Bluewater Trails in Sarasota County

Sarasota Bay Trail

Launch Points: Overlook Park, Island Park/Bayfront Park, Centennial Park and Ken Thompson Park

Lido Park Trail

Launch Points: Bird Key Park, South Lido Nature Park, South Lido Beach Park, Shell Road

South Lido Park Trail

Launch Points: North Nature Trail, South Nature Trail

Phillippi Creek Trail

Launch Points: Pinecraft Park, Philipi Estate Park, Christopher Wheeler Park

Neville Marine Preserve Trail

Launch Points: Wharf Road, Turtle Beach Vamo Road, Blackburn Point Park

South Creek Trail

Launch Points: Osprey Fishing Pier, Blackburn Point Park, Oskar Scherer State Park

Dona Bay/Roberts Bay Trail

Launch Points: Nokomis Beach, North Jetty Park, Curry Creek Preserve, Higel Park

Caspersen Trail

Launch Points: Caspersen Beach Park, Blind Pass Beach Park, Manasota Beach Park

Lemon Bay Trail

Launch Points: Lemon Bay Park, Indian Mound Park, Cedar Point Environmental Park

Cooper Creek Trail

Launch Point: Nathan Benderson Park Boat Ramp

Myakka River/ Carlton Trail

Launch Points: Myakka River State Park, T. Mabry Carlton, Jr. Memorial Reserve, Snook Haven

With all the room to paddle, Florida is considered the "paddling capital"

Florida’s coast line is a remarkable 1300 miles long and there are over 1700 rivers. Like the rivers, the seas are in constant motion, peaceful or tempest, with the seas constantly attacking and shaping the landscape. Florida’s rivers are running 24 hours, 365 days a year, and while we sleep, dream, work, love, or play billions of gallons of water are pouring into the sea, sculpturing the land, alternating it every second.

Natural Florida is nowhere more glorious than where the water touches the shore or banks, and, of course, there is really nothing boring about Florida.

You can swim, snorkel or dive in the gin clear water of the Gulf of Mexico. But you can use a boat as well if you want to cover longer distances. Power and sailboats are the choice for longer trips, but if you want to enjoy the tranquility, the nature and the wildlife a Canoe or Kayak might be your pick.

On a Canoe or Kayak one can travel to remote areas, areas so narrow and shallow impossible to be reached by powerboat; and this is actually one of the reasons why kayaking has become a very popular sport.

However, the price of gas has made many people to think about their hobby as well – and many of them came to the conclusion that the gas mileage of a kayak is extraordinary in comparison with a 28 foot powerboat. 

Canoe or kayak trips can range from somewhat boring to thrilling – that is obviously a wide range. However, most of the water enthusiasts don’t really want a thrill ride; the majority of the paddlers want a pleasant joy ride, nothing fancy. They want to smell the mangroves; they want to watch the sun rise or want to feel the balmy air on their skin, the salt on their lips but no rushing waters or rapids. That may be more fun for “professionals”.

Trails are springing up everywhere. Inspired by grassroots movements and assisted at times by experienced National Park Service personnel, many Florida counties are creating “Blueways”, or water trails, often combining freshwater rivers and estuaries into quite lengthy potential trips.

Now you have to make a serious decision: Canoe or Kayak? The current trend is towards kayaks. Many water enthusiasts end up with both canoes and kayaks because canoes tend to be better on rivers, with rocks, stumps or logs. Kayaks, especially Ocean Kayaks, are the safer of the two for exploring bays, estuaries, and open waters of Florida’s seas. However, this does not mean that you can’t use a kayak on a river or vice versa.

There are two broad categories of kayaks: sit-on-tops or those where you sit in compartments. Kayaks are amazingly stable, in our opinion more than a Canoe, but kayaks are a little more sophisticated when it comes to getting in and out or recovering from a spill.