ARM Loxahatchee Wildlife Refuge 2021

[Amazon Bill]

Sunrise to Sundown Intrepid Paddlers.

FWC opened the interior area of ARM Lox Refuge to paddling - non motorized water craft. See  in the map (yellow area) below.  Interested in a paddle across the ARM Lox Wildlife Refuge in Fall 2021 Winter 2022? 

The untested, unknown yellow or red routes are 21 miles! Water gage is North CA-1 North CA-1 Water Gage  Exploration trips this Fall to determine water level needed as compared to gage readings. I think but dont know if water elevation 16 ft would be a starting point for a trip. 

The park hours are 6 am to 10 pm so gives the No Brochure Team plenty of time. The route looks like a type of airboat trail, possibly for park maintenance use. The north end of yellow route is at the boat ramp. then a two mile canal paddle to a trail into the interior.

Drop the canoes at the 20 mile bend boat ramp. Shuttle cars back to the main park entrance of US 441 and Lee Road. End of the day would be at the main parking lot. Easy drive to Turnpike or Sawgrass Expy. 

The white route is a public canoe trail loop.

[Flex Kayakfari.com]

This could be an interesting Invitational paddle option in a new location!

This is a permanently flooded WCA, the first in line to filter all the excess nutrients from the EAA and secondary sources upstream. It should make an interesting comparison with the chronically water parched ENP that the Invitationals have all been held in.

So if the gauge says +16ft, that would be very deep already, wouldn't it?

[Amazon Bill]

Yes an In invitational would be great. I need to get some Logisticts going.Based on the EDEN site EDEN North CA-1  has the ground elevation at 13 ft so I figure we need 3 ft to get to the taller thinner part of the grass for easier paddling. We had 2.5-3.5 ft of water in Shark Slough that Dec 2019 trip. That seems about as low you can get and make 15+ miles a day. With 16 ft at the gauge, the water should be 2.5-3 ft deep. 

[Amazon Bill]

9/27/21 water level at CA1 North is 16 ft. October exploration trip is a go!  Need to pick the Saturday or Sunday. 

[Flex Kayakfari.com]

Thanks Bill! I'm in to check it out. Anybody else??

[yakmaster]

I would love to!

But

I remember when we did the River of grass expedition from there to downtown mikosukee with the folks from the preserve, they did some exploring to see if we could get out of the canal.

They tried to make it in an airboat and about got stuck. It ain't Sawgrass, it's dense cattails.

Chris Carl would be the guy with the details on what they did and how it went. He would also be a must have member of the team. He and Gisa worked there for years.

I'll reach out to him!

If we can get it together, I'd love to go up there to play again!

[Flex Kayakfari.com]

That sounds good Charlie!

I'm down to scope it out, maybe for an Invitational next year?

For this year, we still have time to resurrect an Invitational, how bout a redux of Craighead Pond Trail to the platform.

How do you all feel about this? It's a straighforward paddle, but off-trail (once out of 9MP), not too long and no shuttling required!

[yakmaster]

I'd be down.

Kind of booked for October, but November could work for me if the water holds up.

Let's reach out to our glorious leader!

[Gary M]

I would like to join y'all!

Although, I would much prefer something in ENP than Lox, but whatever y'all decide.

I started a trip to Craighead Pond with you guys back a few years ago, but I gave up about half way there. I was trying to pole my 40" wide sportsman canoe and I just could not keep up. So, instead of holding y'all up I bailed.

I got a much better craft for this kinda thing now!

[Terry Heaps]

 I hike the Levee out there regularly and there has been daily herbicide spraying of invasives going on for months now and is still going on.  I have no idea where they are out there but any weekday, you can go there around 5pm and see them all returning to the ramp.  A pic was posted today of them in the parking lot and there are at least 5 airboats.  Might want to get some information on whether or not they are spraying on the route you want to take, around the time you want to take it.  That might be hell to paddle through while or just after they have sprayed.

https://www.facebook.com/ARMLoxahatcheeNWR/photos/pcb.4350211695096...

[Amazon Bill]

Terry, thanks for the tip.

[Amazon Bill]

Gary, Flex is organizing a craighead trip 11/21.