Let’s start with a serene Florida Bay scene:
This whole place is like paddling in
a living Dali painting!
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“Islands in the Sky” – on central Florida Bay paddling in a living Dali masterpiece!
CLICK for interactive panorama !
Beautiful black and white version available from Kayakfari ART !
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In the winter/spring of 2010, Everglades National Park opened up new backcountry primitive campsites on Florida Bay in the form of two elevated camping platforms called ‘chickees’. One is the Shark Point Chickee and the other being this one – the Johnson Key chickee. Chickees have been around in the Park for decades, and they form an integral part of the famed 100 mile “Wilderness Waterway” trail from Chokoloskee to Flamingo. However these two platforms were something new that had never been done before, being situated in the large body of open water that is Florida Bay!
When I first heard about the Florida Bay camping platform chickees I was really excited and was one of the first to camp on the Johnson Key chickee. I went solo, and had a nice fun run surfing in, even with the gusty north west winds and following seas. As originally built, the chickee was a challenge to access from a kayak because the platform is about 10 feet above the water! This made getting on/off and especially loading and unloading boats difficult. It really did call for some gymnastic skills, because there was no easy way to do this with just the two provided ladders! Obviously it had been designed with powerboats in mind not only because of this, but also due to the location right next to the main Man-O-War boat channel.
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Johnson Key chickee is 6 miles away in Florida Bay, as seen from the second floor of the ranger station in Flamingo. Looks like nobody’s home.
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Johnson Key is located just outside the world of people in Florida Bay!
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For paddlers the obvious launch point is at Flamingo, and the chickee is only six miles away as the Cormorant flies. In fact you can easily see it from the second floor of the ranger station and there is even a telescope there if you want a close up view like the one pictured above. The telescope is also handy because you can then check to see if there are already any tent(s) set up on top. As with any other Everglades National Park campsite, you will need to get your backcountry camping permit before heading out!
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The shortest possible route from Flamingo to the Johnson Key chickee on a high tide only.
On low tide stick to the main boating channels to avoid getting stranded on the flats banks!
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Boater Guide for Everglades National Park
On high tide, the paddling distance is only about six miles one way because you can go in a straight line from Flamingo via Frank Key channel and over the Dildo Key Bank flats. If you are new to paddling in the Everglades and Florida Bay, the Park provides a handy Wilderness Trip Planner. You should of course do your own research and planning and also leave a float plan with someone. Aside from the tide situation, your other concern could be the weather depending on time of year. Be aware that the first couple of miles out of Flamingo is through the deepest water channels and seas can build up to 4-6 feet with a good fetch from a NE or NW wind! Once you’re past the first line of keys, be they Frank, Murray or Palm Keys, the seas usually drop some, but again watch the tide so you won’t get stuck on the flats banks.
Check out the Maps and Navigation page to download the KMZ files and to familiarize yourself with Florida Bay.
On low tide you might have to go around either
Murray Key to the west or the Pelican Keys to the east,
thereby increasing the distance by two or three miles!
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Depending on the tides, you may have to go around this curiously named Key and it’s adjacent flats bank in central Florida Bay.
Dildo Key in full color. C’mon, you know you wanted to see it!
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Surfing in towards the Johnson Key Chickee in Florida Bay in 2010.
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Nearby Johnson Key and chickee namesake in the afternoon.
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That was v1.0 of the Johnson Key chickee, as built. It was difficult to access for canoeists and kayakers due to being about 10 feet above the water with no easy way to load and unload gear. There were even double-pulley contraptions made and slings devised to lift entire kayaks up onto it! I did this myself a few times, and it was a bit of a chore. Only the excellent views and fresh sea breezes made up for the extra effort!
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Satellite view of the Chickee platform & Johnson Key.
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Rounding the east side of Johnson Key.
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Fortunately the Park listened to us paddlers and made significant improvements by 2012. This consisted of a much lower center platform that is now easily accessible to everyone. There is no more need for any gymnastics, but you’ll still have to climb the 7 foot center ladder to get on top!
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Aerial 360 x 180 view of the chickee with Johnson Key.
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Johnson Key chickee camping platform on a glassy calm day out on the Bay!
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The Johnson Key chickee v2.0 !
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The new & improved Johnson Key Chickee platform!
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Here you can see the v2.0 improvements that have been made. There are extra ladders on the outside, wood beams have been removed to allow longer sea kayaks to use the original (in)side ladders and safety railings added on top all around. Most significant is this lower center section that is very paddler friendly. Now it’s very easy to get on and off!!
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New lower center platform means gymnastic skills are no longer required!
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There are lots of access ladders now giving you many options to get on and off!
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Fisheye view of the Johnson Key chickee platform.
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Note that the center platform ladder is now gone, and that’s a good thing! It has not been missed and it’s easy to just pull boats right on top now.
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On high tide, the center platform can become completely submerged.
Be sure to tie off your boats and close the hatches and cover cockpits!
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Be sure to tie off your boats, maybe even with two lines. Occasionally super high tides can occur. Note the high tide line more than a foot above the center platform during a “super moon” lunar eclipse!
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Harvest moon, Super moon, Blood moon and High Tides of the final tetrad Eclipse of 2015!
CLICK for story!
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Once on top, the time honored place to put your paddles is up under the roof rafters!
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On top of the chickee you will definitely always feel some breeze due to it’s height above the water. In the winter this can be a bit much, but in the summer any wind at all is great! The chickee is a great place to hang a hammock and chill in the fresh, bug-free sea breeze. Other than Johnson Key itself, due east maybe about a 1/4 mile, you are surrounded by just the water, wind & sky! 🙂
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Roof provides excellent shade in the heat of the day!
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Hatching plans to take over the world, or at least just this chickee! 😉
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Beware that the spacing in the floor boards is just big enough (1.5″) to easily loose smaller items like keys, wallets, etc .. and they will readily fall through! Originally this wide spacing of the floor boards was to minimize any impacts the shadow cast of the chickee structure might have on the seagrass beds underneath. Your best bet is to bring several tarps to keep your stuff in check and use for a wind block! Also note that parts of the chickee structure will likely be covered in bird guano, so bring the tarps to also stay clean and scent-free! Obviously you can’t use tent pegs on the platform. I use about a three foot line attached to each corner of my tent to tie it down to the floorboards properly, and put some heavy items like water inside on windy days!
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A wet and overcast day camping on the chickee platform.
Note the tarps to block the wind and rain.
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Overhead view of my camp living room on the Johnson Key chickee.
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Security cam footage from the Johnson Key chickee! 😉
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This chickee is one of the very few options for camping in the hot summer season. Because there is nearly always some breeze, there are few bugs and the roof provides all day shade from the sun. The main concern in the summer are possible (and likely) squalls and thunderstorms. This is something to keep in mind when planning a trip!
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Cozy inside my tent with a view of Johnson Key! 🙂
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Johnson Key platform v1.0 in Florida Bay.
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Side view of v2.0 Johnson Key Chickee platform.
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Johnson Key Chickee structure and Man-o-war Key in the distance.
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Once set up on the chickee, it’s fun to paddle around and maybe even go for a swim and check out the underwater scene. The water is about 6 – 8 feet deep near the structure and over the years has attracted a lot of fish and sea life. Large rays, smaller sharks and barracuda, among others frequent this spot. Entire schools of fish seem to hang out and hide under the structure.
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Crystal clear waters!
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Underwater view of the Johnson Key chickee structure posts, fall of 2014.
The water is actually very clear, but it’s hard to see in this pic.
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A stingray half buried in sand under the chickee platform.
Be careful not to step on them accidentaly – that’s how most people get stung!
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Lots of fish lurk underneath the chickee!
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Schools of fish under the chickee will attract predators like Baraccuda and sharks. I’ve seen big Bull Sharks cruising around here!
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A large stingray glides over the seabed near the chickee in 2015.
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The original concerns about environmental impacts of the chickee platform on the seagrass beds below were well founded in my opinion. You can see in these photos that there is definitely less grass under the structure itself now, than there was before. However it has also become a hangout spot for fish and sea life, not unlike an artificial reef. I believe the trade off has been worth it both for sea life and people!
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Turtlegrass beds under and around the v1.0 Johnson platform in 2010.
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Back on top, lets take a look at the grand views that this elevated location provides! Sightseeing across Florida Bay is a joy when spending time on the chickee so bring binoculars if you can.
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Full spin-around view from the Johnson Key chickee platform in Florida Bay.
Scroll down for night time version under a full moon!
CLICK for full screen VR 360 Panorama!
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Normal zoomed in camera view looking back at Flamingo and the cell tower, six miles due north.
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Extreme telephoto closeup of the cell tower at Flamingo from six miles away.
Photographed here with “Hubble Jr” at an absurd 11 000mm effective focal length (yes, eleven thousand!).
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One of the things any paddler will quickly realize is that the cell phone tower at Flamingo makes an excellent landmark and remains visible about as far as most kayakers care to go. During the day a white flashing light can be seen on top, and at night this switches to two alternately glowing red lights. This generally makes navigating easy up to about a 13 mile radius outside Flamingo, including East Cape, Little Rabbit Key and the Shark Point chickee. The tower is always your homing beacon!
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Flamingo ranger station six miles away, photographed on a very clear morning with an effective focal length of 2200mm!
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Sometimes exceptionally clear days allow extreme telephoto views of Flamingo. If I hadn’t told you so, you probably wouldn’t think that the above and below photos were taken from six miles away on top of the chickee!
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This is the entrance to the launch spot at the Flamingo boat ramp from six miles away.
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Super-super telephoto view of the Flamingo ranger station and paddler heading back. Photographed at a ridiculous 5600mm effective focal length on a more humid day.
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Looking due west from the Johnson Key chickee platform we see Sandy Key and Carl Ross Key. These islands are seven miles away as the Heron flies in the distance, across the flats of First National Bank. Sandy Key is a bird refuge island and is off limits to the public. Carl Ross Key is a seasonal day use area that’s nice to check out as part of an East Cape trip loop.
You can read more about paddling this area in:
Chickees and Keys in Florida Bay!
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A view of Carl Ross Key, about 7 miles due west!
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Here I was effectively shooting from a height of about 16 feet above sea level, thus making these distant shots possible!
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Ultra-telephoto closeup of Carl Ross Key, seven miles away due west on an exceptionally clear day.
Note the birds on the flats of First National Bank!
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Conversely, looking back at the Johnson chickee from Carl Ross Key itself, initially I didn’t think that I would even see the platform due to the much lower elevation on the island. After several attempts I was finally able to image Johnson Key with the Johnson Chickee platform clearly visible in front of it seven miles away!
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Johnson Key is about 7 miles away from the shores of Carl Ross Key (chickee is left of center).
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Seven miles is a lot of humid air to shoot through at sea level, so there are bound to be a lot of atmospheric distortions. Still, it’s impressive that enough detail can be resolved to clearly make out the main features of the structure and even some nearby birds.
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Detail of Johnson Key Chickee as imaged from 7 miles away!
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Nearing sunset, it’s a good time to think about dinner. You can read about my culinary style in:
Tasty and Quick Cooking!
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Sunset over the v1.0 Johnson Key platform, Florida Bay.
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Chilling in camp on the v1.0 Johnson Key Chickee.
Note the lack of hand railings back then. This is the main difference over the current setup.
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Dinner with beer and sunset on the Johnson Key chickee! 🙂
CLICK for story!
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Variation: Octopus and zucchini in garlic!
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Tranquil sunset over the Johnson Key chickee platform sets the stage for a fine evening!
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Extreme chilling setup under a full moon on the Johnson Key platform chickee v1.0 in Florida Bay.
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At night, with a bright moon rising over the ‘Bay and a light easterly breeze, its’ probably the ultimate in camping tranquility. I always tell people you don’t know chill, until you Florida Bay chill! The absolute stillness and lack of any kind of background noise is pretty special and something not soon forgotten. If you camp on a moonless night, well then you’ll just have the Milky Way over your head. That’s all I gotta say about that!
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Full moon rising over Johnson Key and my chickee camp .
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Chickee chilling at it’s best! Check out the panorama below for a 360 spin around night time view from the platform. Note the lights in Flamingo and the cell tower six miles away on the mainland. The orange glow to the northeast is the collective light pollution serving the needs of the 5+ million people of urban South Florida.
Here you are, comfortable in the night, just outside the world of people!
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“Chickee chilling on Florida Bay under the moon and the stars”
Spin-around panoramic view in the still of the night from the Johnson Key chickee platform under a full moon.
CLICK for interactive panorama!
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Yes, perhaps dreams can come true .. but careful of what you dream of! 😉
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They’re HERE.. the UFOs?
About to make first contact on the Johnson Key chickee with some Alien visitors!
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“Alien Ray Abduction”
Kayakfari ART photography – ART of Darkness series.
Johnson Key, Florida Bay, Everglades National Park.
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Later on, bright Venus rising above Johnson Key in the eastern sky before dawn.
Harvest moon, Super moon, Blood moon and High Tides!
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Check out some photography from the darkness at:
NIGHT LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY and DIGITAL ART from the EVERGLADES, FLORIDA BAY, TEN THOUSAND ISLANDS, BIG CYPRESS & BEYOND!
(click pic to enter)
ART of Darkness – Camping with the Stars! Part I
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Currently there are only two open water chickee camping platforms in Florida Bay. Can you imagine a network of maybe a half dozen platforms throughout Florida Bay, all set up to encourage paddling out to? Now you could think about spending a few days, maybe even a week just paddling around the ‘Bay under that big, big sky.
Now THAT’S a dream worth having!
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Let me out – Insane in the Membrane!
They say it’s bad luck to stay on the same chickee two nights in a row. You could go cuckoo loco crazy with “chickee fever”.
One night is the LIMIT! You have been warned! 😉
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Johnson Key in relation to South Florida and the Everglades.
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More on Florida Bay paddling here:
Chickees and Keys in Florida Bay – Kayaking, Camping and Nice Dreams!
Kayakfari digital ART photography – “Champagne Dawn”
Dawns like this one can be found on Florida Bay!
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Kayakfari ART landscape photography and
Digital Art by Flex Maslan
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ART of the Bay – Florida Bay Landscapes
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To learn more about Florida Bay I can recommend this informative and beautifully done book. There is a wealth of information inside along with incredible images by internationally recognized and top local Everglades photographers. If you like Florida Bay and the Keys, you will LOVE this book!
Full Disclosure: A few of my images are in it too.
“Florida Bay Forever” – Everglades Foundation book edited by Dan Burkhardt (with some photography by Flex Maslan).
Cover photo by Rob O’Neal
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Enjoy!
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© 2011 – 2023 Flex Maslan / kayakfari.com
All original photographs, artworks and music in this portfolio are copyrighted and owned by the artist, Flex Maslan, unless otherwise noted. Any reproduction, modification, publication, transmission, transfer, or exploitation of any of the content, for personal or commercial use, whether in whole or in part, without written permission from the artist is strictly prohibited.
All rights reserved!
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DISCLAIMER:
The maps and images on this site are not intended for navigation, I am not a guide; use any and all information at your own risk! Your mileage may vary .. so use good judgement before venturing out!
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I hereby disclaim any sponsorship, endorsement, nor association with any product or service described herein. The photographs, depictions, products, and ideas presented on this site are for informational purposes only. Your results may vary, and I do not imply nor guarantee the effectiveness, suitability, design or operation to adhere to any standard. I assume no legal responsibility for the implementation of anything herein presented! Use any and all information at your own risk! By using any and all information from this website, you accept the final liability for any use or possible associated misuse!
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With that said..
Blessings friends!
🙂
Kayakfari
kayakfari ( kayak .. far .. i ) 
Beautiful write up Flex can’t wait to head out there thank you for providing so much detail and info. E
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Dildo Key was named after the Dildo Cactus (Acanthocereus tetragonus) that grows there. It’s also called the Barbwire Cactus because of the clusters of spines that resemble barbwire.
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Another winner trip with interesting photos! Congratulations! I hope to return to Johnston Key and visit the new Chickee at Shark Point early next year. Regarding more platforms, more camping locations may mean more visitors, and I’m not sure that’s good, even when the visitors are kayakers. I travel with my Eddyline Night Hawk kayak or my Sundowner flats boat depending on time constraints..
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Thanks for the replies, I hope you found this useful..
There is always a fine line between access and preservation .. I think these chickees are a step forward in the right direction!
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Great story! Really inspired us to go! It took us about 3.5 hours to get to Johnson Key chickee from Flamingo with some wind (15- 20 nmph) and some shallow spots. But we never got stuck in the seagrass! We left at 10AM (May 2014). We went around the weat side of Murray and Clive Keys to avoid the tide. Ee greatly enjoyed a great breeze (no mosquitoes) and an incredible experience being out in the middle of the ocean overnight. We left ahortly after sunrise and it only took us 2.5 hours to get back to Flamingo.
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Hi Patty and thanks for the comment! Glad you had a nice time!! 🙂
I’ve just put up an article on paddling Florida Bay “Chickees and Keys in Florida Bay – Kayaking, Camping and Nice Dreams!”:
I also added an ART section “ART of the Bay – Florida Bay Landscapes”:
Enjoy & keep on paddling!
-Flex
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Love these pics, makes me want to take my kayak to Florida just to camp on the sea. thanks for the great story and pics.
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Your welcome and thank you Sherry!
Check back in the near future, I will be updating this story! 🙂
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Reading your trip log was wonderful and we are planning a group trip to Flamingo for camping the week before Christmas and want to take some of the children on a chickee adventure. The children are all paddlers in Palm Beach County, in their own kayaks, but have never explored ENP. Do you think that this would be the best choice for a fun overnight adventure? 10 of us total- 3 kayaks and 1 canoe (that we would be renting for the stuff) – 2 real adults- 2 tough teenagers- 3 preteens and 3 littles
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Hi Deborra, that’s quite a family outing you’re planning! A group of 10 is akin to a tour group with the same logistical challenges, and you should have at least two “guides” (the adults) to lead & sweep! Keep in mind that the Johnson chickee is 6 miles one-way, possibly more if you get into low tide and have to go around one of the bank flats. If you haven’t yet, check out my story on paddling and camping on Florida Bay: https://kayakfari.wordpress.com/trips-sea-stories-pics/chickees-and-keys-in-florida-bay-kayaking-camping-and-nice-dreams/
Also, ALL your paddling will be in open water, with nowhere to get out until you get to the platform. All the paddlers should have experience in open water – this means paddling in waves, wind and currents, bracing skills and ability to self-recover from a capsize if necessary. The chickee is a “double” and accommodates up to 6 adults, but you’re stuck on a small platform. You might consider an alternate trip to Clubhouse Beach instead which is a land site with a thin strip of beach about the same distance from Flamingo, directly due west along the shoreline. The advantage is that you’ll never be paddling far from land and in fact could hike back to Flamingo on the Coastal Prairie Trail if you needed or had to. The downside is that it’s not an outback condominium and you’ll have to deal with some bugs. Another option could be on the inside via the Hell’s Bay Canoe trail to camp on the Pearl Bay chickee or Hell’s Bay chickee. Both of these are very popular and tend to be busy around Christmas time, FYI!
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@Kayakfari
very cool!
i camped on nest key a couple of days ago. the fleas were terrible!
do johnson chickee & shark point chickee have a lot fewer bugs?
thanks!
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Hello Gene! The sand fleas or no-see-ums are definitely to be expected on the islands, especially if there’s no wind. The chickees are a lot nicer in that respect since they are situated in open water somewhat away from the islands or land. There’s almost always a breeze on top that helps with that too. Speaking of which you should have several tarps with you to use a a wind block (i.e. cooking, shelter) and to cover up the bird guano that is often present on the chickees!
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noted about the tarps!
you also mentioned that the wind can be cold in winter. is late november a good time to visit johnson & shark chickees?
thanks!
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Sure, you can go anytime. The summer will be hot, but you’ll be in the shade and nights will be pleasant in the mid-70s with a light breeze. The only wild card will be possible thunderstorms in the afternoons. Starting in October like clokwork, the weekly NE cold fronts arrive so it’s best to time your trip in between! January and Feb are probably the nicest!!
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Just want to say your post was really inspiring and helped me make my dream come true of spending the night in the middle of the water. It was a tough paddle for someone who rarely kayaks but the stars, the glowing jellyfish, the sharks, and the cool wind and choppy surf for sleeping were all worth it!
Was so much more secure on the platform with a tarp! It was like being in a boat cabin except out in the open. Would not have thought to bring one.
Thank you!!
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Hello and thank you for the kind words! I’m so glad you found it useful and had a great time! 🙂
If you feel adventurous, next time keep paddling down to Little Rabbit Key, at about twice the distance. It’s a beautiful island in the middle of Florida Bay surrounded by deep channel! https://kayakfari.wordpress.com/trips-sea-stories-pics/random-gallery-2/florida-south-florida/florida-bay-keys/little-rabbit-key-in-central-florida-bay/
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