Short trip Easter weekend

[Tony L]

Planning on doing EC to Jewel key to Picnic key to EC Friday through Sunday with the family.  Has anyone been in that area recently?  How are the conditions? We haven't been to Picnic for a few years and never to Jewel.  It seems like the beaches at Kice Island are sinking into the ocean year after year and was wondering if the same is happening at the other islands.  

Also going to check out the islands north of Tiger Key on Sat for future trips.

We'll let you know how it goes.

Tony

[Gene]

Greetings Tony.

My wife and I are serious beachcombers and have been to these islands in recent weeks. Both Jewel and Picnic are reasonably stationary islands with little change over the years. On Jewel you will find the typical pinkish sand which has been a trademark of this island for years and that is not so evident on the other islands. Depending on the wind, you may choose to camp either on the point or the West facing beach. I also suspect that this may be the island where you may be the only folks there.

Picnic tends to be crowded this time of year due to its proximity to EC. Should you arrive to a crowd, consider traveling another mile or so to the North end of Tiger key which is also very cool. Lulu is another option. The beach just North of the structure is tough to get to with a powerboat and normally empty. The deep holes in West pass hold many VERY large fish.

This past weekend we spent the Sunday on Round key and its adjacent bar. From 11am till our departure at 6pm, we did not see another person. The birds and shelling were pretty good. There is no decent place to camp though.

Avoid the South end of Kice island this time of year. Between the Jetski tours, tourboats and tourists it is a tough place to really enjoy an outdoor day. That said, if you paddle quite a few hundred yards North of the dome house there are a few very cool beaches that are not visited by the masses and difficult to reach by powerboat. The shelling can be extraordinary!

Have a great trip!

[Tony L]

great! thanks for the tips.  we're really looking forward to it. we'll let you know how  it goes