Tamiami Trail Canal to Miami River

[Daniel Madrigal]

Has anyone ever done this? I am thinking about giving it a shot on Friday. There is a boat ramp on Miller and 117th ave. It looks on Google like I can follow that canal to Tamiami Trail and then follow that all the way out until it turns into the Miami River and eventually into the bay. 

[Swamp Hunter]

Correction. Harney led 90 men into the Everglades in December 1840 with a black guide named John..

[Terry]

Here's a good short story off the internet:

http://seminolewar.livejournal.com/137981.html

An expedition leaving from the Miami Circle could make it out of the urban area

but I doubt all the way to Chekika Island on the first night, that's a long haul

between Krome and the island.   Maybe the first night at that wayside area

on the north side of Tamiami Canal just past Krome.   The second day would

be to make it to Chekika Island, spend the second night there.

This would be the tough day.  

It all depends on how they open up the new bridge on Tamiami Canal, if there's enough

water through there the route should go under Tamiami Trail at that point

and push to the island.  Airboat trails don't start until west of that point

and it could be very hard going if the expedition has to push the whole way.

The alternative easy way would be to just follow Tamiami Canal to L-67 and go

down L-67 taking one of the airboat trails over to the island but following a boring canal

that much would be discouraging.   Also this could be promoted better linking

the Miami Circle, Harney's Special Ops, the opening of the new Tamiami Bridge,

Chekika Island, Shark Slough and the Harney River.

It's just a repeat from Chekika Island down to Canepatch then out the Harney.

Harney when on and came out in the Keys but I'd suggest just ending the

expedition at Flamingo.

The second day is the one that needs all the research.

A Harney Expedition has it all, a bunch of history, a modern celebration of an ancient

site (Miami Circle), a modern celebration of the water flow restoration in East Everglades,

a celebration of the Chekika Island inclusion into the NPS and the tried and true

slough paddle down the River of Grass.  It also has the adventure, planning and

struggle of a rigorous canoe trip - the second day would be the killer!

I first planned this in the 1970's, before the celebration points, is the time right

for an expedition of canoes to push off of the Miami Circle precisely at sunrise?

[Swamp Hunter]

Yea I read a lot about it. Dont forget to include Fort Dallas. Not only did Harney hang Chekika but he scalped him too. I believe a soldier was killed and buried on that island and I always wondered if they went back to retrieve his body. All those islands used to have skulls. Most of them unfortunately were removed. Just inside Shark Valley still sits 2 large dugout canoes I am told.

Heres a map that may help. Its hard to read. Yes the time is right, go for it. I think Chekika actually based his camp on one one of the smaller surrounding islands but the large Island is generally accepted as Chekika. Are you allowed to camp on the Islands?

[Terry]

Fort Dallas barracks were moved up the river to Lummus Park in 1925,

however, it's still on the river.   And, yes, a trip like this would pay

tribute to Fort Dallas as well.

Everybody - The Internet is full of historical accounts of Harney, Chekika,

Fort Dallas, etc. start reading.

It would take a Special Use Permit for camping at Chekika

which for an expedition like this would not be hard to obtain.

I'll even offer to pay the 100 bucks.

This same permit would apply to the stop somewhere in the slough as well.

Just thinking without studying the maps Gumbo Limbo Hammock

or Panther Mound would probably be the target for the third night.

There would be some special use permits necessary outside

Everglades NP as well but they would be obtainable.

What's the target finish for the Tamiami Bridge?   I doubt it will be done by

October 2012, unlike 1840 we would be looking at doing this in October

not December....there's a little detail called the drainage in the early

1900's that forces us to the highest water month.   And, trust me, the

second day, from Krome Avenue to Chekika Island will need every tenth

of an inch we can get!   That day will separate the men from the boys,

unless we cheat and paddle the canal the whole way.

Listen to me, talking myself into another one of these brutal trips.

What's a bigger hoot is I could probably drag in some of these other

old fools that have been doing too much paddling, make that slogging,

for too long.   Why do we keep coming back?!

I guess it's Goggle Earth time and start locating the water stations along the route.

[Daniel Madrigal]

Well for starters I will type up a trip report tomorrow on the status of the first leg of the trip!

[Terry]

From the Miami Circle to Krome Avenue is open with only one portage

at the dam at Le Jenne Road.   Take the Miami River up to the canal

going into Blue Lagoon then the canal southwest to Tamiami Canal.

You'll pass Fort Dallas, 46.59'N and 12.11'W, at Lummus Park.

I think it's a bridge at Krome and Tamiami Trail so it's open paddling to the

dam at the park I mentioned earlier on the north side of the canal just

past the Indian gaming.

What I've been calling the second day may not be as bad as I first

thought.   Note the canal coming off Tamiami just 2 miles west of

the new bridge construction at 45.65'N and 33.67'W.  Get to that

canal and you've got canal/airboat trails all the way to Chekika Island.

This is looking more do-able the more it's studied.

[Terry]

There's an old canal in the middle of the new bridge construction and

south on that canal is a minimal west/east airboat trail

at 45.089'N and 31.736'W.

The canal looks very grown in but it would all depend on how much

water is added when they open up the bridge.  Using the new bridge

route would mean beating your way down that canal to the airboat trail

then slogging along the airboat trail to that well used canal/airboat trail

south of Frog City (I think that's Frog City). 

The current aerial does not look good south of the new bridge.  It's

purplish in color and that means thick sawgrass.  Without going out and

standing in it I'd say that area would be very tough going if you're not

on some kind of a previously traveled route.

[yakmaster]

It's over 20 miles just to krome. And stretches may not be easy coasting. There tend to be hydrilla plugs that occur around the bridges as you go west. You also have a few portages out west. One, possibly two around 157th. Another at the entrance to trail glades range. And then, after krome,  one just east of the Krome detention exit. with another one a couple of blocks west...

 

That's a long day...wherever you stop...

 

Maybe we could spend the 1st night on the edge of the turnpike! That'd get you down to under 15 miles & only one portage for day 1. Then another 18 & several portages to get to the L-67, for night 2. Then you turn left & start slogging....oh this sounds like GREAT FUN!

[Keith W]

"This same permit would apply to the stop somewhere in the slough as well.

Just thinking without studying the maps Gumbo Limbo Hammock

or Panther Mound would probably be the target for the third night."

Good luck getting into those hammocks as overgrown and surrounded by big sawgrass as they are. We might be talking about sleeping in the boats on the Slough. I've done it in my skiff and was fairly comfortable, but I had a custom-made skeeter bar. Don't forget the derelict research platforms near Panther and Gumbo Limbo.

[Swamp Hunter]

 Good point Keith mentioned. The last time I was out to Chekika, it was overgrown and I was not able to access on my ATC90.

[Swamp Hunter]

I found some old pictures of my 1952 4 wheel drive International.  These were taken in the 1970's when private land was available for purchase in the area. Somehow we managed to get out far enough riding on rock only to get stuck pretty bad. This is the East Everglades believe it or not. You can see some islands in the distance.

With very few trees in the area and a small bumper jack, we somehow managed to put the spare tire, wood, seat cushions, cooler and tool box under the tires for traction. We busted the steering on pinnacle rock but we somehow managed to get the truck back. Others were not so lucky. After this experience I purchased some used airplane tires.

 

[Terry]

The key word in both yakmaster and keith's posts is "we".

Oh what suckers, ya beat them up and they come back for more.

Well the more I look at this on GE more it looks do-able, ya'll heard

that before too.   The lands south of the new bridge is rock and very dry,

sources tell me that area would be hard even in high water.

The aerials confirm this observation by both the view and absence of airboat

routes.

However, I didn't realize that Coopertown (I incorrectly guessed Frog City in the

previous posts) had such a wide open path south then turning west.

Fact is, it's a river/canal/airboat trail all the way from the Miami Circle to

Canepatch, which would make this very do-able.  And this is would not be far

of Harney's route (convenient that Chekika

Island is so close to Tamiami Canal).  Also, did I hear that the new bridge isn't schedule

for opening until May 2013?

Out Tamiami Canal to Cooopertown and hang a left is looking pretty good.