Paddling the Everglades Wilderness Waterway


Book Description

Create a canoeing or kayaking experience you’ll never forget, through Florida’s Everglades National Park and the 99-mile Wilderness Waterway. Those in the know will tell you there is only one way to truly experience Florida’s Everglades National Park, and that is by canoe or kayak. Whether you are a novice paddler or a seasoned whitewater river runner, Paddling the Everglades Wilderness Waterway is your all-in-one guide for safe adventure on this spectacular route. Authors Holly Genzen and Anne McCrary Sullivan present 17 of their favorite day- and overnight trips from various Everglades departure points. Having spent years exploring this maritime labyrinth, the authors share their intimate knowledge of historic Everglades rivers and bays, the endless horizon of its Gulf Coast, the eerie beauty of its mangrove forests, and the secrets of ancient tribes and early American pioneers. Descriptions of wildlife abound (the birds! the alligators!), as do the details of exquisite flora that flourishes here. Inside you’ll find: The complete 99-mile Wilderness Waterway route between Everglades City and Flamingo—north to south and south to north 17 day trips and overnight paddles Nearly 30 campsites and gazebo-like chickees stilted over the water Maps, GPS coordinates, trip preparation, safety tips, and waterway etiquette An expansive directory of Everglades flora, fauna, people, and places Intimate observations about Everglades history, environment, and its future Whether you only have time for a brief Everglades visit or are embarking on a 10-day expedition, this book is for you.




Paddling Everglades National Park


Book Description

Nothing compares to paddling Florida's Everglades. Covering more than 14,000 square miles—from the headwaters of the Everglades in Orlando and Big Cypress State Park in the southwest, to Biscayne National Park on the eastern edge and part of the Keys and the 10,000 Islands to the south—this tropical wetland offers beautiful ecosystems, fascinating habitats, and many diverse paddle routes. Paddling Everglades National Park introduces paddlers of all abilities to nearly fifty of the park's best paddling routes. It also provides brief yet intriguing accounts of the remnants of precolonial history one encounters along these routes and offers insight to the eight unique ecosystems that make up the Everglades. Replete with maps showing access points and river miles, this guide also gives campsite locations and related information for paddlers wishing to stay overnight, as well as information on the park's extraordinary angling opportunities.




A Paddler's Guide to Everglades National Park


Book Description

Whether forging uncharted territory or slipping along marked canoe trails, get ready to experience more than 400 miles of creeks, bays, marshes, and the Gulf of Mexico. This indispensable guide for the ultimate adventure by canoe or kayak now includes GPS coordinates and twelve new paddle routes.




A Year in the National Parks


Book Description

On January 1 of 2016, Stefanie Payne, a creative professional working at NASA Headquarters, and Jonathan Irish, a photographer with National Geographic, left their lives in Washington, D.C. and hit the open road on an expedition to explore and document all 59 of America's national parks during the centennial celebration of the U.S. National Park Service - 59 parks in 52 weeks - the Greatest American Road Trip. Captured in more than 300,000 digital photographs, written stories, and videos shared by the national and international media, their project resulted in an incredible view of America's National Park System seen in its 100th year. 'A Year in the National Parks, The Greatest American Road Trip' is a gorgeous visual journey through our cherished public lands, detailing a rich tapestry of what makes each park special, as seen along an epic journey to visit them all within one special celebratory year.




Exploring Everglades National Park and the Surrounding Area


Book Description

This is the ultimate guide to discovering the vast "River of Grass" ecoregion of the southern Florida mainland. Packed with photographs, maps, and informative text, this guide will help outdoor enthusiasts appreciate the landscape and varied flora and fauna of the watershed whether they have a day to spend in the effort or a lifetime. This edition includes new routes in the Biscayne National Park. Whether traveling by canoe or by foot, this guide will enhance the next journey into the remarkable Everglades.




The Everglades


Book Description

Everglades National Park’s mangrove ecosystem, extending over 230,000 acres of south Florida, is the most expansive in the western hemisphere and the largest continuous system of mangroves in the world. Most of this mangrove area is remote, accessible only by boat, complex and difficult to navigate. In The Everglades: Stories of Grit and Spirit from the Mangrove Wilderness we hear 21 stories from people who have ventured into this wilderness—for scientific work, artistic work, search-and-rescue missions, for personal renewal, or for the pure adventure of it. They tell stories of manatee rescue, shark encounters, storms and strandings, stories of environmental value and threat, wild beauty, personal enchantment and spirit. Together these stories reveal a world beyond the reach of most travelers. They also offer support and offer enticement to the intrepid few who may venture “out there” and return with stories of their own.




Gladesmen


Book Description

Few people today can claim a living memory of Florida's frontier Everglades. Glen Simmons, who has hunted alligators, camped on hammock-covered islands, and poled his skiff through the mangrove swamps of the glades since the 1920s, is one who can. Together with Laura Ogden, he tells the story of backcountry life in the southern Everglades from his youth until the establishment of the Everglades National Park in 1947. During the economic bust of the late ‘20s, when many natives turned to the land to survive, Simmons began accompanying older local men into Everglades backcountry, the inhospitable prairie of soft muck and mosquitoes, of outlaws and moonshiners, that rings the southern part of the state. As Simmons recalls life in this community with humor and nostalgia, he also documents the forgotten lifestyles of south Florida gladesmen. By necessity, they understood the natural features of the Everglades ecosystem. They observed the seasonal fluctuations of wildlife, fire, and water levels. Their knowledge of the mostly unmapped labyrinth of grassy water enabled them to serve as guides for visiting naturalists and scientists. Simmons reconstructs this world, providing not only fascinating stories of individual personalities, places, and events, but an account that is accurate, both scientifically and historically, of one of the least known and longest surviving portions of the American frontier.




Florida Circumnavigational Saltwater Paddling Trail Guide (Text Only)


Book Description

A sea kayaker's version of the Appalachian Trail, the 1,515-mile Florida Circumnavigational Saltwater Paddling Trail takes adventurers from Pensacola to Key West to the Georgia border. Every Florida coastal habitat type is featured, from barrier island dune systems to salt marsh to mangroves, as well as the Sunshine State's colorful history. This is the seventh printed guide for the trail, useful for short and long-distance paddlers alike. It includes information on launches, campsites, campgrounds, motels, points-of-interest, and the many public lands along the route. A trail data book, equipment list and trip tips and planning instructions are also included. Complementary color maps can be downloaded for free from www.floridagreenwaysandtrails.com. Included in this edition is information about alternate routes in the Panhandle and Keys.




Paddling Everglades and Biscayne National Parks


Book Description

The Ultimate Guide to Paddling the Everglades! Nothing compares to paddling Everglades and Biscayne National Parks. Encompassing nearly 1.7 million acres combined, these two national parks cover most of South Florida, from Everglades City south to Flamingo and across much of Florida Bay, and from the western shoreline of Biscayne Bay east to the offshore reefs, including part of the upper Florida Keys. Paddlers can discover beautiful ecosystems, fascinating habitats, and many diverse paddling routes. Paddling Everglades and Biscayne National Parks details at least 40 of the very best paddles throughout the National Parks, providing routes for every type of paddler. User-friendly format with informative maps throughout Informative at-a-glance paddle specs for every route Full-color photos throughout GPS coordinates for every put-in/takeout




Day Paddling Florida's 10,000 Islands and Big Cypress Swamp


Book Description

This new paddling guide to Florida's 10,000 Islands and Big Cypress region features trips for canoes and kayaks. This new guide features saltwater paddling tours in the northern and central 10,000 Islands, as well as a handful of freshwater tours in the Big Cypress Swamp. Trips emanate out of multiple put-ins and take-outs, including Rookery Bay Estuarine Reserve (Marco Island), Goodland, Port of the Islands, Fakahatchee Strand State Preserve, Everglades City, and Big Cypress National Preserve. Each trip described in this new guide will include information on distance, difficulty, recommended charts, and navigational features, as well as discussing winds, tides, and safety issues. The author also discusses natural and historical features, estuarine and mangrove ecology, and local wildlife. Finally, he provides information on equipment, outfitters, supplies, rentals, and recommendations for low-impact paddling. 35 black & white photographs, index.