Guide to Paddling Fort Lauderdale – The Wilton Manors Loop

Wilton Manors, a suburb just north of Fort Lauderdale, is deemed “the Island City” as a river system completely encompasses it. Surprisingly, you can actually paddle the entire circumference of the city in just a few enjoyable hours along the Middle River. Sunshine, great exercise, and a surprising speck of nature await you on this paddling loop in Fort Lauderdale.

Paddling Fort Lauderdale – The Wilton Manors Loop

When you live in the “Venice of America” (Fort Lauderdale, that is), it’s hard not to find great places to enjoy the water. We recently explored the Middle River and actually circled around the entire village of Wilton Manors in the process.

The 7-mile paddling loop is ideal for beginners as the river has no major currents and boating traffic is minimal. Even on windy days, the paddling is still doable; safe and easy!

Don’t forget a snack, water, and some sunscreen – it is Florida, after all!

Access Points and Rest Stops:

Truthfully, the paddling loop can be started from multiple sites, all with free parking and boat ramps. At the very least, use the other parks as rest stops along your paddle journey:

• Colohatchee Park and Boat Ramp is the best place to start. Why? There’s usually ample parking and you can drop off your kayaks right next to the boat ramp. Not to mention, the bathroom facilities and water fill station. Map It!
• Richardson Historic Park and Nature Preserve. Just west of Colohatchee is a small park surrounded by mangroves. If you’re renting a kayak, head to this park as the Atlantic Coast Kayak Company bases their operations out of here. Map It!
• Snook Creek Park is merely a small parking lot with a picnic table and a boat ramp. Stop here if you need to stretch your legs! Map It!
• Island City Park Preserve is a great little park about halfway through the Wilton Manors Loop. It makes the most sense stopping here for a break as they have picnic tables, water fill stations, and bathrooms! If you’re too tired to keep going, this is a great place to end the paddle trip as well. Map It!
• J. Dewey Hawkins Landing Park. This park has a great ramp specifically for kayaks. Map It!

What you may see while paddling Fort Lauderdale:

Although you’re in an urban area, the natural wildlife will still make an appearance. I was pleasantly surprised with the amount of untouched mangroves serving as home to many different species of wildlife.

Oh, and the nice houses, boats, and creativeness of people’s backyards was fun to look at too…

Some highlights are:

• Surprisingly intact mangrove environments, particularly along the southern portion of the loop.
• Birds! Specifically, I saw a few beautiful blue heron.
• Iguanas everywhere! Which are actually invasive and cause A LOT of harm to our natural vegetation (and people’s gardens). (Read how we ate one for Valentine’s Day)
• If you’re lucky…a manatee! Be on the lookout as you can hear/see them come up for air!
• Beautiful canal homes we can all dream of owning some day.
• And the boats on the river behind those homes. SO jealous.

Where to Rent Kayaks and Paddles:

To our knowledge, the only outfitter to service this area is the Atlantic Coast Kayak Company. They have a wide range of offerings for reasonable prices!

Other Considerations:

• Watch your head! During high tide you may have to duck under bridges!
• Speaking of high tide, check tide charts before you go! This won’t make or break but it will certainly give you a hand if you time it out right!
• Keep in mind: water is rushing inland during high tide, water is rushing out to sea during low tide. Plan accordingly.
• Put your finger to the wind! Again this is not make or break, but paddling into gusty winds can certainly add some extra strain on those arms of yours.
• Bring a bucket! For what? For all the trash you might find! Plastic bottles, wrappers, and cups can be quite common, unfortunately. Do your part and clean trash you see as it’ll eventually make its way to our oceans! Related: 10 Alternatives to Single-Use Plastic.
• Download Google Maps. Just so you’re sure to stay on the right track. Keeping your map pulled up will prevent any accidental strokes in the wrong direction!

How to shorten the loop and save your arms!

Is seven miles too long? Want to shorten the trip up? No problem!

We still recommend starting at Colohatchee Boat Ramp but the trip can easily be shortened by stopping at The Island City Preserve Park. This will essentially cut the trip in half.

Just modify your trip by what you want to see:

• Want to see beautiful homes, boats, and canals? Head east starting out.
• Want to see more wildlife and mangrove environments? Head west.

Once you get to the Island City Park, simply leave a member of your crew to watch the kayaks as one of you takes an Uber or Lyft back to your car! Problem solved and arms saved!

Don’t forget the necessities:

• An eco-friendly water bottle? Check.
• A dry bag for clothes, towel, and snacks? Check.
• Waterproof case for your phone so you can access the map? Check.
• Coral reef and ocean safe sunscreen? Check

Looks like you’re ready to go! Happy paddling, explorers!

Traveling to the Fort Lauderdale area?

Use these resources to help plan your trip so you can come paddle the Venice of America!