Paddling across Mosquito Lagoon towards Shipyard Island, Canaveral National Seashore

Length: 3.5 miles round trip (from Apollo Beach Visitor Center)
Time: 2.5 hours

The Shipyard Island Canoe Trail is the only established canoe trail in Canaveral National Seashore. It makes for a great family trip—I did it with my wife and 10-year-old daughter—as it is only 3.5 miles long and takes about 2.5 hours. As long as you know which direction to head in so that you can find the starting point, following the trail is easy. White markers point out all the turns. If you are new to canoeing or just want to follow an established trail so you don’t have to worry about getting lost, you can’t go wrong with this trip. You can pick up a printed map at the Apollo Beach Visitor Center.

Shipyard Island Canoe Trail map (click to enlarge)

The trail begins across Mosquito Lagoon from the Apollo Beach Boat Ramp #1. This is the ramp that you first come to when entering the Apollo Beach unit of Canaveral National Seashore. There are various other places from which you can launch your canoe, so just be aware of your location in relationship to this ramp. I started the trip from the Apollo Beach Visitor Center where I rented a canoe (see the Paddling web page for information on Canoe Rentals). The Visitor Center is south of Boat Ramp #1, so I headed to the right and paddled north.

Sooner or later you must make your way across the lagoon to the islands. I suggest doing this as quickly as possible because motorboats speed through the area and the captain may not be able to see a low-lying canoe or kayak. Once across, just follow the shoreline of the islands until you come to the entrance of the canoe trail.

Wherever you start from, keep an eye out for Boat Ramp #1 and look directly across the lagoon for two white PVC poles sticking out of the water like football goalposts. These mark the start of the Shipyard Island Canoe Trail at a narrow inlet, though you can’t see the inlet until you get right up to the poles. It’s about a .7-mile paddle from the Visitor Center.

Two posts mark the entrance to the Shipyard Island Canoe Trail at Canaveral National Seashore

Start of the Shipyard Island Canoe Trail at Canaveral National Seashore

For the rest of the trip you will be paddling through narrow, mangrove-lined passageways. It’s like following a maze, and it is much more interesting than paddling on the open water. For one thing, you are much more likely to see animals back in the mangroves. We saw a number of birds, stingrays, baby jellyfish, and all sorts of other fish that I could not identify.

Typical terrain on the Shipyard Island Canoe Trail at Canaveral National Seashore

Ibis at the entrance to the Shipyard Island Canoe Trail at Canaveral National Seashore

Each turn on the trail is marked with a numbered post that corresponds to the numbers on the printed map. You can navigate the entire trail by the posts alone, but it’s nice to see your approximate location on the map. The map itself does not have enough detail to make it a reliable navigational device.

Numbered marker on the Shipyard Island Canoe Trail at Canaveral National Seashore

When you first start the trail, in addition to the numbered markers are a couple of signs that read EXIT and point in the direction you just came from. This is because Markers #1 through #4 are also used as the exit route. The trail is lollipop-shaped, meaning you paddle out on the “stick” before coming to the loop. Markers #1 through #4 are the stick. You return the same way to get back to the open waters of Mosquito Lagoon. The EXIT signs pertain to the return trip.

The only time the trail gets a little confusing is between Marker #16 and #17. At this point you begin to see signs with arrows but no numbers, and they look quite old, not newly painted like the numbered markers. These unfamiliar signs are what cause the confusion. As it turns out, just follow them. I don’t know why they are on the trail, but they eventually lead to Marker #17.

There are a number of places where you can get out and walk around, particularly at low tide. However, be sure to stick your paddle into the ground before stepping out to make sure you are on a solid surface and not knee-high mud. Also, be sure to wear some type of shoes that you do not mind getting wet because there can be sharp objects such as oyster shells buried in the sand. This advice was not heeded by my family, and luckily nobody stepped on anything. I have water shoes especially designed for canoeing and kayaking, but even tennis shoes will do as long as they can get wet. Flip flops are not recommended, but sandals that strap onto your feet are fine.

Taking a break along the Shipyard Island Canoe Trail at Canaveral National Seashore

Low and high tides don’t have too much affect on the difficulty of your paddling—from what I was told, it is the wind that really dictates whether or not you are in for a tough time. However, the tides do have an affect on water levels. At low tide, which happened to be the time when I did the trip, there are some stretches of the trail that do not have enough water to paddle, and I had to get out and walk. There is enough water for the canoe to float, just not enough for when two or more people are in it. I encountered this on the long stretch between Markers #19 and #20 and in a few other random spots.

Canaveral National Seashore’s Shipyard Island Canoe Trail at Marker #19

Walking on a paddling trip sure sounds like a bummer, but it really made the trip more exciting. The water is ankle deep and the ground is solid. The benefit is that you can really get a good look into the water and can see all sorts of creatures that you pass right by when paddling.

Cleopatra being pulled down the Nile by one of her slaves

Walking through the shallow water between Markers #19 and #20 on the Shipyard Island Canoe Trail, Canaveral National Seashore

Jellyfish floats by in the shallow waters of Mosquito Lagoon, Canaveral National Seashore

To exit the islands, the trail retraces its steps from Markers #4 to #1. In truth, as long as you turn right at #4 you don’t need to paddle all the way back to #1. Any channel on your right will take you back to the open waters of Mosquito Lagoon. The land is flat, so in most cases you can actually see the open water, so take the shortcut and save some time.

While I don’t care for paddling on open water due to the shear boredom of it, I love paddling down rivers and through narrow waterways like those along the Shipyard Island Canoe Trail. You never know what you are going to see around each bend. I saw two stingrays, and I had never seen one before, so that was a big thrill. Even my daughter, Sasha, had a good time, and she normally would much rather be on a couch playing a computer game. Of course you can paddle around any of the islands in Mosquito Lagoon and get the same experience, but having a marked trail takes some of the worry out of the adventure. I highly recommend the trip, and if you don’t have a canoe, you can rent one at the Apollo Beach Visitor Center, making the entire outing very convenient.

Back to the Top