Connecting Paddlers to Florida's Water Trails
Welcome to the Florida Paddling Trails Association (FPTA). We are the steward of Florida's paddling trails. FPTA's mission is to develop and maintain water trails, protect the environment along those trails, serve as a resource and voice for paddlers, and promote paddling safety." Read more
Our website has information on most water trails in the state including the longest paddling trail in the continental United States, the Florida Circumnavigational Saltwater Paddling Trail (CT). You can find details on day paddles, campsites, launches, sights to see, and facilities along the trails by clicking on the Paddling Trails link on the top menu bar, under Paddling.
Trail of the Month
Grayton Beach State Park - Western Lake
Submitted by Steve Cournoyer Region C Co-Director
Grayton Beach State Park - Western Lake
Grayton Beach State Park - Western Lake
Grayton Beach State Park - Western Lake
Grayton Beach State Park - Western Lake - Trail Details
Description: Launch at Western Lake and you can paddle to 3 other smaller lakes after passing under three bridges. This is a 100-acre coastal dune lake surrounded by the natu-ral areas of the state park. Most of the shoreline is within the State Park and is wild, how-ever the westernmost lake partially borders on the town of Grayton Beach, and the east-ernmost lake partially borders on the town of Seaside. The three major coastal dune lakes lie mostly within the park’s boundaries - Western Lake, Alligator Lake and Little Redfish Lake. Dune lakes are unusual coastal features found in few other places in the world. The outfall to the Gulf is usually sealed by the beach, but is occasionally breached depending on the lake levels, tides, and storms. Shorebirds are commonly seen.
Skill Level: Novice
Distance/Approximate Time: 6.4 Miles/3 Hours
Launch Site: Grayton Beach State Park Paddle Launch - Western Lake
Special Considerations: State Park Entry Fee. Kayak and SUP rentals are available. There is little to no current or tidal influence, but Western Lake is fairly large and the wind and waves can be a factor on windy days since it is so close to the Gulf of Mexico.
Trip planning: In addition to weather, planning for your trip should include tide and wind forecasts. When Trip planning, please see our Paddling Resources > Planning Tools page - https://www.floridapaddlingtrails.com/planning-tools
For more information: go to: https://www.floridapaddlingtrails.com/s2cb-day-paddles
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