Card Sound Road is the boundary between Biscayne Bay and the upper Keys. East of the bridge there are several creeks through the mangroves which make for a nice paddle and allows for a circular route instead of just up and back. The channels are also fairly protected, so this is a good area for windy days (except winds from the north or south). The views in both Little Card Sound and Barnes Sound are great- the only visible development is the marinas/shacks on the west side of the bridge and Turkey Point power plant way off to the north. The channels have a lot of small snapper and grunt, probably some snook. Most of the fish seem to be at the creek mouths and around the bridges. The surrounding flats looked good for bonefish. Steamboat Creek is wide and is a main channel for motorcraft, the other creeks are narrower and more private. Tidal currents within the creeks are minimal.
Directions: Head toward the Keys. Just after Florida City, turn left onto Card Sound Road instead of going straight. After the bridge there are small (1-2 vehicle) parking areas just east of the 1st 2 creeks and on the north side of the road. Steamboat creek has a larger parking area (dirt/mud) on the west side of the creek, also on the north side of the road.
Entrance fee/parking: $1 bridge toll each way.
Facilities: Nothing. Nada. Zip.
Put-in/Take-out: Dirt/rock at edge of creeks.
Route: Depending on where you launch, just head north or south up a creek, go out into the sound and back in through another creek. Explore along Key Largo if you like.
Wildlife: Pelicans, cormorants. On one trip here a bottlenose dolphin accompanied me in Steamboat Creek for about 15 minutes and then swam off.
Other Stuff: No security. No rangers. Although the maps show a navigable route between Steamboat and Tubby Creeks, this is overgrown and no longer passable.
The red bar shows that the creek where it says "4 feet"
dead-ends at the road. It's about a 150 yard portage along the
side of the road if you have a cart.
Maps from Mapquest.com
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