CROSS BAYOU KAYAK LAUNCH NOW OPEN!
PINELLAS PARK – A new kayaking facility may soon become a reality thanks to a joint effort between the city and a Gulfport business.
Councilman Rick Butler said the city-owned vacant land at an old brush site on 102nd Avenue will be outfitted with a storage building and picnic facilities, with minimal cost to the city.
“The new venture will give local enthusiast a place to explore local waters with a kayak or canoe,” Butler said.
Butler came up with the idea when he realized that the city-owned land that once was the brush site and the location of the city’s old sewer plant was vacant. He approached Kurt Zuelsdorf of Gulfport who operates Kayak Nature Adventures.
Zuelsdorf, a nationally-recognized environmentalist, will develop the property on Cross Bayou Creek into a canoe and kayaking haven where people can glide the waters north to Tampa Bay and south to the Bay Pines veterans medical facility.
“I’m thinking it would take several hours to make the trip by kayak,” Butler said. “There are amazing things to see on the shores and in the water.”
The creek is home to numerous species of birds, turtles, alligators and tropical vegetation. Butler himself, who was born and raised in Pinellas Park, recalled playing and fishing there as a child.
Butler said preliminary plans call for building a picnic area across the street from the proposed kayak facility site. Besides renting vessels, the location will give water enthusiasts a safe place to launch their craft and park vehicles.
It is expected that Zuelsdorf also will offer environmental tours of the waters. Zuelsdorf, Butler said, has earned a reputation for cleaning the environment of litter. He is credited with cleaning more than 100,000 pounds of bottles, paper and other trash over the years from Pinellas County’s waterways and beaches.
“This project will add a lot to the city,” Butler said. “There is a lot to see from a kayak or canoe.”
Butler said he has traversed the waterways by canoe, rowboat and even by airboat.
It is expected that the new facility will be in operation by next spring.
January 18th, 2010 at 8:30 am
Kurt, the big picture at the beginning of the article didn’t show up on my computer. John Z.
January 18th, 2010 at 10:12 am
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by kayaknature, Stephen Smith. Stephen Smith said: CROSS BAYOU – THE NEXT BIG CLEAN UP PROJECT | Kayak Nature http://bit.ly/7bJPuZ [...]
January 18th, 2010 at 5:02 pm
Cross Bayou will be very happy to meet Kurt and the once abundant wildlife will once again have a clean home again to prosper and multiply — Thanks to the powers to be for allowing Kurt to lead the way for this fine restoration project… bob dowling—:)
January 20th, 2010 at 6:55 am
Thanks John. The video I just posted should help
January 20th, 2010 at 6:55 am
You said it Bob!
February 11th, 2010 at 3:30 pm
Good Afternoon Kurt,
I am interested in the Clam Bayou Kayak Clean-up. Can you send me specific details? Do you take groups out regularly?
Thanks for your time.
-Melia H. Walkowiak
mhwalkowi@hotmail.com
February 11th, 2010 at 7:34 pm
When did you say the spring Thaw was? Or should we just put on our Ice skates and wet suits and go for it? Bob d.
April 14th, 2010 at 9:58 pm
Saw the sign for the kayak launch while drivinng up 66th Street today. Drove down to the launch and took a look. Looks great! Did a web search and found this site. Props for getting this project going, have wondered about inner county water ways before. Looks like a great idea! Is there any group / folks who paddle there at a certain time? Would like to meet up with someone / group that has made the run before.
Thanks,
Gary T
gary.terpak@gmail.com
July 1st, 2010 at 5:42 pm
Live in Largo. Been kayaking the area for 20 years. A friend accidently stumbled along the launch and told me about it. Never knew it was there. Looking forward to exploring it soon, and picking up some trash along the way. Nice video, by the way. Always nice to find something like this right in your own backyard.
July 2nd, 2010 at 5:19 am
Thanks Richard
The Cross Bayou is certainly unique. It’s one of the only paddles that I’ve done where we see sea oats and cattails, great diversity. Of course any and all clean up efforts would be appreciated by the local wildlife!!
Happy Paddling
July 4th, 2010 at 7:06 am
Dear Friends: Got rained out for boating this weekend, but drove down to look at the launch site. This is the body of water that used to be accessable from the cajun restaurant next to the Wagon Wheel flea market, until they closed that access 10 to 12 years ago. If taken all the way down, it eventually leads to War Memorial Park next to the V.A. hospital, not too far from John’s Pass. It is a beautiful paddle, and it’s been years since I’ve done it. I am so excited that this area has been cleaned up, and I can’t wait for the rain to stop. (And picking up some trash along the way is the very least I can do to thank somebody for the the effort that went into cleaning up this area and building the launch.) You guys cheered me up on an otherwise dreary, rainy weekend. Thanks again. (PS- Anybody out there interested in going with me? Let me know. The more, the merrier.)
July 23rd, 2010 at 8:05 pm
taking off from 102 ave was nice , more people need to get out there , the water plants are getting so thick , it is hard to get threw them in a Kayak , It is actually nicer than Clam Bayou
July 23rd, 2010 at 10:23 pm
Tried the Cross Bayou launch last weekend. I agree with Theresa… water plants are very thick and almost non-passable in spots. In fact, had to get out of the boat once or twice to pull the boat through by hand, until it dawned on me that this is fresh water… and if I were a gator on a hot day, I’d probably be lounging under the water plants.
July 24th, 2010 at 5:49 am
Hey Richard,
We’re hoping to get the city to do some work in the shallow areas and some help clearing the vegitation (most is not native).
I think is a cool and unique paddle trip and it’s nicer than Clam Bayou in differnt ways for sure, especially water quality, but that because the bayou is an estuary…supposed to be kinda muddy. And Cross Bayou is 1700 acres compared to Clam at 160.
Ya’ll gonna have to try Bear Creek in S Pasadena when we get that open! Close access to manatee and the Pasadena islands.
Thanks for taking the time to report your trips!
Kurt Z
July 24th, 2010 at 9:42 am
Dear Kurt: It is an honor and a pleasure to report, I just wish I had been able to paddle more of it… but it’s not worth having to get out of the boat and worrying about having my leg bitten off. I’m sure most people would agree with me. All somebody needs to do is take a small motorboat through there and clear it as they go. I’d even be willing to go and help. It’s seems a sin to have such a magnificent waterway so close to us and not be able to paddle it. –richard–
August 9th, 2010 at 4:10 pm
i live only a couple minutes away from the launch and checked it out as soon as i saw the new signs on 66th street and 102 ave. ive taken the trip south several times now in my canoe. i would love to see more action taken to open the canal up for a more enjoyable experience for everybody. it is still very overgrown and the vegetation in the water can make paddling difficult to say the least. there is one very small tunnel through the bayou club golf course that is an extremely tight squeeze at high tide and infested with spiders and webs that are impossible to avoid, but more frequent use should detour the spiders from re-inhabitating the tunnel… on my trips i do my best to cut the trail for the next guy by clearing low lying branches that are impossible to maneuver around and knocking down the spiderwebs. i have a small motor and use my prop wash to dislodge large floating islands of vegetation that are blocking the canal. (i just push it with the prop wash, i do not chop up the vegetation with my propellor). well, today i was informed by an irate home owner on the canal that motors are not allowed in this area because of manatees none the less. i have not read anything or seen any signs informing me of this. so any legal issues regarding motors are un-enforcable with out some sort of notification. i.e. no motor zone signs… i can understand his concerns, but i do my best not to disturb the local residents, fellow boaters or the fauna and flora. i go idle speed, the canal is deep enough that i have never run aground (not saying that its not possible), and my motor is so quiet, i can sneak up on the wildlife just as easily as the unsuspecting home owner enjoying their water front properties. i know some paddlers have their issues with motorboats. some people ruin it for all of us by being negligent. but i am trying to rehabilitate and preserve this diamond in the rough. and i give paddlers the respect and right of way, just give me a little respect too
August 9th, 2010 at 9:02 pm
Dear Cris: Beautiful comment. It’s never the boat that is the problem, it’s always the boater. (As in: It ain’t the car that’s the problem, it’s the driver.) I would love to see the path cleaned out more, but to do so I have to get out of the kayak… and it ain’t worth losing my leg to a gator. However, as I’ve stated before, I want to do my part to help clear it… and if a second person in your boat would be helpful, I’d be honored to go along with you. You have a good philosophy, my friend. It’s refreshing to hear. (And the homeowners don’t own the water any more than they own the sky. You know in your heart that you are trying to do a good thing. I think the homeowners are just not used to having an open, public waterway in their backyard and obviously don’t have anything better to complain about.)
Again, let me know if I can help you clear. –richard–
August 9th, 2010 at 9:05 pm
PS- If nothing else, I’ll bring a broom to clear out the spiders and webs. That would be fun! –richard–
August 22nd, 2010 at 4:08 pm
Ive posted a few pictures of the canal on google earth if anyone is interested… there will be more eventually, panaramio takes forever.