Both of our places sit on protected water, and the county has mapped the whole coast into an official paddling trail system. You can be in a mangrove tunnel twenty minutes after leaving the door — or have a kayak delivered to the driveway and never load a roof rack at all.
Start With the Blueways
Pinellas County maintains the Blueways — a mapped paddling trail system divided into eight sections, running the length of the county from Anclote Key Preserve State Park in the north to Fort De Soto Park in the south. It connects to the Florida Circumnavigational Saltwater Paddling Trail, snakes around the barrier islands, and reaches inland to Lake Tarpon and into Tampa Bay.
Each Blueway has parking, designated landings and public shoreline, and many have ramps, wash stations and storage racks. The county publishes a free Blueways Paddling Guide with detailed information on every launch point and what the paddle is actually like — distances, difficulty, what you’ll see. Download it before you go. Link at the bottom of this page.
The Map
Closest to Us
🥇 Boca Ciega Millennium Park — two miles from our Seminole place
A canoe and kayak launch inside a 186-acre park, straight into the mangroves and salt marsh of Boca Ciega Bay. Restrooms, parking, picnic shelters, and a 35-foot observation tower to climb before or after. For guests at our Seminole property this is the easy answer.
One local warning: paddlers report large numbers of jellyfish near the launch area and west of the park along the coast at times. Worth a look at the water before you get in.
👉 Read our full Boca Ciega Millennium Park guide
🛶 Lake Seminole Park — freshwater, and gear on site
A boat ramp and dock onto a proper freshwater lake, and the only place near either rental where you can rent on the spot — Wheel Fun Rentals operates the concession, including water bikes. Calm, sheltered, and good for a first go. Keep well clear of the banks: alligators are common here.
👉 Read our full Lake Seminole Park guide
🌅 Del Bello Park, Indian Rocks Beach
A small park on Gulf Blvd facing the Intracoastal with water access for launching a kayak or paddleboard, plus a little fishing pier, pavilions and free street parking. Minutes from our Largo place, and the shortest possible trip from car to water.
👉 Our Indian Rocks Beach guide
The Mangrove Tunnels
This is what people come here for, and there are two clear best options.
🌿 Weedon Island Preserve — the classic
1800 Weedon Dr NE, St. Petersburg. Marked paddling trails winding through genuine mangrove tunnels on Tampa Bay, alongside boardwalks, a three-storey observation tower and a cultural and natural history centre. Free to enter, and no pets.
ECOmersion Kayak & SUP Rentals runs the concession at the launch — 4.9 stars across more than a thousand reviews. You can go guided or take a map and go self-guided; two-hour and four-hour rentals are both normal. Paddlers report stingrays, fish and abundant birdlife, and the tunnels themselves are the highlight even on a quiet day.
Bring bug spray. Every single account mentions it. This is real mangrove.
🐚 Shell Key Preserve — the best day out
At the southern end of the county off Tierra Verde and Pass-a-Grille: mangrove tunnels, an undeveloped island to land on, superb shelling, and reliable dolphin and manatee sightings. Four separate guided operators work this water and every one of them holds a near-perfect rating across hundreds or thousands of reviews:
- Get Up and Go Kayaking — clear-bottom kayaks, the largest operation by far
- Coastal Kayak Charters — Pass-a-Grille departure, four mangrove tunnels plus an hour on the beach
- Island Kayak Adventures — a “50/50” tour, paddle out to the key then back through the tunnels
- Capt Yak — small-group and family-friendly, plans the route around wind direction
Honest note: the open-water crossings take real effort and the tide matters. Guided is the right call here unless you paddle regularly. If you’d rather skip the paddle entirely, the Shell Key Shuttle from Pass-a-Grille is an eight-to-ten minute boat ride, and the Shell Key Ferry runs from Fort De Soto and also serves Egmont Key.
Fort De Soto
Seven miles of shoreline and a proper trail system. There’s a 2.25-mile marked loop in Mullet Key Bayou that’s easy and sheltered from wind — the best beginner paddle in the county. Strong paddlers can take on the full 10-mile loop around the park, and the experienced can cross a major shipping channel to Egmont Key.
Capt Yak and Island Kayak Adventures both operate from the Bayway nearby.
Clearwater Beach and North
🏄 Clearwater Beach — tours and rentals cluster
- Paddle Out Adventures (Clearwater Beach Marina) — 4.9 stars. Their trick is boating you out to quiet state park water first, then paddling from there to a secluded beach. Two, three and four-hour options; guests consistently say to book at least three.
- 727 Watersports — will deliver kayaks to you, which for our guests is the useful bit. High-end sit-on-tops with stadium seats, plus guided tours.
- Frenchy’s Outfitters (439 Poinsettia Ave) — all-day kayak rental alongside beach chairs, umbrellas and carts, a block from the sand.
- Pier 60 Watersports — the jet ski and banana boat end of the market if paddling isn’t the whole plan.
One caveat reported at Frenchy’s: an all-day kayak rental doesn’t necessarily guarantee you can re-board after docking for lunch if walk-ins are waiting. Worth clarifying when you book.
🏝️ Honeymoon Island and Caladesi
The northern Blueways sections, with launches around the Dunedin Causeway and paddling routes to Caladesi Island and Hurricane Pass. Beautiful, and more exposed — check the wind.
🌲 Mobbly Bayou Wilderness Preserve
396 acres at the north end of Tampa Bay in Oldsmar, with mangrove channels to paddle, hiking, off-leash dog access and a zipline. Mostly free.
👉 Read our full Mobbly Bayou guide
Getting Gear Without a Roof Rack
Three ways to paddle without owning anything:
- Delivered to the rental. Sandy Feet Kayak Rentals will drop a kayak at your chosen launch site. 727 Watersports delivers in the Clearwater area. Green Iguana Rentals in Indian Shores delivers bikes, e-bikes and beach gear and is worth asking about paddleboards.
- Rented at the launch. Wheel Fun at Lake Seminole Park, ECOmersion at Weedon Island, Frenchy’s at Clearwater Beach.
- Guided, gear included. Every Shell Key operator, Paddle Out Adventures, Chadillac Adventures.
🛠️ Local expertise worth knowing
Livin’ Salty SUP & Surf Shop in Belleair Bluffs — a perfect rating across nearly 200 reviews, custom boards, expert repairs, and a genuinely knowledgeable owner who runs paddling events. Close to our Largo place and the right first call if you’re serious about SUP. Limited hours, so ring ahead.
Nekton Surf Shop on Gulf Blvd in Indian Rocks Beach is the local surf shop for boards and beach gear.
🌙 Something different
Chadillac Adventures, out of Cove Cay Marina in Clearwater, runs LED night kayaking and clear-kayak tours, plus trips further afield to the springs. 4.9 stars across 645 reviews, and the night paddle is the one people describe as magical.
Know Before You Go
🌬️ Wind Beats Distance
On open water here, wind matters more than mileage. A two-mile paddle into a headwind is harder than five miles in the lee of the mangroves. Check the forecast, and plan to paddle out into the wind so it pushes you home.
🌊 Watch the Tide
Mangrove tunnels and bayous can go from floating to dragging at low water, and the flats around Fort De Soto and Shell Key are shallow. Guides plan around this; if you’re self-guided, look at a tide chart first.
🦟 Bug Spray, Genuinely
Mangrove plus salt marsh plus dawn or dusk equals mosquitoes and no-see-ums. Weedon Island in particular.
🐊 🪼 What’s in the Water
Alligators in freshwater — Lake Seminole and Walsingham especially. Jellyfish seasonally around Boca Ciega. Stingrays on the flats: shuffle rather than step if you get out to wade. Manatees and dolphins are the good news, and you should give both plenty of room.
⛈️ Afternoon Storms
Summer thunderstorms build fast, and open water is the worst place to be. Morning paddles are safer and calmer. Operators here do call trips off and pick people up early when lightning appears — take that seriously if it happens to you.
🧴 Sun and Water
You get sun off the water as well as from above. Hat, long sleeves, reef-safe sunscreen, and more water than you think. A dry bag for phone and keys is worth the few dollars.
🌪️ Storm Damage
Hurricane Helene took out at least one Indian Rocks Beach paddling operator entirely, and some launches and docks along this coast are still being repaired. Confirm any small operator is trading before you rely on them.
Also On Our Site
- Cycling trails near Clearwater, Largo and Seminole — several launches sit on the trail network.
- Pier 60 fishing — if you’d rather fish than paddle.
- Our full fishing guide — kayak fishing, licences and charters.
- Our beaches guide — where to land, and where the ferries go.
- John R. Bonner Nature Park — Intracoastal birding in Largo, good from the water.
Official Information
- Pinellas County Blueways — start here. The official paddling guide, trail log and launch information.
- Guide to Pinellas County Blueways (PDF) — all eight sections, mapped.
- Weedon Island Preserve
- Boca Ciega Millennium Park
- Lake Seminole Park
- Fort De Soto Park
- Shell Key Preserve
- Mobbly Bayou Wilderness Preserve
- Visit St Pete/Clearwater — SUP & kayaking
- FWC — red tide status
We are not affiliated with any of the outfitters, parks or agencies listed here.
From Our Rentals
Our Largo rental (1731 Clearwater Harbor Dr) is on the Intracoastal. Del Bello Park is the nearest launch, Livin’ Salty is a few minutes inland, and the Clearwater Beach operators are about twenty minutes north.
Our Seminole rental (13189 87th Ave N) is two miles from the Boca Ciega Millennium Park launch and about ten minutes from Lake Seminole Park.
Weedon Island is around thirty minutes east; Shell Key and Fort De Soto around an hour south.
Tell us what you’re after — a first-time paddle, mangrove tunnels, or something delivered to the driveway — and we’ll point you at the right one.
