Kayaking Florida's Blueway Trails

As we paddle along a shoreline of thick, green mangroves, an impossibly pink roseate spoonbill stands out as a surprise of nature. The wading bird is too busy searching for breakfast, however, to be distracted by mere humans. The spoonbill moves its head from side to side, using its spatula-shaped bill like a treasure hunter would use a metal detector to search for gold.

“Is that a flamingo?” Bradley, a 9-year-old friend of the family, asks as we pull our paddles from the water and wait as our kayaks glide closer.

I explain that, while many people incorrectly associate the flamingo with Florida, the roseate spoonbill is actually our native pink bird. Both flamingos and spoonbills get their color from the crustaceans they eat. Bradley ponders this information for about a nanosecond. Then, he turns and paddles toward the mangrove-covered island across the bayou as if it were Treasure Island.

With more than 100 miles of Florida Blueway trails in the area, our biggest challenge was deciding which segment to paddle. The trail stretches from Anclote Key Preserve State Park south to Fort De Soto Park. The scenic water pathway snakes in and around islands and winds back into Tampa Bay as far east as Oldsmar, dipping into secluded, shallow bayous and stretching between city and county parks along the way.

Today, the three of us – my husband James, Bradley and I – decide to paddle a Blueway section with a variety of sights, including wildlife, cityscapes and waterfront mansions. We rent kayaks from Osprey Bay Kayaks & Outdoors in Clearwater. They make it easy for us by unloading our kayaks right along the water’s edge at Cooper’s Bayou Park, just south of downtown Safety Harbor.

Today, the water is like glass. And, although it is a fall day, the weather is comfortably warm; the bay feels as inviting as a swimming pool as I trail my fingers through the water from the side of the kayak. As we paddle across the bayou to the island, mullet leap from the water, and Bradley calls out after each: "That was big one!"

We reach the island, which is wild, seemingly untouched, and follow a liquid pathway into its heart. The trail narrows with every turn, bringing us closer to a slender anhinga (a close relative of the cormorant) and herons preening in the thick mangroves.

Just when we think we’ve reached a dead end, James and Bradley spot a mangrove-canopied labyrinth that is even narrower. We follow it as if it leads to a secret that only we’ve been lucky enough to find.

We glide through single file, keeping our paddles parallel to the kayaks, and come within arms’ reach of dozens of tiny mangrove crabs crawling on the exposed mangrove roots.

Fortunately, we’ve found another trail, not an endless maze. It’s wide enough to paddle through but narrow enough to put an egret on top of us, literally. The elegant white bird cranes its neck to peer at us curiously as we pass beneath its branch. Deeper inside the trail, it’s like paddling in an aviary: snowy egrets, white ibis, colorful herons and inky anhingas are tucked into the spindly mangrove branches that stretch over the trail.

Our nature journey ends with another surprise – opening up to a wide expanse of bayfront and a view of downtown Tampa’s impressive skyline in the distance. We turn north toward Safety Harbor. The tide is moving out, exposing the top of a crab trap, and we paddle close to see a large orange crustacean inside. Farther north still, we glide along a shoreline of mansions and take turns choosing dream houses before heading back to Cooper’s Bayou. By the time we reach shore, Bradley has talked us into paddling another leg of the Blueway trails on our next adventure together. But that’s another story.

Trails and Resources

Finding your way to great kayaking trails is easy in the St. Petersburg/Clearwater area. The Pinellas Blueways Guide, an invaluable resource that can be downloaded from the Pinellas County Planning website, divides the trail into eight sections, with subsections showing more than 45 launch points.

There are many outfitters that will point the way, too. You can rent kayaks on-site without reservations at Fort De Soto Park (recently named America's best family beach by Parents magazine), the Dunedin Causeway and Honeymoon Island State Park. Or, take a ferry and rent a kayak at Caladesi Island State Park. The marked, narrow, inner-island trail winds though tunnels of mangroves, a very cool paddling experience.

Several outfitters bring kayaks to you. Sweetwater Kayaks regularly launches kayaks from Weedon Island Preserve, a bayside park popular with kayak fishermen. Island Marine Rentals in Indian Shores offers kayak rentals and guided trips along the beaches. In the granola town of Gulfport, Kayak Nature Adventure encourages paddlers to be "green" by offering free rentals to those who help tidy Clam Bayou in the process. It’s free fun on the water and a great way for kids to learn about their responsibility to Mother Nature.

Depending on which outfitter you rent from and the waters you have access to, your views of local scenery and wildlife will vary. You may want to call several to ask about what kind of paddling experience to expect, or check out their websites for information.

If You Go:

Blueways Guide, www.pinellascounty.org/Plan/blueways

Sail Honeymoon, www.sailhoneymoon.com, 727-734-0392

Island Marine Rentals, www.islandmarinerentals.com, 727-595-0000

Kayak Nature Adventures, http://kayaknature.com, 727-418-9728