in mid-air at the last split second or I would not be here to tell the story. That being said, I have never heard of a gator pulling someone out of a tent.

[Dallas]

I would worry more about the mud at that campsite than the reptiles.

[Rob Stevens]

Stop by the Oasis Visitor Center on the Tamiami Trail. There are many gators in the pond out front you can view up close and compare one gator head to another. Now I'm even less sure.

[daniel]

pretty doubtful you would ever see a croc at oasis... they are very reclusive. i see them pretty much off the beaten path... gators i see everywhere, matter of fact, clipped the tail of about a 10'er on 41 over the summer... he was crossing the road at 5 am... (no damage to either of us, thank god)

anyway, as i wrote, the quick ways to tell (from my experience, and i've seen a lot) are the differences i mentioned. 

[Connie Mier]

Bring all your drinking and cooking water. For washing, the beaches are kind of useful cause you can use the shelly sand to help get dried food and oils out of your dishes. On long trips, I will boil my drinking water for cooking and that alone cleans your pot from previous days use and then I throw in the utensils to clean them. Same with my toothbrush, boiling water sterilizes everything. For chickees, we use a collapsible bucket with rope attached to gather water to wash dishes or hands. That way, a gator will bite your bucket and not your hands, which I have never witnessed by the way.

[Flex Kayakfari.com]

I was just there a month ago, it's got the slick gray marl mud.. bring several tarps! Also the skeeters are VERY numerous there. Honestly the trip there via the lakes is the best part, along with birdlife out in Garfield Bight on the low tide flats. The camping is just 'OK', it's remote but it's not the nicest camping site. Also there is NO portapotty there so be prepared accordingly!

[Swamp Hunter]

I know of a very experienced hunter that was chased by an alligator. He was so shook up that he swore never to return to the swamp. Its rare but it happens.