Florida Keys

• John Pennecamp on Key Largo
• Bahia Hondo on Big Pine Key

$295 excluding airfare

The cost of the trip covers:  

• Van pickup at the airport (Miami International)
• Van transportation during the week
• All entrance and camping fees at the two State Parks where we will be staying
• All meals in camp.

There will be several other expenses that participants should expect to cover themselves:

• Airfare to Florida
• Any excursions or rentals such as kayak rentals, snorkel or scuba trips,
• Ferry to the Dry Tortugas and
• Between two and three meals at restaurants on the days that we arrive and the day we break camp mid-week.

This trip is now FULL. Contact Chuck at the email address above to hold your place on the waiting list. DO NOT SEND MONEY until/unless there is a cancellation and you are contacted to fill an open space. Once you have been contacted, please mail deposit checks, made out to THE AUSTIN SIERRA CLUB, to hold your place on this trip to:

Ann Clift
9937 Derecho Dr.
Austin, TX 78737

Once you have received confirmation that we have your check and that you have a place on the trip, you should make your airline reservations to Miami (see below).

Continental Airlines offers three acceptable flights from Austin with two acceptable return flights:

[all flights go through Houston International Airport. The vans will return participants to Miami by 1:30 or 2:00 PM Sunday, Nov. 16th. Cost for a round-trip flight in early August was roughly $350]

Any of the above flights are acceptable, although the earlier
Continental flights will mean a 3 1/2 hour wait in Miami. We will
plan on leaving Miami International Airport by minivans for Key Largo
and the John Pennecamp park at roughly 6 PM. If you have frequent flyer miles you wish to use on other airlines, just make sure you are at curb by the baggage claim area for Continental Airlines by 5:30 PM to catch the minivan. By the same token, do not schedule a return flight earlier than 3:15 PM on Sunday or we cannot promise an on-time arrival. Once you have made reservations, please send your reservation information to Chuck at the email address listed above so we can assure that no one will be left behind.

If you plan to arrive by some other means (car, train, etc.), please
coordinate this information with Chuck and plan on arriving either at
Miami International by 5:30 PM to catch the minivans OR arrange to
meet us at John Pennecamp Coral Reef State Park on Key Largo. We will arrive at the park between 7:30 and 8 PM.

John Pennecamp kayak rentals are located in the park itself. Kayaks are sit-on-tops and can be rented by the hour. Canoes and single kayaks are $10/hour. Tandem kayaks are $15/hour. There is a nice kayak trail through the mangrove swamps surrounding the park. The entire area can be paddled in 3 - 4 hours at a leisurely pace. (see the link on Pennecamp site above for additional information.)

Marathon Kayak, a small operation with good boats and an environmental orientation, offers several kayaking options. Two of the tours recommended by the owner/operator, David, are listed below. Others can be found on the website for Marathon Kayak:
http://www.marathonkayak.com/tours.html

David is willing to give group discounts and people who bring their own boats can go on the tour for 1/2 price.

A circumnavigation of Missouri Key, Ohio Key and Bahia Honda. This trip hasa lot going for it and is probably my favorite. It features incredibly clear waters, open ocean paddling, the best beaches in the Keys, and backcountry (bay & mangroves) exploring. We often lunch on a small offshore island and there is some decent snorkeling (weather permitting), too. It even has an easy beach launch/takeout, complete with fresh water shower and restrooms. I usually do this as full day trip.

Indian Key - a historic island now owned by the state of Florida and maintained by the state park system. A relatively short paddle out through crystal clear waters over the grassy "flats", where life abounds. A walking tour of the island which has a fascinating history. See the ruins of the once thriving village from the early 1800's and imagine life in the Keys from a bygone era. This trip is near Islamorada. Half-day trip.

Snorkeling -

Opportunities for snorkeling and SCUBA diving abound on the Keys, but it normally requires a boat trip to reach the reefs where the underwater fish-watching is best. Snorkeling from the shore is rarely interesting or rewarding. As a consequence, a large number of companies offer boat trips to the various parts of the protected reefs for either combo (SCUBA and snorkeling) or snorkeling outings. A few of the best opportunities are listed below:

John Pennecamp snorkel trips are available at the park. Boats depart from a dock behind the visitor center at regular intervals and take snorkelers to a couple of the best parts of the reef system just off Key Largo. They also offer longer sail and snorkel trips as well as SCUBA trips. For additional details, check out the link on the John Pennecamp website cited at the top of this page.

Bird and Wildlife Viewing in the Keys

A variety of ecosystems in South Florida progress from pine rockland to tree island glades of hardwood hammocks to mangrove swamps and coastal plains. Caribbean slash pine cover areas of the keys, providing habitat to many species of birds. The vast shores and mangrove swamps provide alternate environments for other species. The waters provide ample opportunities to see dolphin, many species of fish, and perhaps manatees.

Three wildlife refuges in the keys, National Key Deer, Great White Heron and Key West National Wildlife Refuge, protect habitat for 285 species of birds. The National Key Deer Refuge provides habitat to the endangered Key Deer. The species of diminutive deer reached an estimated low of 27 in 1957 and have rebounded not to approximately 800. The Keys also provide habitat for sea turtles, loggerhead and green sea turtles, which nest there in the spring. Key West NWR is a raccoon-free island and a critical nesting area for the sea turtles.

Shorebirds abound throughout the keys. Gulls, terns, pelicans, herons, and egrets are plentiful. Of special interest are the mangrove cuckoo, gray kingbird, black whiskered vireo, white-crowned pigeon, short tailed hawk, masked duck and Antillean nighthawks.

While in the Keys we may visit the following wildlife and bird viewing sites:

Florida Keys Wild Bird Center

Big Pine Key – Ovenbirds, warblers, waterthrushes, siskin, buntings and orioles may be present during migration and in winter. Also in Big Pine Key, the Blue Hole and Jack Watson Nature Trail where short tailed hawks may be seen soaring above while masked duck, least grebe, and various shorebirds can be found in the mudflats.

No Name Key – Yellow headed blackbird, dark eyed junco, cave swallow, Swainson’s warbler and at the end of the road is a good location to find mangrove cuckoos and black whiskered vireo.

Long Key State Park – large population of wading shorebirds.

Summerland Key – Salt pond with ibis, egrets. Freshwater pond with ducks, least bittern, sora rail and white-crowned pigeons.

Sugarloaf Key – Hawks, harriers, woodpeckers, pine siskin, indigo bunting and grosbeak can be found in the pine trees.

National Key Deer, Great White Heron and Key West National Wildlife Refuges

The list of daily activities is too large to fit on this page. Please click on the PAGE TWO link to go to the page describing the activity options day-by-day. Remember that this trip is still being planned, so we welcome your comments, suggestions and input.

ALSO please make sure you make a note of the PRE-TRIP MEETING date and time. (details are also on PAGE TWO)