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Florida Circumnavigational Saltwater Paddling Trail
Segment 24
St. Augustine
Emergency Contact Numbers:
Begin: Faver-Dykes State Park/Mellon Island
End: Palm Valley
Road (Highway 210)
Distance: 35.5 miles
Duration: 3 days
Special Considerations:
Boat traffic can be heavy along the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW),
especially on weekends and holidays. Paddling along the high energy East
Coast shoreline is not recommended due to safety considerations. While
some calm periods may make it suitable for paddling the coastal
shoreline, conditions can change abruptly and few inlets allow paddlers
to move to more sheltered waters. Even in the ICW, there is often a
strong easterly shore breeze.
Introduction
St. Augustine is the
oldest European-founded city in the United States. For centuries, Spain,
France, England, a young United States and various Native American
tribes wrested for control of Florida through the historic town.
Paddlers on the circumnavigational trail can touch that history by
visiting the historic section of St. Augustine and other historical
sites in the area.
The St. Augustine segment
is also blessed with scenic beauty. The trail skirts county parks and
large tracts of public land. These include the Guana Tolomato Matanzas
National Estuarine Research Reserve (GTM). The reserve encompasses more
than 60,000 acres of wetlands, upland habitats and offshore areas. To
learn more, log onto http://www.dep.state.fl.us/COASTAL/sites/gtm/
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The Matanzas State
Forest, along the western shore of the Matanzas River in the beginning
of this segment, is part of a 16,000-acre conservation corridor linking
protected lands along Pellicer Creek to the Moses Creek Conservation
Area. A significant wood stork rookery is located in the forest. To
learn more, log onto: http://www.fl-dof.com/state_forests/matanzas.html
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Moses Creek Conservation
Area is managed by the St. Johns River Water Management District and
features scenic primitive camping along the sandy bluffs of Moses Creek,
along with miles of hiking trails. For more information, log onto: http://www.sjrwmd.com/recreationguide/n10/index.html
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Anastasia State Park and
its white sand beaches and campground are accessible near the end of the
Salt Run east of St. Augustine, just past the St. Augustine lighthouse
and museum (also accessible by kayak). Much of the coquina rock used to
build Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine was quarried here by the
Spanish. To learn more, log onto www.floridastateparks.org.
Guana River Wildlife
Management Area covers nearly 10,000 acres along the eastern shore of
the Tolomato River in the northern part of this segment. An estimated
3000-4000 migratory waterfowl winter at Guana Lake, and the area is
known for being an ideal place to spot peregrine falcons during April
and October. To learn more, log onto http://www.floridaconservation.org/recreation/guana_river/default.asp.
Two historic
Spanish-built forts can be accessed from the trail, Fort Matanzas and
Castillo de San Marcos. Both are national monuments. To learn more about
Fort Matanzas, log onto http://www.nps.gov/foma/
; for Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine, log onto http://www.nps.gov/casa/.
Leave No Trace principles
should be utilized for any primitive camping outlined in this guide. To
learn more about Leave No Trace principles, log onto http://www.lnt.org.
1. Mellon Island to
Moses Creek Conservation Area, 7 miles
Take your time paddling
this section for there is much to see and learn. By taking the old
channel of the Matanzas River just past Mellon Island, you’ll not only
avoid busy boat traffic, you can also access the Fort Matanzas National
Monument. Land near the dock along the east side of the river to tour
the visitor’s center and hike the nature trail. Do not land at the
fort itself. To reach the fort, you must take a free ferry ride across
the river, where you will be treated to a guided tour by a person in
character as a Spanish infantryman. The panoramic view of a relatively
unspoiled terrain from atop the fort is worth the trip alone. If you are
taller than 5’7”, duck your head through the doorways.
The ferry boat leaves
every hour from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm, seven days a week every day except
Christmas. Ground-shaking cannon firing demonstrations occur Saturday
through Monday. The fort, built from 1740-1742, was needed by the
Spanish to guard the Matanzas Inlet to St. Augustine. The Spanish had
good reason to fear a raid since the English repeatedly harassed St.
Augustine, beginning in 1586 when Sir Francis Drake burned the city. The
fort proved to be an adequate deterrent. Gunners fired upon British
vessels soon after completion, and never saw military action thereafter.
The Matanzas Inlet was
named for a Spanish slaughter of about 250 Frenchmen who had surrendered
to Pedro Menendez de Aviles in 1564. Matanzas is the Spanish word for
“slaughters.”
About a mile past the
Highway 206 Bridge along the western shore is the Moses Creek
Conservation Area. Two primitive campsites atop sandy bluffs overlooking
Moses Creek are hard to beat anywhere. The first shaded site beneath
arching live oak and cedar trees is only a quarter of a mile in from the
Matanzas River near Murat Point. This campsite has picnic tables, a fire
ring and a hand pump for washing dishes (not potable). Each site can
accommodate up to four tents; they are available free of charge on a
first-come, first-served basis. From this first campsite, you can access
several miles of marked hiking trails, or you can paddle up Moses Creek.
2. Moses Creek
Conservaton Area to St. Augustine, 9.5 miles
To access the historic
section of St. Augustine, land your kayak at the low dock at the St.
Augustine Municipal Marina alongside numerous small dinghies, just south
of the Bridge of Lions. Make sure you have a bowline to tie up. You’ll
need to register at the marina office at the end of the dock and pay a
small fee. The marina has restrooms, showers, a Laundromat, small store,
and there is a motel across the street. Various other motels and bed and
breakfasts are within easy walking distance, including an inexpensive
hostel with an all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast, The Pirate Haus
Inn (954) 567-7275. You can also walk to shops,
museums, restaurants and to the historic Castillo de San Marcos, or you
can paddle to the fort and land on the north side at a small beach.
Learn how Seminole Indians achieved their great escape from the fort’s
jail during the Second Seminole War. Downtown ghost tours are available
after dark. For more information on St. Augustine attractions, log onto http://www.oldcity.com/
. If you don’t want to walk, you can take a sightseeing train or a
horse drawn carriage.
If not staying in St.
Augustine, about four miles north on the east side of the Tolomato River
is the North Beach Camp Resort. You can land at the boat ramp near a
bait and tackle shop (see map) and walk to the office to register for a
tent site. The campground has restrooms, showers and a Laundromat.
Advanced reservations are recommended. Call 800-542-8316.
Though a bit off the
route, you can also camp at Anastasia State Park by paddling up the Salt
Run to the park’s launch area. The campground is a short walk across
the road. Reservations may be made in advance by calling Reserve America
at 1-800-326-3521 or by accessing their website, http://www.reserveamerica.com/.
3. St. Augustine to
Palm Valley Road (Highway 210), 19 miles
As you head north, you’ll
be passing alongside several large tracts of public land, mostly along
the eastern shore.
To access the GTM Reserve’s
Guana River site, you can land at Shell Bluff, the site of a coquina
well remaining from a Minorcan farm in the early 1800s. There are 10
miles of hiking/biking trails and it is about a 1.5-mile walk from Shell
Bluff to the GTM Environmental Education Center (small fee for entry)
where there are exhibits, aquariums, an orientation video, and a nature
shop. The Guana River and lake east of the Tolomato River is a
popular destination for day paddlers.
The next large chunk of
public lands is the Guana River Wildlife Management Area (WMA). While
there is no camping allowed on WMA land on the east side of the ICW, you
can paddle through several adjacent coves and side channels that will
allow you to separate yourself from the sometimes busy ICW and enjoy
unspoiled marshy vistas and rich bird life.
Several spoil areas along
the ICW are often used for primitive camping by boaters, but permission
has not been granted to include them in this guide.
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St.
Augustine Segment
2010 State of Florida