Florida is famous for its crowded theme parks and towering coastal condos, but a completely different world exists if you know where to look. Tucked away on the Gulf Coast at the end of State Road 24 sits Cedar Key—a historic, slow-paced fishing village where golf carts replace cars, and live oaks are prized over straight sidewalks.

For kayakers, canoeists, and stand-up paddleboarders, this region is paradise. Its preservation as a world-class paddling destination is largely thanks to the Florida Paddling Trails Association (FPTA), a non-profit organization acting as the volunteer steward for the state’s massive network of water trails.

Founded in 2007, the FPTA is dedicated to developing, maintaining, and protecting Florida's extensive water trails. They act as the primary civic voice for paddlers, providing maps, safety education, and environmental advocacy.

Crucially, the FPTA maintains information on day paddles across the state and serves as the caretaker for the Florida Circumnavigational Saltwater Paddling Trail (CT). The CT is a monumental 1,515-mile sea kayaking trail that wraps entirely around the Florida peninsula. FPTA volunteers across the state act as "trail angels," helping long-distance thru-paddlers find shelter, fresh water, and a safe place to pull their boats ashore. Cedar Key is located in Segment 6 and is an important location for CT paddlers to rest and resupply before continuing through the remote areas of the Big Bend.

When it comes to Cedar Key, the FPTA provides indispensable trip-planning resources, map sets, and route details that help paddlers safely navigate the tricky, dynamic tides of the Nature Coast.

Cedar Key is not just one island; it is a cluster of 13 smaller barrier islands forming the Cedar Keys National Wildlife Refuge. Because vast swaths of these waters are incredibly shallow and dotted with protected oyster bars, motorized boats are restricted to narrow, dredged channels. This leaves hundreds of acres of pristine grass flats, salt marshes, and tidal creeks exclusively to paddlesports.

When you dip a paddle into these waters, you are highly likely to encounter wildlife up close:

The FPTA maps out several distinct day-trips around the Cedar Key area, matching different skill levels. You can pick up a copy of these maps at the Cedar Key Chamber of Commerce on 2nd St. or access them on the FPTA website. These map routes highlight why Cedar Key is celebrated for its incredible ecological diversity. From historical crossings to deep-wilderness loops, these designated trails showcase the spectacular variety of paths available to paddlers:

A favorite route for visitors, this path bridges the gap between mainland Cedar Key and its 19th-century history. Paddlers cross a half-mile of open water from City Beach to reach Atsena Otie Key. On the island, you can explore a sheltered interior shallow lagoon or beach your craft to hike back in time to the historic 1850s island cemetery and the surviving footprints of the pre-1896 hurricane community. While Atsea Otie looks easily within reach to paddlers, this less than a mile one-way crossing requires traversing a boat channel that can challenge even experienced paddlers due to strong currents and potentially windy conditions.

A highly accessible 2.8-mile round-trip day trail that details the early industrial life of the keys. Launching from City Beach Park, the trail follows the path of David Levy Yulee's historic 1861 Florida Railroad trestle across the salt marshes. Paddlers glide past the former sites of the Fenimore Pencil Mill and the Standard Manufacturing Company before pulling ashore at the scenic beaches of Cemetery Point Park. (See more info at the bottom of this article.)

This 7.7-mile premier loop offers a complete tour around the main island of Cedar Key. Paddlers experience a dynamic transition from the buzzing, alfresco dining atmosphere of Dock Street to the quiet northern flats. The route threads past Scale Key, providing a front-row view of the region's thriving commercial clam aquaculture farms, and passes beneath the Airport Road bridge, where small aircraft frequently glide overhead.

Located just northwest of the main island within the protected boundaries of the National Wildlife Refuge, this trail centers on a massive, 2,000-year-old Native American shell midden. It guides paddlers through ancient archeological heritage, primitive shorelines, and pristine coastal ecosystems where the wildlife—from hunting ospreys to tailing redfish—reigns supreme.

Steeped in local maritime geography, this route leads paddlers into the winding, sheltered tidal creeks just off the main keys. Named after Lukens (the historic shipping and rail point nearby), it features dense salt marshes dominated by black needlerush and smooth cordgrass. It is an exceptional trail for spotting West Indian manatees and coastal bottlenose dolphins resting in the deeper creek channels.

These interconnected back-country paths provide a tranquil refuge from open Gulf winds and chop. Winding through incredibly rich, shallow tidal bayous and expansive mangrove networks, the Goose Creek and Goose Cove loops act as natural nurseries for marine life. It is an ideal route for kayakers looking to drift silently alongside wading birds, horseshoe crabs, and feeding schools of mullet without the hazard of deep-water swells.

Because Segment 6 is characterized by vast, open shallow waters and sudden wilderness stretches, the FPTA emphasizes a strict set of safety rules for anyone launching a craft:

From the casual historian paddling past old railway trestles to the hardcore adventurer tracking the 1,515-mile boundary of the Sunshine State, the FPTA's presence ensures that Cedar Key remains a safely navigable, beautifully preserved window into wild Florida.

This article is proudly sponsored by the Florida Paddling Trails Association. To download official navigation maps for Cedar Key, explore detailed day-paddle guides for the Cedar Key loops, or learn how you can support water trail conservation across the state, visit the Cedar Key Chamber of Commerce or floridapaddlingtrails.com.