Turkey Creek

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Turkey Creek

OUR MOST POPULAR TOUR

Duration:

About 4 hours

About

Don't let the name of this spectacular waterway fool you. Nestled in a 130-acre natural area purchased by the Brevard County Environmentally Endangered Lands Program this paddle is one of the most beautiful on the Space Coast.

Our paddle begins in a salt march/estuarian type environment where we often see dolphins as well as manatees. We paddle upstream for about a mile before entering Turkey Creek sanctuary where the environment changes completely! There we will experience both hydric (wet) and mesic (moist) hardwood hammocks and high sand pine banks that provide plenty of habitat for a wide variety of critters.

Manatees, alligators, and literally tons of turtles. If you are a bird watcher you can expect to see herons (great blues, little blues, greens, and an occasional night heron), anhinga, cormorants, owls, osprey, and songbirds by the hundreds, if not thousands! Migration season (which lasts from October to November, and from March to April) is an especially excellent time to bring your binoculars and see many birds making their way through the area. Many nights, it has been reported that over a million birds have flown through the area.

The plant life is just as exotic with maples and hickories along the banks, old oaks covered in resurrection ferns, and even a few native orchids. You’ll be able to see them blooming from early June to mid-July. You will also see some of our non-native plants that are impacting our environment. We will tell you about the Chinese tallow and Brazilian pepper trees and how they crowd out our native species and are changing their habitats.

Once we reach the Melbourne-Tillman dam, we’ll turn back and float downstream back to our launch point. There are a couple of different twists and turns along the way back, so you’ll get a different perspective.

This is a flatwater paddle with a small current of ~3 knots (about walking speed). While the paddle is listed as a four-hour tour, we never hold a watch to our guests. If we see a manatee and want to watch it for half an hour, well, that’s what we do!

Parking:
Free parking on a flat lot. Please lock all valuables in your car and keep them out of sight. The parking is NOT secured and is at your own risk.
Ages:

This paddle is suitable for kids over the age of 8. Younger kids can be accommodated by riding in a tandem (two-person) boat with a parent.

Skill Level:
This paddle is suitable for all skills levels.
Availability:

This tour normally runs twice a day from Jan through March when daylight saving time kicks in. From then until early November, we do three tours a day when we switch back to two until we close for the season in December. We operate Tuesday through Sunday from January to March’s DST changeover, then Monday through Sunday until we switch back in November.
Our booking platform list the times as 8:30 AM, 2:00 PM, and 6:00 PM. But we can accommodate any time as long as our other bookings do not conflict. So, if you want to sleep in a little and do a 10:00 AM tour, and we don’t have a conflicting tour, then we’ll go at 10! Just call us to discuss.

Maximum/Minimum Tour Size:
We really like to keep our tours small. We average four people per group. That way, everyone has a much better experience. Singe kayakers are always welcome, and we go out even with just one person!
All of that said, we can accommodate larger groups. You can book up to eight people online through our booking platform, but if you have a larger group, just call us and we’ll get you set up.

Included in Price:

This trip includes the use of a:
• sit-on kayak,
• all needed equipment (i.e., paddle, personal floatation device (PFD),
• certified Florida Master Naturalist guide,
• Chem-lights as needed for night paddles.
• A dry bag to keep your keys, phone, etc. safe.

What to Bring:

While we always carry extra supplies with us, you may have a preferred brand, so we recommend:
• Sunscreen,
• Water (at least 1L/pp),
• Insect repellent,
• Hat with a wide brim,
• Sunglasses (the polarized ones are best for seeing into the water).
A special note about cameras. While you are welcome to bring a camera (or use your smartphone) we recommend you leave them behind. All too often we’ve seen people get so caught up in trying to grab a photograph they miss out on the experience. As a friend of ours once said “Sometimes, you just have to put the camera down and kiss the whale”. Ask us about the details! We will be happy to take a group photo (or two, or three) and send it to you if you ask us.

Tipping:
While tipping is NEVER required, it is ALWAYS appreciated. (Our cat eats off tips!)

About

Location

Things to keep in mind