Ft. George Island West

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Put In : Ft. George Island Drive Length : 60 minutes or more Difficulty : Moderate Nature Stuff : Herons, Pelicans and other bird life. PWC Factor : Low As you drive onto Ft. George Island, you pass a few houses on your right as the road winds sharply through the woods. After the houses it opens up and you see water to your left. There is a little pull off where you can park. I'm not sure of this body of water has a name but it leads to Shad Creek. As you can see by the photo above that you are pretty unlimited where you can go here. The best route to take if you want to get to the ICW is to turn to the SW as soon as possible. You will enter Shad Creek and then head west toward the ICW or east toward the St. Johns River. You can also turn to the north and meander for hours on the west side of the island without going anywhere. If you head north and follow the stream that parallels the ICW behind string of islands on the east bank you will be in Deep Creek which snakes its way north before emptying into the waterway. There is a branch of Deep Creek that breaks off to the northeast and will eventually find its way into Garden Creek which will enter the ICW just a few yards south of the FGR. Take care and plan with the tides as the bottom is very mucky at the put-in and the water goes a long way out from shore. Put In : Garden Creek Bridge (West Ft. George Island Drive) Length : 2 hrs or more Difficulty : Moderate Nature Stuff : Herons, Pelicans and other bird life. PWC Factor : Low This is a small creek that flows from the interior of the island and appears to be connected to some of the man-made drainage ditches that were dug at some point in the long history of Ft. George. It meanders in a NW direction and then dumps out in the Intracoastal waterway just south of the Ft. George River and north of Horseshoe creek which is to the east. The put-in is at a bridge that crosses the creek and is not an real easy one. The tide has to be about 3/4 in in order to have enough water to paddle in and that limits you in how long you can stay out. There is a parking area on the NE side of the bridge but you will have to carry you boat down the road and then down a fairly steep bank. If you want to explore Garden Creek it's probably easier to put-in at Horseshoe Creek or Ft. George River. Once you are in the water, you head in a general NW direction and the channel doubles back a few times before it heads out in the Intracoastal. One of the most interesting features of the route is exploring along the edge of the island. There appears to be a man-made channel that follows the contour of the island and connects with what appears to be a drainage system. This is a very easy area to get lost in and the streams here are very shallow. It's easy to get fooled into following the wrong stream and it's hard to tell by the currents which is the right one. The main thing is to give yourself plenty of time to get lost without worrying about the water leaving you in the mud. To see the photo galleries associated with my trips to Ft. George Island West and the links to the journal entries click here. DISCLAIMER :  This web site is my own personal web site and does not express the opinions or views of any other person or organization. Use the information contained herein at your own risk. I do not attempt to represent myself as an expert in the matters of paddling or the outdoors. Note : There are many references to areas where I have noted as pleasant and inviting places to either picnic, camp or otherwise enjoy. Be aware that you do so at your own risk and any violation of trespass laws you do so at your own discretion. Please be respectful of both the environment and other people's property. Note : I find it really sad that I have to even include a statement like this!