Early Booking Discount on Florida Kayaking Trips

There's just one month left to our Early Booking Discount for Florida paddling adventures in the Everglades, Florida Keys, and on the Calusa Blueway. Book by Sept. 1 and receive 10% off.

We've set the dates for our annual expeditions on three iconic water trails:

•  Key Largo to Key West: March 23-April 2, 2014

• Wilderness Waterway (Everglades): Feb. 8-16, 2014 (other dates may be added)

• Great Calusa Blueway: November, December and February, we are working on the exact dates right now, so if you have a preference, let us know!

Three, four and five day trips are also available in the Keys, Everglades and Ten Thousand Islands. Visit BurnhamGuides.com for details.

Paddle Key Largo to Key West March 2013

March 17-27, 2013: Join the exclusive list of those who have paddled the entire 100-mile island chain on the signature trip inspired by our award-winning book, the Florida Keys Paddling Atlas (participants receive a complimentary copy on booking).

Beginning in Key Largo with a St. Patrick's dinner, we'll paddle 10 days across Caribbean blue waters to land at the southernmost point in mainland USA.

New in 2013, we're taking paddlers Gulfside to traverse the vast Lower Keys Backcountry for a more primitive and remote experience.

Fully-outfitted trip includes kayak, camping gear and all meals. Optional massages during the rest day at the halfway point!

Limited to 8 paddlers, this trip has filled up the last 2 years, so don't delay! 

5-Day Half Marathon Option: March 23-27

Click for more details. Email or call 305-240-0650 to book your seat paddling in paradise.

Early Booking Discount on Florida Keys & Everglades Kayaking

Book a trip by Sept. 1, 2012 and receive 10% off any of Burnham Guides' Florida Keys kayak camping trips November through April, or the Everglades and Ten Thousand Islands in February.

Email for more info or call 305-240-0650 to reserve your seat paddling in paradise. Then Share or Forward this offer to friends you want to join you!

We still have room left on the following trips--Visit our Trip Calendar for more dates!

Everglades:
-3-day Flamingo Loop: Feb. 3-5, 2013
-5-day Everglades City: Feb. 22-26, 2013
-8-day 100-mile Wilderness Waterway: Feb. 10-17, 2013. space is limited

Ten Thousand Islands: 3 to 5 day trips offered throughout February, 2013

Florida Keys:
Trips begin mid-November, 2012 through April, 2013

-5th annual Key Largo to Key West, 100-mile paddle: March 17-27, 2013. Offered just once a year, so space is limited!

-Easter Week Florida Keys Paddling: April 1-5, 2013. Just 4 spots left

Mary & Bill, Burnham Guides
Paddle with the Authors of:
"The Florida Keys Paddling Atlas" & "Kayaking for Everyone"

Paddling Perks

Burnham Guides' Florida Keys winter trips include all the basics for a multi-day paddling adventure: kayaks, gear, camping gear, all food and water, and even the toilet!

Christine, Licensed Massage Therapist

But in addition to necessities, we like to provide little treats and luxuries at the end of the paddling day. As soon as our boats hit the sand, we are pulling out the appetizers for an al fresco spread.

You work pretty hard on our 100-mile Key Largo to Key West trip, so we schedule in a rest day with optional massages in camp!

We like to eat well in the outdoors and figure you do to. People often ask, don't we have to resort to pre-packaged, dried food on our multi-day trips in the backcountry. The answer is a resounding NO!

Apps on the Beach

Over nearly 20 years backpacking and kayak camping ourselves, we've learned some tricks of the trade for bringing the freshest food possible. The first night of a trip usually features some fresh Florida seafood, like mahi mahi or flounder, sauteed or in a taco with lots of key lime juice and cilantro.

Fresh vegetables and fruit that travel well are always available. We might have some pre-cooked Stone Crab along the way, or even Florida lobster, if we can get it.

That said, we don't eat seafood all the time. There's chicken, meat and tofu meals and we can accommodate vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free diets as long as you let us know ahead of time.

Coffee lovers will not have to do without. We get it brewing before you get out of your tent. Mary is known for her camp coffee, and may offer your choice of drip, espresso, or even Cuban coffee (cafe con leche), her personal favorite.

Enjoying a Florida Stone Crab spread in the woods!

But an unbiased customer review probably means way more than anything we say here. So check out Wendy's blog from last year's trip, where she describes the menu so much better than we can!


For trip details, go to BurnhamGuides.com

Early Booking Discount

Click for Slide Show

We've just updated BurnhamGuides.com with the details on our 2012 "Paddle with the Authors" Florida Keys trips, ranging from 2 to 10 days mid-January through March, 2012.

And for the first time ever, we are offering a sweet deal to encourage early bookings: A 15% discount on trips booked by Sept. 30, 2011.

Mid-January through March, we are again offering 2-3 night trips in the Lower Keys Backcountry (click on the photo for a glimpse into this sublime experience), Seven Mile Bridge overnights, and the bucket-list trip of a lifetime, our annual 100-mile, 10-day Key Largo to Key West, scheduled for March 13-22, 2012.

   

The 2012 Centennial of Henry Flagler's famous railroad from Miami to Key West will make it a very special year for paddling beneath these scenic bridges. The KL2KW "Century" trip will include some special historic stops and events. We're keeping the group small and we expect the KL2KW to fill up like last year's.  

If you book early, you will not only get a discount, but will have a good chance of getting the dates that work best for you. So if you are at all tempted, shoot us an EMAIL, give us a call at 305-240-0650, or check out BurnhamGuides.com

Florida Keys Paddling Party

We're having a Keys Party, book-signing and slide show during Onancock's Second Friday: Nov. 12, 2010, 5-8 p.m. at SouthEast Expeditions at the Wharf, 2 King St., Onancock, VA

Enjoy a tropical evening inside SouthEast's cozy kayak shop and hear about the trips we'll be leading this winter in the Florida Keys, mid-January through March 2011.

Our small group expedition trips range from one-day paddles to Key West, easy overnights along the Seven Mile Bridge, to the infamous 100-mile paddle from Key Largo to Key West, scheduled for March 22-31, 2001, with room for several more. 

We'll be giving slide show presentations every hour starting at 5 p.m., followed by question-and-answer and signing copies of our Florida Keys Paddling Atlas and Knack Kayaking for Everyone.. 

BOOK A TRIP THIS EVENING AND GET 10% OFF THE COST! Gift Certificates available. Trip details at BurnhamGuides.com

Paddle Key Largo to Key West March 22-31, 2011

The dates are set for our annual 100-mile paddle from Key Largo to Key West, Florida, the Southernmost Point in the U.S. The 10-day trip will be March 22-31, 2011, kayak camping all the way.

We’ll launch from Key Largo, paddle between 7 and 17 miles per day, and land 10 days later in Key West, in time for the Sunset Celebration in Mallory Square. The cost of $1,500 includes everything: kayak, gear, camping gear, all meals, and instruction along the way.

From mid-January through mid-March, we'll offer customized trips ranging from one-night along the Seven Mile Bridge to 2-5 days in the Lower Keys Backcountry. The cost is $150 per person per day for however many days you want to be out.

Upon booking any trip, you’ll receive a copy of our award-winning Florida Keys Paddling Atlas so you can see just where we’ll be going! All the details are at BurnhamGuides.com with photos and video from last year’s trips here

Feel free to e-mail or call 305-240-0650 with any questions!

Florida Keys Kayaking Trips in 2011

We're now taking reservations for our 2011 Florida Keys paddling trips for mid-January through March!

Customized itineraries range from one-day paddles to Key West, Seven Mile Bridge overnights, 3-days in the backcountry to the full 100-mile 10-day adventure from Key Largo to Key West.

Join us, outdoor writers and kayak guides Bill and Mary Burnham, for multi-day kayak camping trips in the Florida Keys this winter. You'll find yourself literally paddling from the pages of the our award-winning Florida Keys Paddling Atlas.

Trips include all camping and kayaking gear, meals cooked for you, and instruction. Each couple or family will take home a signed copy of our Atlas, winner of a National Outdoor Book Award. 

We've just uploaded Customer Reviews from last year's trips.Visit BurnhamGuides.com to start paddling in paradise!  Call 305-240-3298 or e-mail with your dates.

Day 9 Key Largo to Key West finale

Our last day paddling from Key Largo to Key West dawned clear and beautiful as we departed from Geiger Key Marina & Campground. As we passed Boca Chica Beach, we were treated to an airshow by NAS Key West. Here’s a video of an F-18 practice landing right over Bill’s kayak!

From there, much of this side of the islands are undeveoped and you can see lots of birds and sealife. My kayak passed right over a 4-foot loggerhead sea turtle sitting on the bottom!

We took out at Lazy Dog Adventures, where Sue is kind enough to let us haul out our boats. Our good friend Christine met us with the van and helped us load up, then we all sat down with a cold pitcher of Key West Sunset Ale from Hurricane Joe’s.

We’re thinking this route would make a great day trip for next season’s trips, starting with breakfast at Geiger Key Smokehouse and ending with the sunset celebration at Mallory Square. If you’re interested, email us!

Day 8 Key Largo to Key West

This was a day of extremes, starting with a cold rainy paddle and ending with a toasty St. Patrick’s Day at the Geiger Key Smokehouse Grill (and campground, great place!).

From Sugarloaf KOA, we paddled through beautiful Sammy’s Creek, and popped out on the oceanside to sunny skies and clear, glassy waters. It was one of those days where you couldn’t tell where the sea ended and the sky began. Simply surreal. We live for days like this (well, the afternoon portion, anyway!). Here's a comorant drying out his wings:

Even in Florida, especially this winter, you have to be prepared for cold, wet weather and watch for signs of hypothermia. We geared up pretty well with a synthetic base layer and rain gear. For lunch Bill pulled out the camp stove to heat up hot cocoa and tea to warm us from within! What a guy!

The sun was shining when we pulled up to Geiger Key after our 11-mile paddle with plenty of time to set up camp and dry out our wet gear in the sun. That evening was St. Patrick’s Day, so we celebrated at the Smokehouse Grill tiki bar. We were joined by our friend Cameron from Big Pine Key, and met some folks from the Eastern Shore of Virginia, namely the golf pro at Bay Creek! What a small world!

Day 7 Key Largo to Key West

Today we paddled 13 miles from Big Pine Key Fishing Lodge to Sugarloaf KOA along the oceanside of the Florida Keys.

Here are two videos of Jill doing the "wrap rap." (We do tend to do a lot of wrap sandwiches for lunch since they don't squoosh like regular bread!) and a silent video of ibis feeding in the flats at low tide. Kind of a "CBS Sunday Morning" feel to it.

Days 5-6 Key Largo to Key West

No, we haven't fallen off the edge of the world, and yes, we've finished the 100-mile paddle to Key West! Just got too busy (and tired!) to post each night. Sooooo, here's the 'rest of the story!'

On Day 5 we were joined by an adventurous family of four for the Seven Mile Bridge crossing and a night of primitive camping and a pasta dinner on Molasses Key.

From Knight's Key in Marathon, we paralleled Henry Flagler's 100-year-old bridge span and made our way to the tiny island the boys nicknamed "Survivor Island." They gathered firewood, adopted a couple of hermit crabs, and picked up what little trash we found washed up on shore.

Next morning we completed the crossing, accompanied by pelicans diving for schools of shimmering, jumping fish. The boys were really wishing they'd had their fishing poles!

Here's a video I took of sunrise while everyone was asleep in their tents!

Day 4 Key Largo to Key West

When you're guiding trips in the Florida Keys, you have to be prepared for a lot of things, but most importantly wind and weather. You have to be flexible. You have to be willing to adjust your route to the conditions, and you need a bail-out plan.

OK, enough of the "Burn Notice" narration! Our Day 3 ended with a downpour and impending thunderstorms. We were going to camp on Long Key, but decided to take our friend Edie up on her lovely gesture of a hot shower and a warm, dry bed for the night! Edie ran support for us to prep for two paddlers joining us (and brought hot coffee!). Thanks, Edie!

Day 4 dawned sunny and beautiful, but with heavy winds. Frankly, the wind kicked our butts! But we had two awesome paddlers with us, Jill and Kathy from Big Pine Key, with great attitudes and a willingness to be flexible.

We launched from Long Key State Park in the lee side of what turned out to be W-NW 20 knot winds gusting to 24. Not so much a problem on the oceanside, but once we hit the Long Key Viaduct bridge, we were basically ferrying across, inching along with probably 2-3 foot swells.

At the other side we tucked up into a lee and took out the sandwiches, already discussing a change in our route, which was to go to the bayside and camp at Jolly Roger Travel Park. Thankfully, there's a little marina on the oceanside not far from Jolly Roger, where they let us pull our boats up and unload. Norm from Jolly Roger was kind enough to bring his truck and pick us up with all our gear. We had a book-signing under the pavilion and great night's sleep.

Thanks, Norm, Tania, Debi and Angie at JR!

Pictured are Norm, Kathy, Bill and Jill. And the truck that has bailed us out before (check out our KL2KW blog from 2008 and scroll down to Day 14!).



In Memory: Today's paddle was the same one we did with our friend Krueger Nicholson (Edie's husband), who passed away this past November. He was a ranger at Long Key State Park and a great friend to paddlers. Here he is making the same crossing of the Long Key Viaduct with us back in 2008 (under much better conditions!). We felt like he was with us on this trip. Take care, Edie, we'll see you soon.

Day 3 Florida Keys Paddling Trail

Friday, March 12

This morning at Coconut Cove Resort, Bill gavea demo of packing tips for filling a sea kayak with camping gear. Click to watch the video!

Today we passed from the oceanside of Islamoarada, past Holiday Isle, cut through to the Bayside to hide from the wind and go through some beautiful mangrove creeks. We passed by many great lunch spots: Lorelei, Morada Bay, Zane Grey Lounge, but our destination was the Kayak Shack at Robbie's Marina (home of the famous tarpon), where we met up with John, owner of this great kayak shop offering tours and rentals to Indian and Lignumvitae Key. What a chill spot to have lunch and get a healthy smoothie at the Hungry Tarpon!

Our day's destination is Long Key State Park, a long day of about 16 miles. See you tomorrow!

Day 2 Florida Keys Paddling Trail

Day 2 on our 100-mile Paddle your Atlas off, Key Largo to Key West! We did about 8 miles from Tavernier on the bayside, through Snake Creek to the oceanside, accompanied by Dave and Christine, long-time paddling buddies.

We passed by reggae singer playing at the Island Grill, to land at beautiful Coconut Cove Resort, which has a lovely, shady tent area. It's really the only place paddlers can camp in Islamorada. Thank you Paul and Magda for the wonderful hospitality! They do great weddings here too, on the beach or under the tiki.

Key Largo to Tavernier: Day One

Here's a video blog on the start of our 100-mile paddle from Key Largo to Key West, dubbed "Paddle Your Atlas Off" since we're doing book-signings along the way for our Florida Keys Paddling Atlas, as well as our just-released Knack Kayaking for Everyone.

We're following the Florida Keys Overseas Paddling Trail, the sister trail to the bike trail (thanks Monica with Greenways and Trails for seeing us off!)

We have some folks joining us along the way, so stay tuned for updates on the adventures, camping all the way and stopping at historic sites and paddling under Henry Flagler's beautiful century-old railroad bridges.

We started at Florida Bay Outfitters next to the famous Caribbean Club in Key Largo on Florida Bay. Along the way we passed through the magical Dusenbury Grottoes and entered another world in deep and rough Tarpon Bay. Lunch stop was on the pretty beach at Key Largo Grande Resort, where the tiki bar serves awesome grouper sandwiches and Margaritas. In about 12 miles we reached our friends Dave and Lynda's for the night in Tavernier. Here's Bill's map of today's trip (click for a larger image).

Paddling Key Largo to Key West

Here's a slide show Bill put together of images we've taken paddling throughout the Florida Keys over the last 7 years. Once a year we take customers on our "Paddle your Atlas off," from Key Largo to Key West. It's scheduled for March 22-31, 2011, 100 glorious miles in ten days, camping all the way. March is Alternative Transportation Month, so it's the perfect time to get off Route 1 and take to the Florida Keys Overseas Paddling Trail.

If you've ever dreamed of paddling to the southernmost point in the US over shallow Caribbean-blue waters and landing on island beaches each night, this is your chance.

We do all the work for you, kayaks and gear, all camping gear (tent, sleeping bags, pads, etc.), all meals prepared for you, and even instruction along the way are all included. Plus, you get to take home a signed copy of our Florida Keys Paddling Atlas, winner of a National Outdoor Book Award.

Details are at www.burnhamguides.com; email or give us a call: 305-240-3298.