Florida Parks and Recreation Areas with Kayaking

More than 80 percent of Gulf Islands National Seashore is under water, but the barrier islands are the most outstanding features to those who visit. The Seashore stretches 160 miles from Cat Island in Mississippi to the eastern tip of Santa Rosa Island in Florida. There are snowy-white beaches, sparkling blue waters, fertile coastal marshes, and dense maritime forests. read more...

Phone: 850-934-2600   Price Range: $3 - $100   Open Season: N/A   Camping: Yes
Nearest Popular City: Gulf Breeze   Nearest Lake or River: N/A   Park Type: National Park   Activities: Biking / Bicycling, Birding, Boating and Watercraft, Fishing, Hiking, Horseback Riding, Hunting and Shooting, Kayaking, Swimming, Wildlife Watching, Nature Walks, Interpretive Programs, Star Gazing   Details Provided By: Gulf Islands National Seashore

The 46,000 acre Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve was established to protect one of the last unspoiled coastal wetlands on the Atlantic Coast, and to preserve historic and prehistoric sites within the area. The estuarine ecosystem includes salt marsh, coastal dunes, and hardwood hammocks, all rich in native vegetation and animal life. read more...

Phone: (904) 641-7155   Price Range: N/A   Open Season: N/A   Camping: Yes
Nearest Popular City: Jacksonville   Nearest Lake or River: N/A   Park Type: N/A   Activities: Birding, Fishing, Hiking, Kayaking, Wildlife Watching, Nature Walks, Interpretive Programs   Details Provided By: Timucuan Ecological & Historic Preserve

Canaveral National Seashore is on a barrier island which includes ocean, beach, dune, hammock, lagoon, salt marsh, and pine flatland habitats. read more...

Phone: 321-267-1110   Price Range: $3 - $35   Open Season: N/A   Camping: Yes
Nearest Popular City: Titusville   Nearest Lake or River: N/A   Park Type: National Park   Activities: Birding, Boating and Watercraft, Fishing, Hiking, Hunting and Shooting, Kayaking, Swimming, Wildlife Watching, Nature Walks   Details Provided By: Canaveral National Seashore

Spanning the southern tip of the Florida peninsula and most of Florida Bay, Everglades National Park is the only subtropical preserve in North America. It contains both temperate and tropical plant communities, including sawgrass prairies, mangrove and cypress swamps, pinelands, and hardwood hammocks, as well as marine and estuarine environments. read more...

Phone: 305-242-7700   Price Range: $2 - $25   Open Season: N/A   Camping: Yes
Nearest Popular City: Homestead   Nearest Lake or River: N/A   Park Type: National Park   Activities: Biking / Bicycling, Birding, Boating and Watercraft, Fishing, Hiking, Kayaking, Wildlife Watching, Nature Walks, Interpretive Programs, Star Gazing   Details Provided By: Everglades National Park

Some days, Biscayne Bay's shallow waters are glassy smooth, a window on another world. Other times, the wind whistles and whips, creating white waves that bite like teeth at an angry sky. read more...

Phone: 305-230-1144   Price Range: $10 - $25   Open Season: N/A   Camping: Yes
Nearest Popular City: Homestead   Nearest Lake or River: N/A   Park Type: National Park   Activities: Birding, Boating and Watercraft, Fishing, Hiking, Kayaking, Swimming, Wildlife Watching, Nature Walks, Interpretive Programs, Star Gazing   Details Provided By: Biscayne

Throughout its history, the story of Fort Matanzas has been closely intertwined with that of the city of St. Augustine and the Castillo de San Marcos. This Spanish outpost fort was built in 1740-1742 to guard the Matanzas Inlet and to warn St. Augustine of British or other enemies approaching from the south. Fort Matanzas now serves as a reminder of the early Spanish empire in the New World. read more...

Phone: 904-471-0116   Price Range: N/A   Open Season: N/A   Camping: No
Nearest Popular City: St. Augustine   Nearest Lake or River: N/A   Park Type: National Monument   Activities: Birding, Boating and Watercraft, Fishing, Kayaking, Swimming, Wildlife Watching, Nature Walks, Interpretive Programs   Details Provided By: Fort Matanzas

The first National Preserve in the National Park System, Big Cypress has a mixture of pines, hardwoods, prairies, mangrove forests, cypress strands and domes. White-tailed deer, bear and Florida panther can be found here along with the more tropical liguus tree snail, royal palm and cigar orchid. read more...

Phone: 239-695-2000   Price Range: N/A   Open Season: N/A   Camping: Yes
Nearest Popular City: Ochopee   Nearest Lake or River: N/A   Park Type: National Preserve   Activities: Backpacking, Biking / Bicycling, Birding, Fishing, Hiking, Hunting and Shooting, Kayaking, Wildlife Watching, Auto Touring, Nature Walks, Interpretive Programs, Star Gazing   Details Provided By: Big Cypress