Turner River Paddling Trail
in Florida · centroid 63 mi from Cape Coral
To complete the entire Turner River Canoe Trail is a full day paddle. Sections can be done as an out and back. It is accessible from the Turner River canoe launch on US Hwy 41 in Big Cypress National Preserve or by launching from Chokoloskee or Everglades City.
The total trail is 8.5 miles between Turner River Launch and Chokoloskee. Between Chokoloskee and Everglades City is an additional 3 or more miles depending on your landing point. Allow 5-10 hours for your trip.
From Everglades City, the Halfway Creek-Left Hand Turner-Turner River loop is approximately 12-14 miles. The Turner River may be impassable if water levels are too high or too low. Check water levels at the Big Cypress Nathaniel P.
- States
- Florida
- Trail type
- National Preserve trail
- Centroid nearest city
- Cape Coral, FL · 63 mi · ~1.8 hr drive
- Centroid coords
- 25.8914°, -81.2706°
About Big Cypress National Preserve
This trail is inside Big Cypress National Preserve, a national preserve managed by the U.S. National Park Service. Conditions, road status, trail closures, and reservation requirements are published on the park's NPS page — check it before driving in, especially in winter or during major weather events.
Official NPS trail page: https://www.nps.gov/places/turner-river-paddling-trail.htm
Park homepage: https://www.nps.gov/bicy/index.htm
Plan your hike
Maps + permits: long-distance trails like this often require permits for through-hiking, backcountry camping, or specific sections (especially in National Parks). Check with the maintaining organisation listed above and the relevant land manager before booking travel.
Water + supplies: water sources vary seasonally on most U.S. trails. Carry a filter and consult current trail-condition reports — through-hiker journals (PCT-L, AT Reddit, etc.) and the maintaining organisation publish regular updates.
When to go: hiking seasons vary widely with elevation, latitude, and snowpack. Through-hikers traditionally start the AT in March-April (Springer northbound) and the PCT in late April (Campo northbound). High-elevation western trails (CDT, JMT, Wonderland) generally aren't passable until July.
If you've hiked Turner River Paddling Trail and have current notes (water sources, trail closures, permit changes), tell us at /contact — we update pages as we learn.
Stay nearby
Other trails within 50 miles
Halfway Creek Paddling Trail
6 miles from this trail's centroid
Sandfly Loop Paddling Trail
10 miles from this trail's centroid
Gator Hook Trail
11 miles from this trail's centroid
Deep Lake Trail
11 miles from this trail's centroid
Fire Prairie Trail
14 miles from this trail's centroid
Florida National Scenic Trail Southern Terminus
15 miles from this trail's centroid
Sources
Trail data on this page is compiled from OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), the maintaining organisation's public-facing materials, and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA where excerpts are quoted). Distance, terminus, and descriptive text for nationally-designated trails are hand-curated from federal land-manager websites and trail-association sources. We do not modify the underlying data; this page presents what is already publicly recorded. To suggest corrections, see our methodology page.