Mike Hammond
With all the beautiful beaches and subtropical islands along the Calusa Blueway, paddlers often overlook the tranquil “Old Florida” kayaking opportunities in eastern Lee County. The newly renovated Alva Boat Ramp offers easternmost public water access in Lee County and is convenient for exploring a couple of our lesser-known creeks. About 2 miles west of the boat ramp is the mouth of Cypress Creek. Another half-mile and paddlers can stop at Caloosahatchee Regional Park and picnic or hike the trails. You can dive into Coastal Angler’s website archives and find my article from January 2018 on Caloosahatchee Regional Park and Cypress Creek. This month, I thought I’d tell you about Bedman Creek, which is directly across the river from the boat ramp and behind an oxbow island. Oxbow islands were created when the Caloosahatchee River was dredged/straightened. The water behind the islands is the original path of the river.
The mouth of Bedman Creek is tucked into the corner of the oxbow and required a little exploring to find. Wading birds, leaping mullet and a worn three-mast schooner greeted me. (I admit I wish I knew the story behind that boat; it surely had a tale to tell.) The narrow creek has a canopy of live oaks with Spanish moss streaming from the high branches down to the water. Turtles were basking on almost every log, and cicadas buzzed. I only paddled about half-mile up the creek to State Road 80. A local resident on the creek told me that you can navigate 3 to 4 miles upstream in a small kayak.
Not up for traversing the creek? Try the river. It is a slow paddle but also is a good workout. You can paddle the Caloosahatchee River as far and fast as you want or can. After that, you could return to the ramp area and use Bedman Creek as a scenic, slow cool down. Because Alva Boat Ramp is close to the Broadway Street Bridge, it is within an idle speed zone. However, I did witness a couple of powerboaters ignore the rule, and their wake washed over the ramp. Use caution. Immediately east of the mouth of Bedman Creek, boaters can resume speed. The Caloosahatchee River is part of the Intracoastal Waterway and is frequented by a variety of large vessels. While paddling toward the Hendry County line, I had a few yachts big enough to produce decent wakes as they passed by. I just paddled toward the side of the river closest to me and then turned and paddled back into the waves after the boat passed by. No problem, but something to be aware of. On weekends, there are many more boats on the water. For a quieter paddle, try to go out during the week. Our sandy beaches and mangroves are fantastic, but don’t forget there is another “Old Florida” side of Lee County just as beautiful and waiting to be paddled.
