West Lake Canoe Trail
in Florida · centroid 56 mi from Miami
Paddle through a series of large open lakes connected by narrow creeks lined with mangroves. Look for alligators and crocodiles. West Lake is closed to vessels with motors greater than 6 h.p. Motors are prohibited from the east end of West Lake through Alligator Creek.
Not recommended on windy days due to open, rough waters. A wilderness permit is required for overnight stays.
- States
- Florida
- Trail type
- National Park trail
- Centroid nearest city
- Miami, FL · 56 mi · ~1.6 hr drive
- Centroid coords
- 25.2148°, -80.8504°
About Everglades National Park
This trail is inside Everglades National Park, a national park 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.
Entrance fee: $35 per vehicle (verify current rate on the park page). An America the Beautiful annual pass ($80) covers entrance to all NPS units.
Official NPS trail page: https://www.nps.gov/places/west-lake-canoe-trail.htm
Park homepage: https://www.nps.gov/ever/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 West Lake Canoe 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
Snake Bight Hiking Trail
2 miles from this trail's centroid
Hells Bay Canoe Trail
2 miles from this trail's centroid
Rowdy Bend Hiking Trail
4 miles from this trail's centroid
Nine Mile Pond Canoe Trail
4 miles from this trail's centroid
Mud Lake Canoe Trail
5 miles from this trail's centroid
Christian Point Trail
6 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.