National Wildlife Refuge Trail 4 to loop at Port of the Islands
Trail photos
Author
Trail stats
- Distance
- 4.98 nm
- Elevation gain
- 3 ft
- Technical difficulty
- Moderate
- Elevation loss
- 3 ft
- Max elevation
- 32 ft
- TrailRank
-
35
5
- Min elevation
- 32 ft
- Trail type
- Loop
- Coordinates
- 447
- Uploaded
- June 20, 2020
- Recorded
- June 2020
near Weavers Station, Florida (United States)
Viewed 419 times, downloaded 6 times
Trail photos
Itinerary description
The National Wildlife Refuge sits on the south side of US-41 and runs from Collier Seminole State Park about 5 miles to Port of the Islands. In that 5 mile stretch there are 4 canoe trails headed south into the marshes. The trails are navigable only during wet season or after heavy rains. Two trails, 1 and 3 are accessible from the roadside. Trail 4 is protected by a guardrail, and Trail 2 is from a 20-car parking lot at the “Marsh Trail”.
National Wildlife Refuge trail #4. Park on the side of US41 behind the guardrail or past there if it’s crowded. There's a marker that says NWR Canoe Trail 4. The launch is gravel and well protected into a narrow channel through cattail marsh. There are no markers until you get past the cattail marsh, about half a mile.
Turn east at the first marker and follow the GPS track. The trail goes through cattail marshes, tunnels, and lakes, The current in the loop is tidal and can get swift. Paddling with the current can get treacherous because of all the branches... be careful.
National Wildlife Refuge trail #4. Park on the side of US41 behind the guardrail or past there if it’s crowded. There's a marker that says NWR Canoe Trail 4. The launch is gravel and well protected into a narrow channel through cattail marsh. There are no markers until you get past the cattail marsh, about half a mile.
Turn east at the first marker and follow the GPS track. The trail goes through cattail marshes, tunnels, and lakes, The current in the loop is tidal and can get swift. Paddling with the current can get treacherous because of all the branches... be careful.
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Easy to follow
Scenery
Moderate
Great paddle. Not one to try in the late winter or most of the sitting spring, however, because there isn't enough water in there to float all boats. After it begins raining, then there's plenty of water.
We've tried several times and were delighted to have made the paddle with so much water.