Florida's eleven National Parks challenge YOU to get out get paddling and find your park! Through 2016, the centennial year of the National Park Service, visit at least three of Florida's national parks and get out in a canoe, kayak or stand-up-paddleboard and paddle for 100 miles! Don't worry! You don't have to do all 100 miles at once! You'll have all year to get out and discover new places, and rediscover old favorites.Some parks may have rentals available, and some parks may offer guided paddling opportunities as well. Be sure to log your miles (download a convenient log sheet here) and take a selfie at each park. Don't forget to share your progress on social media using the hashtags #FLNPS100PaddleChallenge and #FindYourPark. When you reach 100 miles (or more!), stop into any of the national park visitor centers, show your log and your selfies, and you'll earn a specially-designed, one-of-a-kind iron-on patch to mark your achievement! Here is a list of parks where you can log your miles: Castillo de San Marcos National Monument Fort Caroline National Memorial Fort Matanzas National Monument Gulf Islands National Seashore Timucuan Ecological and Historical Preserve
Questions about the Florida National Parks Centennial Paddle Challenge? E-Mail us! The Florida National Parks Centennial Paddle Challenge is made possible through the generous support of the South Florida National Parks Trust.
NPS Photo by Yelitza Sepulveda Paddling in Biscayne National Park With 95% of it 173,000 acres covered by water, Biscayne is the largest marine park in the entire National Park System! Put in at Convoy Point, Black Point or Snowden's Bridge to explore the park's mangrove shorelines. Ask a ranger at the Dante Fascell Visitor Center for directions to Crocodile Creek, and area of dwarf mangrove forest. Expert paddlers who prepare very well may want to cross the 8-mile expanse of southern Biscayne Bay to camp on Elliott or Boca Chita Keys. If you've got a power boat (or a friend with a power boat!), take your paddlecraft to Caesar Creek to begin an exploration of Jones Lagoon, the park's premiere paddling destination. Full of upside-down jellies, sea stars, roseate spoonbills, and even the occasional turtle or shark, the lagoon is named for a pioneering African-American family that made this area their home for nearly 100 years. |
Last updated: December 21, 2017