Bear Lake Trail

[Keith W]

Date: Aug. 29, 2009

Location: The put-in for the Bear Lake Canoe Trail is located about 1.75 miles north of Flamingo, at the end of the Bear Lake Road, which parallels the Buttonwoood Canal. There is a parking area at the end of the road, and it's a short drive west to the dock at the put-in. The Trail can be also be reached by boat from Buttonwood Canal by landing at the dock on the canal, and then portaging about 250 yards to the put-in.

Condition: Bear lake Trail is now clear and passable for it's entire length out to Bear Lake, about 1.6 miles, The Homestead Canal beyond Bear Lake is still blocked by storm debris, and this will be the next stage of the ongoing clearing project. Please note that the gate to the Bear Lake Road is normally locked during the off-seaon, and the road is currently in very poor condition. The Park service usually mows the roadside and fills in the worst of the potholes at the start of the fall season.

[Bob Quirk]

All true. But you did not mention that the Bear Lake Trail connects to the loop trail through Mud Lake then Coot Bay back to the Buttonwood Canal. This will put you very close to where you parked your car. Be prepared for lots of traffic, the rangers are planning an interpretive canoe tour along this route and we have sugested the concessionaire put a few rental canoes by the ramp. As far as difficulty I would rate this loop as super easy well suited to novices, kids and spouses.

As far as working on the trail beyond Bear Lake, currently plans are to put the team to work on the Bay Shore Loop Trail so further work on the trail may be delayed.

[Terry]

Huh? What's the Bay Shore Loop Trail?

[Bob Quirk]

LOL, I had to ask also. It's a walking trail to the west of the campground which the rangers are anxious to get opened. It should only take a couple of months to get it opened. So as soon as we finish phase one of the Bear Lake Trail we will refocus our effort until we can get the walking trail cleared.

[vivian]

Quirkster, nice to see you here! When you say above " Be prepared for lots of traffic, the rangers are planning an interpretive canoe tour along this route and we have sugested the concessionaire put a few rental canoes by the ramp". Does this mean that we can no longer park and leave our cars at Coot Bay Pond when doing a trip? Or is this area in the Buttonwood Canal where the old dock was to get into Bear Lake?

[Bob Quirk]

I've heard of no plans to use Coot Bay Pond. I believe they plan to launch on the dock on the Bear Lake Canoe Trail and pull out at the dock on the Buttonwood canal. They could also just do out and in trips on the canal turning around at Bear Lake. With the articles in the paper and more to come when they formally open the trail I expect alot of locals to use the trail. During the winter months I expect many of the tourists from the campgrounds will be steered towards the trail. The bad news is our little secluded trail and it's wildlife are about to get a large human presence. The good news is that the Everglades National Park will have a great resource for informing people from all over the world about the importance and uniqueness of the park. If the park is to have a future and get the necessary funding for improvements it is important that average people get an opportunity to taste the wilderness experience and get a glimpse at the beauty of the parks backcountry, The Bear Lake Canoe trail and the loop through Mud Lake will give them this opportunity

I also suspect most people will not venture past the east end of Bear Lake. From the look of the aerial shots there is will be plenty of secluded and acessible places for the more adventuress to to explore between the west end of Bear Lake and the Gator Lake area.

[Terry]

It's actually returning it to more like it was. Before the hurricane Bear Lake Trail was
Grand Central Station for canoers. It was THE route to get to Cape Sable so you
had the Cape Sable campers launching along with the day canoers doing the loop.
I remember pulling in the parking lot at the Bear Lake Trail early in the morning and
waiting in a line of 3 or 4 cars taking turns to pull up to the launch area, dump off
their gear, then park back out at the lot. The lot full of cars with cars parked along
side the road. And this was before they put the nice dock on the Buttonwood Canal
side. Boy Scout troops, tourists, tough multiple night Cape Sable campers,
amateurs zig zagging crashing into the sides, it was all there, but as Bob notes
it's a good thing, it's a great place for everyone to get a chance at something very
special. I even organized a company canoe trip for the Bear Lake/Mud Lake Loop
back in the '80's urr maybe it was in the late '70's, whatever. We had a bunch
of canoes, one capsized, a smashed ice chest,
the occupants fell out of one canoe when we hit high winds coming out of
Indian Creek, even had a dog on the trip - it was a blast.

[vivian]

thanks Bob! Good to know that Coot Bay pond is still a good area to launch.

Agree, many years ago the first time I ever paddled a canoe in the backcountry was on the Bear Lake trail. I took that trail to Cape Sable once and used to fish Bear Lake many times in the winter. I unfortunately tried it in the summer following a story that was written on the FL Sportsman magazine, LOL! I was so gullible!

That trail really made me fall in love with paddling and afterwards sold my powerboat.

[Bob Quirk]

The scene Terry describes although scary is probably accurate. So get out there while the hawk still greets you at the entrance and while crocs still linger in the area around Bear Lake. Flamingoes roam Mud lake and while racoons and snakes abound. If you want a look at what's back there checkout: http://bearlakecanoetrail.shutterfly.com/ with the password "Thomas".

Hopefully, our efforts out there will introduce a whole new generation to everglades fever.

[Bob Quirk]

I stand corrected the trail is locked up again. Yesterday I went to do some lite work and found the gate padlocked. The rangers were not in yet so I headed to Coot Bay for some fishing. At the end of the day I met with rangers Bob and Christie and we talked about the trail and other stuff. We tentatively plan to be in there next friday clearing the new downed buttonwood tree and some improvements on the far end. I also mentioned the posibility of some cleanup of the Coot Bay Mud Bay connector and the creek connecting Coot Bay to Coot Bay Pond. Nothing major just clearing a few downed trees that you have to drag over.

[Keith W]

I like to walk the Bay Shore Loop whenever I have some time to kill in Flamingo. Nice little trail that takes you along the Florida Bay shoreline. It was pretty overgrown the last time I was out there. There's a geodetic survey marker out near the Bay that's stamped 'Coot Bay' and has a date I think sometime in the '30s. I could be wrong about that date. There's still some history back in there from the wild cotton picker days, old cisterns and such. I'd love to see an effort made toward re-establishing the Coastal Prairie Trail out to East Cape. Tried walking that one a couple of seasons ago but didn't get far before the trail got lost in a big stand of buttonwoods. Saw some panther tracks in the mud less than a mile from the Flamingo campground.

[vivian]

The only problem with that hiking trail to East Cape is the lack of freshwater available. One must hike with all gear and water supply for the trip there and back. Maybe the park could run a tap to allow hikers to refill at a halfway point. I know that they are using desalination systems to bring freshwater into the bathrooms in the campgrounds.

[Keith W]

I wonder what the chances would be of striking fresh water if a well were drilled and a hand pump installed? Chokoloskee has an artesian well near Smallwoods and there is a freshwater spring at Sweetwater, so...just a thought.