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5 Places to Paddle in Pensacola

For over 30 years, I've enjoyed the coastal waters of the Pensacola Bay Area. In that time, I've discovered so many beautiful areas to enjoy the water for kayaking.

Here are five places I'd like to share with you so you and your family can create some paddling memories.

View map of locations

Big Sabine Bay

Go back in time to an era when development was sparse. This beautiful coastal sanctuary is a must-visit jewel in the Pensacola Bay Area. Getting here is for the more adventurous, as it's less accessible than some other locations mentioned here. Your choice to access is to trek through the sand with your gear, paddle from Pensacola Beach, or catch a ride on a boat.

Big Sabine Bay is on the northern side of Santa Rosa Island in Santa Rosa Sound. The area is predominantly a salt marsh with shallow creeks to explore. The marshes and wetlands are a sanctuary for wildlife. In places like this, 80-90% of the seafood we enjoy live a portion of their lives in areas like this.

Overhead herons, gulls, osprey, bald eagles, and occasionally owls take the sky hunting their next meal. Underneath, you'll paddle with fiddler crabs, hermit crabs, gulf shrimp and more. Fish common to the area are flounder, mullet, redfish, sea horses, and occasionally sharks and sea turtles. Manatees have also been seen enjoying the grass beds in the area.

Big Sabine Bay also borders beautiful dunes with a variety of plants including cactus, oak trees, and rosemary.

White Island

Located at the mouth of Bayou Grande near the Pensacola Naval Air Station is a small sandy island accessible by boat. People enjoy White Island by day, and some even enjoy pitching a tent for an evening under the stars. As its name implies, it's mostly a white sandy island with some vegetation such as marsh hay, Greenbrier, saw palmetto and pine trees.

I'll let you in on a little secret. This is the place if you want good seats to watch the Blue Angels practice.

Big Lagoon State Park

Big Lagoon State Park is in the Perdido Key Area. Big Lagoon, much like Big Sabine Bay, is a paddling paradise through coastal salt marshes. The park has a designated kayak launch, which makes it easy to access the water.

The terminus of the Florida circumnavigational saltwater paddling trail

There is a good variety of exploring in the park. You can explore a tidal creek, a lagoon, and the open water from the kayak launch.

Big Lagoon State Park is the start of the Florida Circumnavigational Saltwater Paddling Trail.

Park East

If you want to paddle on the Gulf side, I recommend Park East. Paddling a kayak on the Gulf is very rewarding on a calm, sunny day with clear water.

Just off the beach, about 500 yards, is an artificial reef for snorkeling. On a beautiful sunny day with clear and calm water, you may see bottlenose dolphins, sea turtles, angelfish, napper, lizardfish and more.

Island Hopping in Perdido

There are a few small islands in the coastal waters of Perdido Key where Ole River and The Intercoastal Waterway meet. These small sandy Islands have a few trees and a little vegetation with white sand beaches perfect for a paddling destination.

One of the many islands to explore in Perdido Key

To access these Islands, you can launch from the public kayak launch off River Road on Perdido Key or at the boat ramp at Galvez Landing. If you want a bigger adventure, launch from Big Lagoon State Park and paddle the Intercoastal Waterway to the small islands.

I hope you enjoy my recommendations. If you need a kayak, take a moment to browse the businesses listed below. After paddling, I hope you'll take a moment to tell me about your experience.

Map of Locations

Shawn Brown

Author

Shawn Brown

Digital Marketing Manager, Visit Pensacola

Shawn Brown is the Digital Marketing Manager at Visit Pensacola. Shawn grew up in the Pensacola Bay Area and enjoys windsurfing, paddleboarding, and surfing. Shawn and his wife also run Outdoor Gulf Coast, teaching windsurfing and outfitting guests with kayaks and paddleboards. You may also find Shawn enjoying a good cup of coffee at a local coffee shop, writing on his devotional blog, Creation Speaks. If you are looking for something to do outdoors or a good local café, Shawn might be able to give you a few ideas.
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Migrate to Pensacola to Explore the Great Florida Birding & Wildlife Trail

Migrate to Pensacola to Explore the Great Florida Birding & Wildlife Trail

In Pensacola, we’re lucky to be located under the superhighway for birds, the Atlantic Flyway that stretches 3,000 miles from the Caribbean to the Arctic tundra on which a kaleidoscope of amazing birds migrates to and from their wintering grounds. We’re the official gateway to the Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail of which we boast 10 stops.
View from the Big Lagoon State Park Observation Tower
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