Big Bend Saltwater Paddling Trail
Sea kayakers have long known of the multi-day expedition possibilities along Florida’s Big Bend Gulf Coast. This remote area boasts one of the longest and wildest publicly-owned coastal wetlands in the United States, and a striking array of bird and marine life. Flocks of white pelicans zoom past in winter and great egrets dot marshy expanses, white as snowflakes. Bald eagles and ospreys entertain with their aerial maneuvers, and in the often clear waters one can spot fish, sea turtles and small rays in lush meadows of sea grass.
The Big Bend Saltwater Paddling Trail spans much of the Big Bend from the Aucilla River to Yankeetown. The northern 105-mile segment from the Aucilla to the Suwanee River is managed by the FWC. The 55-mile segment from the town of Suwanee to Yankeetown offers the Shell Mound County Park, managed by Levy County, and three primitive campsites in the Waccasassa Preserve managed by the Florida Park Service.