Top kayaking locations near Vero Beach, FL

Venture into the wild, paddle to your heart's content.

Round Island Riverside State Park

A classic kayak destination on the Treasure Coast, located between Vero Beach and Ft. Pierce. This is a wonderful place to kayak for everyone in the family from young ones, to retired folks looking to spend some time on the Lagoon. If you're out on the kayak or SUP be on the lookout for Manatees as this is a popular place to spot them. A majority of the waterways are extremely shallow which is great for paddle sports as most powerboats can’t come in close to the islands.

Length of Paddle: From the launch it’s about a 1 hour paddle to go out and around Round Island.

Fort Pierce State Park - Stan Blum Boat Ramp

This area is known for its crystal clear water and beautiful small islands. From the launch you can head southeast towards Coon Island(stay to the North of the Island) that is surrounded by small islands which are made up of mangroves. The fishing here is some of the best in Florida so bring your fishing poles. When paddling, stay clear of the Inlet as the current can get quite strong and there are large ships that come in and out of the inlet as well.

Length of Paddle: Paddling to Coon Island and exploring the islands expect a round trip time of 2hrs-2.5hrs

Vero Beach Lagoon Side

MacWilliam Park Boat Ramp

From the launch heading north there are many islands to explore. If you paddle up the east side of Fritz’s Island you can avoid constant boat wakes from the main passage of the Indian River Lagoon. Bring your fishing poles on this paddle, it's possible to catch anything from Snooks, Jacks, Snapper. Pompano, Trout and even Red Fish. If you paddle south you can go to Memorial Island, just look for the Large American flag in the middle of the island. Overall both directions offer a wonderful paddle close to town that offers real beauty in the local mangroves.

Length of Paddle: The paddle North around Fritz’s island is about 1.5hrs. The paddle South around Memorial island is less than a 1hr paddle.

Sebastian River Canoe Launch

9800 Canoe Launch Cove, Sebastian, Fl 32958

A favorite place of many paddlers who visit and live here. The paddle begins in Sebastian at the canoe launch. The first 3 miles of paddling is narrow and almost jungle like with palm trees and vegetation hanging over the river. Look for the occasional alligator sunning on the banks of the river. The last 3 miles the river opens up more and there is the possibility of seeing Manatee’s. We will meet at Dale Wimbrow Park to pick up the kayaks or SUP’s. Unfortunately we can’t provide shuttle service back to the launch site so you will need to have a 2nd vehicle at the pickup or have an Uber take you back to your vehicle.

Length of Paddle:

A typical paddle for most people is going to be between 2.5hrs-3hrs.

Sebastian Inlet Boat Ramp

14251 Florida A1A Vero Beach FL 32963

From this location you can head either south or north. If heading south, we like to paddle east to Coconut Pt. and then work our way down the lagoon’s edge which puts us near HWY A1A. If the wind is blowing from the Northwest this is a nice, protected paddle. If the tide is right, you can head north and go across the Sebastian Inlet towards Little Grace Island. At low tide a sandbar can form in the lagoon, which makes the water only 1-2’ deep and crystal clear. Be on the look out for dolphins and the occasional shark that comes into the lagoon. The

Length of Paddle:

Either direction is about a 1hr paddle out, depending on wind conditions it can sometimes take a little longer.

Jungle Trail Kayak Launch

11820 Jungle Trail, Vero Beach FL 32963

You know you're starting your day off right when your paddle starts off a dirt road on an island. This remote launch site is a perfect spot to begin your paddle into the Indian River Lagoon. Our favorite Island to paddle to is Pelican Island, the first National Wildlife Refuge. Once you get to the island there are markers around it so stay outside of the markers, to keep the island wild and free for pelicans and other animals. Just off the launch site is Roosevelt Island which offers incredible fishing in and along the mangroves.

Length of Paddle:

The paddle out to Pelican island and back can take between 2-2.5 hours depending on wind conditions in the lagoon. The paddle around Roosevelt Island is about a 1 hour long paddle.

Wabasso Island Boat Ramp

1967 Bridge Blvd, Vero Beach, FL 32967

This location is situated further north closer to Sebastian. From the launch you can head north or south. If you're heading north you go up to Preacher’s Island and stay to the east channel to avoid boat traffic. Once up the channel you turn west into Preachers Hole, this place offers wind protection from the south and great fishing. If you want to paddle south There are several small islands that are great to navigate around that also offer protection from southeast winds.

Paddle Length:

The paddle north to Preacher’s Hole depending on conditions can take 1-1.5hrs one way. Paddling south it's really up to the paddler how much they can do everything from 1hr to several hours to reach different islands.

Oslo Road Boat Ramp

200 9th St SE LOT 258, Vero Beach, FL 32962

This launch site is situated south of Vero Beach on the mainland. Accessing the islands in the middle of the lagoon is super easy from here. One of the islands we like to paddle to is Shell Island situated slightly north of the launch site. This launch site offers great protection from the wind if it's blowing SW, W, and NW. This location is a popular fishing spot for Snook, trout and Redfish.

Paddle Length: To paddle out and back to the spoil islands is less than an hour.