Turner to Ev City...Alternate Routes

[yakmaster]

Finally got a clean paddle from from Seagrape Dr. (Home of the soon to open Welcome Center) to the Turner.

Actually it wasn't so clean...I broke a blade (no spare) about a half a mile from the Turner. We were only going to do a loop out of Seagrape to avoid the tunnels, but with only a half a paddle, we thought shooting the tunnels would be better than paddling all the way back.

You need to balance water levels for this trip. Too low & you can't get across the grass; too high & the tunnels are a beast. It's about a six mile trip, but if you wander...you can spend all day & see some REALLY nice out of the way places.

The track is not the actual, since we took several beautiful...but wrong...turns. I took the liberty of "cleaning it up" & it should be clear sailing...I mean paddling.

This should still be good for a few months, as long as the rain continues and the water levels hold. Excellent open grassland padling joined by some of the best tunnel paddling anywhere!

For you fisherfolk, saw TONS of small (18") snook way back in there!

Here's the google image & a Garmin file.

[Terry]

I never though about it before but if through-trippers want to end before Collier Seminole State Park exiting
at the BCNP HQ at Seagrape Drive makes a whole pile of sense! I ended at Turner River before but there's
no pay phone there, that was a bit of concern. The park headquarters must have a pay phone.
And, you do not cross out of national parks like you do just north of Tiger Key. Hurddles Creek - Left Hand -
Halfway Creek has been established for a while and now Yakmaster provides us with another route.
Only two small issues:
What's that "Plantation Island" I see on the map, that never used to be there? How bad is the intrusion?
Can you see it from the Halfway Creek Trail?
Also, have the EC tourist airboats metastasized into the Halfway Creek area?

[vivian]

Thank you for posting that! I never would have even thought about doing that route. And the fish report was appreciated ;-)

[Chekika]

The last time I was in ther was years ago. If I remember right that left turn you took off halfway creek was at a break in the canal and opened up into sawgrass. At the time Iwent you could only go in a couple hundred yards but maybe that was at a low tidal stage. Am I correct or is that not passable except at higher tidal stages ?

[yakmaster]

What a day, paddled from the upper Turner to the new Welcome center. The Upper Turner is a MESS. Large caliper deadfalls blocking the cypress & entangling vines making the grass near impassible. But damn it has to be one of the most beautiful places I've ever paddled! I love that stretch!

Once we got past 41, we got into the tunnels & the work began. What a beating! The tunnels are low & the water's high! But after the third tunnel, hang a right!

After the work came the sweet paddling. Unfortunately, we were pressed for time there was a special event @ the welcome center & I had to be on time. If not a liesurely stroll through the grass would have been more than sweet! But check out the view (hurried, but still excellent!):

The event @ the welcome center was the premier of the new documentary Big Cypress Western Everglades. EXCELLENT film. It will be playing all week during an open house @ the new welcome center & will be airing on TV (check your local listings).

The paddle was incredible & draining! But what a day.

To answer Chekika's question, I think the water east of the levee depends on tidal range during the dry season, but this time of year it's more driven by freshwater levels.

Last time I posted theoretical tracks...this is the real deal, only one wrong turn (except for a small one that I deleted...)

[yakmaster]

New Weekend new trip!

This time we started from Everglades City & paddled some loop trails that we picked out of aerials (well one is the established loop trail, but the other one is off the map).

But by linking this with the prior Turner to halfway route...you could paddle from Turner to Everglades City through totally uncharted territory!