See the Boat Launches web page for an interactive location map.
The Seagrape Drive Boat Launch is located at the end of the road that runs next to the Nathaniel P. Reed Visitor Center. The earthen ramp launches into a canal that takes you to Halfway Creek. Small, motorized boats, canoes, and kayaks can launch here. While Halfway Creek eventually becomes so shallow and narrow that canoes and kayaks can barely get through, it doesn’t thin out for a few miles, giving fishing boats plenty of water to roam around in. On top of that, there are short channels that lead to other boat-friendly bodies of water. There is a large, dirt parking area at the ramp.
Entry by any means into the backcountry requires a permit. These are free and can be obtained at kiosks at trailheads, boat ramps, backcountry access roads, hunter check-in stations, and the visitor centers. All you need is a pen or pencil to fill out the multi-copy form on which you provide your entry date and time, your estimated return time, and the purpose of your adventure (i.e. hike, camp, hunt). Keep one copy with you, stick one in the permit collection box at the kiosk, and place one on the dashboard of your car (all backcountry access areas have parking lots or allow roadside parking). Permits help the National Park Service track which areas are used the most, plus if your car is left overnight the park Rangers will know when you were supposed to have returned, and if this time has long since passed, they know to come looking for you.
You can also download the Backcountry-Permit (PDF) and either fill it out by hand or by using Adobe Acrobat (or an Acrobat browser plug-in). The PDF has two permits, and if you use Acrobat, the second permit fills out automatically as you type information into the first permit. You need three permits, so be sure to print two copies of the PDF and then use scissors to separate the copies.
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Last updated on June 8, 2023