West Lake Trail mangrove tunnels

[Keith W]

Date: Saturday Jan. 3, 2009

Location: The West Lake canoe trail runs across West Lake and down through Long Lake and The Lungs to Alligator Creek on Garfield Bight. These lakes are connected by a series of three mangrove tunnels, and there is another tunnel at the end of Alligator Creek.

Condition: The tunnels joining the lakes, and the Alligator Creek tunnel, are all clear and open. The ponds between Long Lake and The Lungs, and the smaller lake along Alligator Creek, can be extremely shallow on a low tide. Big crocs are a common sight along the banks of the Alligator Creek tunnel.

[Miami101]

Questions:
Has anyone gone into, or know a way to Cuthbert Lake, Little Henry Lake, Henry Lake? Monroe Lake? Is there a location to camp?
Has anyone fish Long Lake, Lungs, and Gator creek in Winter?

[Keith W]

Last I heard there was no entry allowed into Cuthbert Lake. The rookery there is protected.

[vivian]

Last summer someone I know went in and reported " What a nasty hell hole! There's about 6" of water covering thick black gooey and highly odiferous anaerobic mud clear across the lake."

Apparently that rookery has not been active since Wilma. Check with the rangers for present status.

[Miami101]

Thank you for the update.

[Chekika]

Ive been in there a couple years ago and actually camped out in my canoe there. There apparently was a steel wire across to keep people out but when I went there was no wire so i went in. It is extremely shallow and what I remember most was that there were millions of dead mosquito larvae floating in the water and I couldnt figure out why, that my two cents.

[toofaraway]

Cuthbert is closed to all public access. The superintendent's compendium for 2009 is a good read.

http://www.nps.gov/ever/parkmgmt/upload/EVER%20Compendium%202009%20...

[Terry]

It's easier than that, the regular old NOAA Nautical Chart 11433 'Whitewater Bay' - the one you
should always have with you, states "Cuthbert Lake closed to all boat traffic."
That's pretty clear.
And, yes, it used to have a cable across the creek, matter-of-fact, Rookery Branch
used to have a cable across it but it was never stated "closed" on nautical charts.

[Keith W]

Good find John! This is good overview of what you can and can't do inside ENP boundaries and everybody should take a look at it. I'll download and post the PDF under the Resources forum.

[Miami101]

Well you know me always looking to explorer, and learn new things.

[Miami101]

I just came back from West Lake to Long Lake, Lungs trails are clear for the most part.

[Diego Lopez]

How was the fishing in West Lake? I've heard it's still not all that good this winter....

[Miami101]

Fishing in West Lake has always been hard for me, but it is Flamingo monsters are all over the place you just have to find them.