Florida Paddling Trails

Florida has more than 60 state-designated paddling trails totaling more than 4,100 miles, coordinated by the FDEP Office of Greenways and Trails (FDEP designated paddling trails).

The first Florida paddling trails were designated in the early 1970s, and the list has grown since. A trail joins it only when a government body or non-profit entity agrees to manage it and applies for designation through the Office of Greenways and Trails, which coordinates the designated trails and works with or seeks to identify local and regional managers (FDEP).

Several Florida rivers carry federal designations as well. The Loxahatchee and Wekiva rivers are Florida's national wild and scenic rivers, the Suwannee River Wilderness Trail is a recognized national water trail, and a dozen Florida paddling trails are national recreation trails. The Myakka is the only state designated wild and scenic river, set by the Florida Legislature in 1985, and the Kissimmee and Little Manatee rivers are under study for federal wild and scenic status (FDEP designated paddling trails).

The Florida Circumnavigational Saltwater Paddling Trail, called the CT, is a 1,515-mile sea kayaking route from Big Lagoon State Park near Pensacola, around the peninsula and the Keys, to Fort Clinch State Park in Fernandina Beach (FDEP CT page).

The same FDEP page rounds it to a 1,500-mile coastal adventure when it introduces the new CT paddling hub. FDEP calls the CT the country's longest designated national recreation trail. It is split into 26 segments, from Segment 1 Pensacola/Fort Pickens through Segment 14 Everglades/Florida Bay, Segment 15 Florida Keys Overseas Paddling Trail and Segment 22 Space Coast to Segment 26 Timucuan Trails/Fort Clinch (FDEP segment guides). Each Florida segment has a free text guide and map book to download.

Along the way the CT passes 20 national parks, seashores, wildlife refuges and marine sanctuaries, 39 Florida aquatic preserves and nearly 80 Florida state parks (FDEP). It folds in existing routes such as the Big Bend Saltwater Paddling Trail, the Nature Coast Trail and the Gulf and Wilderness waterways in Everglades National Park, and continues north through Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia on the Southeast Coast Saltwater Paddling Trail.

FDEP says thousands of Florida residents and visitors paddle the CT for a few hours, days, weeks or months; some have paddled the entire trail, and others seek to complete it in segments over several years. The nonprofit Florida Paddling Trails Association, formed in 2007, acts as volunteer steward, sells the ninth edition of the printed CT Trail Guide and keeps a hall of fame of paddlers who completed the whole Florida trail (FDEP CT page). FDEP asks anyone planning a full thru trip to contact the Office of Greenways and Trails for GIS data.

Beyond the full CT, two long Florida routes suited to multi-day trips are the Big Bend Saltwater Paddling Trail and the Everglades Wilderness Waterway (FWC Big Bend trail).

FWC's Big Bend trail runs from the Aucilla River to Yankeetown, a coast FWC says sea kayakers know for multi-day expeditions, and the 99-mile Wilderness Waterway in Everglades National Park, where most paddlers allow at least eight days (National Park Service).

On Florida's Big Bend coast, the northern 105-mile segment from the Aucilla to the Suwannee River is managed by FWC, and campsites on it require free camping permits reserved in advance, with camping available only Sept. 1 through June 30 (FWC). The 55-mile segment from Suwannee to Yankeetown uses Shell Mound County Park, run by Levy County, and three primitive campsites in the Waccasassa Preserve run by the Florida Park Service.

In the Everglades, the National Park Service says the 99-mile Wilderness Waterway draws interest because it links Flamingo and Everglades City, that most paddlers allow at least eight days, and that the route is recommended for experienced paddlers only. It also warns that the mazes of mangrove-lined creeks and bays all begin to look the same (National Park Service).

FDEP lists Florida's designated paddling trail guides in six regions, Northwest, Upper Big Bend, North Central, Northeast, Southeast and Southwest, each with its own story map (FDEP designated paddling trails).

In the Florida Panhandle, the Northwest list includes the Perdido River, Coldwater Creek, Blackwater River, Holmes Creek, the Choctawhatchee River Blueway, Econfina Creek and the Chipola River. The Upper Big Bend has the Ochlockonee, Sopchoppy, Wakulla, Wacissa and Aucilla rivers and the 10-trail Apalachee Bay Maritime System, and the North Central region has the Suwannee River Wilderness Trail, the Santa Fe River and the Withlacoochee River (FDEP).

On the peninsula, Northeast Florida trails include Pellicer Creek, the Tomoka River, the St. Johns River Blueway, the Wekiva River and Rock Springs Run and the Econlockhatchee River. Southeast trails include the Indian River Lagoon and St. Lucie River South Fork, the Loxahatchee River and the Kissimmee River Blueway, and Southwest trails include the Peace River, the Great Calusa Blueway, the Hillsborough River and the Little Manatee River (FDEP designated paddling trails).

FDEP rates Florida trips by skill: a beginner paddles 1 to 5 miles on protected waters, an intermediate paddler 5 to 10 miles with basic strokes, rescue techniques and good steering, and an advanced paddler more than 10 miles a day in a variety of conditions (FDEP).

Under U.S. Coast Guard regulations, which FWC applies in Florida, canoes, kayaks and paddleboards outside swimming, surfing or bathing areas count as vessels, so each needs a wearable Coast Guard approved life jacket for every person aboard and a sound-producing device (FWC paddlecraft rules).

FWC requires the life jacket to be worn by children under 6 and strongly advises everyone else to wear one. The sound-producing device is a bell, horn or whistle that can be heard for at least one-half nautical mile, and a paddler out between sunset and sunrise or when visibility is restricted must carry a lantern or flashlight shining a white light (FWC). On the Atlantic Ocean, the Gulf of America and Florida coastal waters at night, paddlers must also carry three pyrotechnic or one non-pyrotechnic night visual distress signal approved by the Coast Guard; manually propelled boats are not required to carry day signals.

Florida paddlers on the Intracoastal Waterway may use the channel only when no other open water is available, when crossing it quickly and directly, or in an emergency, and must leave the channel as soon as possible (FWC paddlecraft rules). Nonmotorized boats that are not required to be registered do not need to display a Florida Freedom Boater inspection decal.

On October 15, 2026, official Florida paddling pages flagged a storm notice and two guides under revision, and FDEP asks CT paddlers to inquire with local authorities and businesses before embarking (FDEP segment guides).

As of October 15, 2026, FDEP's CT segment page still warns that some coastal facilities in segment 6, the Big Bend, may be closed or partially closed due to Hurricane Idalia; the notice carries no date, and FDEP points to its What's New on the CT link for the latest information (FDEP). FWC says its Big Bend Saltwater Paddling Trail Guide is being redesigned and will be available at a later date (FWC Big Bend trail), and FDEP lists its Ichetucknee River guide as pending updates.

FDEP updated its Florida designated trails page on October 8, 2026 and asks paddlers who notice changes in access or other features to email [email protected], which keeps the statewide maps current (FDEP designated paddling trails).

Last verified: October 15, 2026, against the FDEP Office of Greenways and Trails, FWC and National Park Service pages.