Everglades Exploration Network

Has anyone ever done the trail that seems on Google maps to travel through Cape Sable and travel north from Flamingo all the way to the Northwestern Cape camp site. It looks like the the entire trail can be done with VERY little exposure to the open gulf waters. Has anyone ever done this trail? Does anyone know the distances of the trail, it seems to wind and weave a bit. It looks like a perfect trail because the trail looks like it is easy access to get to the 3 individual campsites along the cape with as mentioned very little open water travel. Thoughts?  Thanks all.

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You mean through Lake Ingraham and Little Sable Creek?  Its a relatively protected piece of water but pretty shallow. I have not done it. One of the things to think about is tide timing. The outflow from the the Creek just above NW Cape is fierce. We felt it although we were 500 feet out in the bay. I have gone in from just N of E Cape and at that tide the force was not too bad but it may have been that the tide was not running hard.  You can also exit at Middle Cape Canal which also has a powerful outflow.

So "easy" is relative.  If you mistime the tidal currents you can be hanging on to mangroves for a few hours.

Possibly a stupid question but will these tidal flows be running SE or NW at high tide or low tide. I know how it works in a normal estuary but in a small creek or river fed on both sides by the same body of water which way is income tide and which way is outgoing?

They will always run toward the lake on an incoming tide..Both ends.  And the tidal current does not follow the exact schedule of the actual time of high tide. Or low tide.  Because of the inertia of water there is a small lag..the current can still be coming in say at high tide.  The current speed is noticeable.. I would guestimate 4-5 mph at the mouth of the Middle Canal

And of course the wind can effect the tidal flows and schedules greatly.  But its still a thought for an "avoid the worst wind" route.  Its described in  Molloys book.

Michael, can you attach a snapshot from your google route to show exactly where this area is?

Yes, all of that area is open.

I once paddled from the Bear Lake parking lot, west on the Homestead Canal (Bear Lake Trail), stayed

on the Homestead Canal past the East Cape Canal, came out in the middle of Lake Ingraham, paddled

northwest in the lake to Little Sable Creek and took Little Sable Creek all the way to north of

Northwest Cape.  I had to come back south out in the gulf to camp at Northwest Cape.

Pretty cool, all the way to Northwest Cape in protected water.  That whole area

has eroded a lot in recent decades and the little canal/creek at 11.205'N and 8.164'W is also open

so you can go back into the inside off of Little Sable Creek.   This creates a variety of loops in and

out of Lake Ingraham.   On another occasion I even took a small powerboat all the way through

Little Sable Creek.

Terry,

Is Bear Lake to East Cape open again?  If so, that is really great news!  I know the Swamp Apes had ideas of working through, but I really doubted they could - at least not without years of man hours.

Even if that portion is still a bit challenging (I'd bet Terry and I have slightly different opinions on the term "open"), paddling outside to East Cape (~ 8 miles?) isn't too bad on good wind and tides.  From there, into Ingraham, then up to the creek to Little Sabal is do-able IF you plan the tides right.  Paddling all the way then up to the mouth is possible.  It is still done by small boaters.

But... to be clear... all this really needs to be well planned to hit the right currents, wind, and water depths.

This is on the SW coast where the start is is in the direction of Flamingo. I know in theory where I have as "Nite 2" is supposed to be a 21 mile paddle from flamingo along the gulf. Does can anyone confirm that distance along the gulf or the inland trail in red?

Yes it is 21 miles. I have done around East Cape and up to NW Cape this January. I did not do the inland route as the tides ran hard out of both Lake Ingraham through the canal and also hard out on the creek.  The entrance tides near East Cape are less boisterous as there are a few outlets.

Its going to be more like 25 miles along the creek.  not my idea of fun.  Fun kinda ends after 17 miles and less if the wind is up. In the shallows my boat slows a lot as it is not a delta shape boat. It suffers from squat and drag though its a fine deepwater canoe..narrow and quick.

I looked up the Tides on NOAA and this is what I got the tides are for East Cape, but I assume it should be close enough to be decently accurate(I know tides vary depending on size of the river):

Date Day Time Height H/L Trip approx
13-Dec Thurs 12:13am 4.61 H
7:52am -1.16 L Leave Flamingo
2:20pm 3.34 H
7:48pm 1.25 L Camp at Middle Cape
14-Dec Fri 1:00am 4.63 H
8:39am -1.14 L
3:06pm 3.32 H
8:37pm 1.16 L Camp at NW Cape
15-Dec Sat 1:49am 4.49 H
9:26am -0.98 L
3:52pm 3.28 H
9:28pm 1.07 L Camp at Middle or East Cape
16-Dec Sun 2:43am 4.2 H
10:13am -0.69 L
4:38pm 3.26 H Back to Flamingo
10:21pm 1 L

be prepared for power boaters racing across Lake Ingraham in the channel.  You'll be in the channel too if it's low tide.  You and other critters.  It's a narrow channel.

Another Question How packed are those 3 campsites normally, especailly for a day like Thursday night? Cause I am planning on going out for the meteor shower in December the Geminids, and a bunch of speed boat "kids" partying on the beach at night is a definite killer to dark skys.

I can only speak from my experience. In January we were on NW Cape on a Saturday and there was no one there. Middle Cape had two or three parties.  We camped alone on East Cape and a bunch of hee haw kids went blasting by ignorant of what was beneath the water.. it was toward low tide and they barreled into a sandbar killing the prop and motor.  It was quite entertaining..

Last year in March I was on East and Northwest Cape alone. I forget what day of the week.

If you take the Lake Ingraham route be aware that those tide tables need to be adjusted for tidal delays.

High tide at East Cape is very likely two hours earlier than the middle of Lake Ingraham. Same for low. People get fouled in the Nightmare because they ignore tidal delays at points inland.

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