Shingle Creek: Headwaters of the Everglades

Cypress swamp at Shingle creek

April 12
Shingle Creek- Headwaters of the Everglades




 In searching for the headwaters of the Everglades, I would never expect to be driving East down Kissimmee's "tourist hell corridor", as I call it. SR 192 is choked with traffic and tacky tourist shops, not the kind of place where you would expect a paddling paradise however, DO NOT overlook Steffie Landing, which lies right off of this over populated asphalt strip. It is a paddling experience not to be missed.
 First is the cost to launch your own paddlecraft- FREE. On this Tuesday morning when we arrived at 9am, the parking lot was empty. They have a kayak, canoe, and paddleboard rental business named Paddling Adventures at Steffie Landing, which I hear is reasonable however, it is imperative that you bring your own craft so you can paddle through the cypress swamp trail, which cannot be missed or you'll be missing out. The business, from my understanding, does not allow their rentals into this area because of liability reasons. It is not for inexperiened paddlers because of the difficulty steering through the giant trees. Steffie Landing is a park that also offers bike and hiking trails and has a few old cabins along the creek.These cabins date back to the 1800s, where loggers lived and used the numerous cypress trees in the area to make shingles for rooftops, hence the name Shingle Creek. Years ago, these waters were paddled by the Seminole Indians, and some archaelogical finds along this waterway have yielded artifacts over 4000 years old. Long before the asphalt jungle that is 192, this was a very different although similarly busy place. Shingle Creek flows from Babb Park to the North and empties into Lake Tohopekaliga, 23 miles later. From Lake Toho it drains into the Kissimmee River, which is now a no frills, man made canal, which links to several lakes until it arrives in Lake Okeechobee. From the "Big O", this water at one time fed and nourished the vast wetlands of the Everglades. Unfortunately, because of human intervention, this flow has been disrupted, adversely affecting this important ecosystem.
  We pushed off shortly after 9am, and entered a canopied jungle. The banks were somewhat high and heavily covered with palmettos and ferns. The mosquitos were thick but luckily for me, the sunblock I use goes on extra thick and thwarted the pest's plans for a bloody feast. I was accompanied in the Big Daddy, my oversized barge of a canoe, by my daughter Hope and 21 year old nephew, Pierce.Pierce was anxious to see alligators as they don't see that many in Arizona. Soon, the creek widens to about almost 100 feet, but soon  tapers and narrows again- for good! The water is dark, but similar to the Little Manatee River, it has a sandy bottom and tea colored water that is very clear in some spots. Cypress trees are everywhere and soon, they appear in the middle of the channel creating a maze and slalom course.

entering the cypress swamp

Old Steffie homestead

Bridge at Steffie landing

The cypress tower over us and we spy a large bird nest a hundred feet above us. A STOP sign appears ahead of us. This is the point where the rentals have to turn around. We continue on and follow the canoe trail markers, which are 3 foot high posts with bright orange paint coloring the top 2/3 rds of them. They are numbered and are efficiently placed near another, so the paddler will not get lost in this maze. This is the best paddling trail I have ever seen!
 At times the trail is just wide enough for the canoe to squeeze through. The current becomes very swift and the water is cool and shallow.There are huge cypress stumps that are marked by a subtle ripples on the surface, although, the water is clear enough to spot them. Several times I have to exit the canoe and pull us off of a stump whilst standing in waist deep water. Hopefullly I will not be standing on a large alligator's back or place my hand on a water moccassin , coiled around a cypress tree. Your imagination could run wild in a place like this. The trail, which was completed by the State of Florida, is so well done-I can't say enough good things about their efforts, which were considerable. Winding through the cypress trees in this swift clear water while admiring the beauty around you makes this trail the best I have seen so far. You shouldn't get lost either, as sometimes the trail markers are very close together as the trail takes a dramatic left or right turn. Getting a 17 foot canoe through this maze is no small feat either. It makes Juniper Creek or Weedon Island mangrove trails look easy.

tight squeeze

 We then come to the dramatic conclusion of our run- RAPIDS.There is a slight elevation drop amidst this swift current and we hear and see some large ripples of water ahead. It is short, but takes a couple of turns through some large cypress trees that have to be perfectly executed, or the Big Daddy may smack headlong into hard wood. We brace ourselves and then hurtle into chaos. After a few "yeee haws", we come to a unceremonious stop. We survey the river ahead and decide against dragging the canoe ahead in 2 feet of water and in an area that is very narrow. We turn back and we exit the canoe as I drag it upriver 100 feet or so against the "rapids".  The trek back against the current is challenging at first, but travelling slower against the current allows for more time to make sharp turns. We stop just outside the STOP sign and see a hundred gar pass under our canoe in the amber colored water.

dead end rapids

canoe trail

 We pass the put in and cross under the 192 bridge and hear the roar of the traffic overhead. Soon, we leave it behind as we head North and the river widens and civilization disappears. I see a couple of large gar sunning themselves on the surface of the water. We pass what I assume is Babb Park and underneath a beautiful bridge that is a bike trail with ugly graffiti on it. Welcome to the "new" Florida. We don't see any alligators and we head back to the landing after 3.5 hours on the creek. We surprise a school of fish on the way back, that almost end up in our canoe.
 Shingle Creek definately exceeded my expecations and I plan to visit this creek again, hopefully during higher water conditions that will allow me to reach Lake Toho. There are plans in the works to restore the Everglades waterway to its natural state instead of the "ugly"  Kissimmee River canal. If that happens it will be a paddler's dream; to head from Kissimmee and the land of Mickey to Lake Okeechobee and the Everglades would be a trip of a lifetime. The canoe trail that leads through the cypress labrynth has to be the best canoe and kayak trail in the state for its sense of remoteness and ease of negotiating this chaos with the well placed marker posts. Surprisingly, we didn't see one alligator on this trip, but I have heard of some giants that lurk here. The amazing thing is how close civilization is to this wild place; it seems that you are hundreds of miles away lost in a swamp. This makes Shingle Creek the ultimate day trip getaway.