Upcoming Camping Season

[Daniel Madrigal]

What is everyone thinking of doing in the upcoming season? It is only about 4-5 months away! After doing the entire WW in March I don't think I will be doing another 8 day trip this year. Probably just a few 1 or 2 nighters and perhaps an few day expedition to canepatch. After 3 camping seasons I have only been to a little less than half of the backcountry sites. Still so much left to explore.

[Terry]

Always use Collier Seminole State Park as your WW north terminus.

It's better in every way.

[vivian]

Terry, I've looked and can't find it on google earth. I did find this cool picture near there of a canoe in a tree near Camp Lonesome:

 

http://www.panoramio.com/photo/16043801

[Jay]

Bill - my personal opinion is that after a cold front - especially very early in the season before the crowds - the beach sites can be great - East Cape to Middle Cape - depending on how the wind swings.  It can be howling 20 out of the N-NW and you paddle in the lee of the mangroves in pretty still water.

 

I went out a few years ago in early November on a weekend as a pretty strong front came through - smooth paddling and I was the only camper from East to Middle Cape.

[Amazon Bill]

Ross, I didn't realize it but by car Everglades City is alot closer than Flamingo to West Palm.  Everglades City is about 1.5 hrs from my house. Good suggestion. Thanks. I haven't bought that northern chart, so it wasn't on my 'radar'. My last episode up there was back in the '80s canoeing out to Indian Key at 9:00 pm in a two foot chop. We could hardly see the Key in the moonlight.

[Amazon Bill]

State parks are always preferred by me. This is almost to Marco. I checked the state park site and pulled down the canoe trail. There are two routes. The westerly route through Mud Bay to Palm Bay has the potential for alot of wildlife in the sheltered bays. Mud Lake looks a bit shallow. The easterly route looks deeper.  I may make this a one day canoe only paddle and do the loop to and from the park.Thanks.

[Terry]

You must have high tide to cross Mud Lake.

Collier Seminole State Park also has Grocery Place a primitive campsite

along the canoe trail only a few hours from the marina.  This provides a

short first day allowing WW through paddlers to pull permits at

Everglades City.   The paddle from Grocery Place to Tiger Key is protected

between islands except for the short distance just north of Tiger Key or

take the backcountry route through Buttonwood Bay and out Fishawk

Creek.  The front gate at CSSP is locked from sundown to sunrise

so I'd suspect your vehicle would be safer there than at EC for the

8 day trip.   It's another day of wilderness adding an additional 15ish

miles to the WW.  And you start or end your WW trip without the

honky-tonk.  As I stated, it's better in every way.

 

[Gary M]

I just wanted to emphasize the fact that high tide is an absolute necessity to enjoy Mud Bay. Other than that, the Grocery Place loop is quite enjoyable, though maybe not so great during the summer... serious no-see-um levels at the camp site!

 

The park folks are very aware of this and will likely over state the low water and high bug concentrations.  But, I guess, if I had to keep going out and "saving" folks stuck in Mud Bay I'd try to screen out the idiots too.