You’re in luck!

Texas has a program called the Texas Paddling Trails. This program has developed public inland and coastal paddling trails throughout the State of Texas. According to their website, these are trails with maps, signs and other information. The paddling trails are for day trips in different settings and are for all levels of paddling experience.

Whether you live in the State of Texas or just visiting, if you want to go kayaking or canoeing you have plenty of choices.

Here is the list of inland and coastal paddling trails:

Inland Paddling Trails

• Lake Arlington Paddling Trail – This 10.9-mile paddling trail
• Upper Guadalupe- Nichol’s Landing Paddling Trail - This is 9.9-mile of the Guadalupe River in Comal County
• Victoria Paddling Trail- Riverside Park, Victoria TX -This is 4.2 miles of the Guadalupe River in the Coastal Region
• El Camino Real Paddling Trail, Bastrop, TX -6 mile trail
• Wilbarger Paddling Trail, Bastrop, TX -14.3 mile trail
• Columbus Paddling Trail, Columbus, TX – is a 6.5 miles trail on the Colorado River
• Goliad Paddling Trail, Goliad TX -This 6.6-mile river trail is located on the San Antonio River near the town of Goliad.
• Luling Zedler Mill Paddling Trail, Luling, TX – six-mile river trail is located on the San Marcos River near the city of Luling.

Coastal Paddling Trails

• South Bay Paddling Trail – The South Bay Paddling Trail follows the shores of South Bay in a loop of about eight miles. This trail is located in Cameron County. Brownsville, Port Isabel, South Padre Island.
• Christmas Bay Paddling Trail – This is a 19.1 mile circumnavigation in the western end of Galveston Bay. Convenient to metro Houston. This Paddling Trail also offers shorter loops of 3.8 and 10.3 miles.
• Lighthouse Lakes Paddling Trail – The Lighthouse Lakes Paddling Trail offers a series of four loops ranging in length from 1.25 miles to 6.8 miles.
• Armand Bayou Paddling Trail – The Armand Bayou Paddling Trail follows Armand Bayou near Clear Lake.
• Galveston Island State Park Paddling Trail – Galveston Island State Park offers three paddling trails, the 2.6-mile Dana Cove (Lake Como) trail, the 4.8-mile Oak Bayou trail and the 2.8-mile Jenkins Bayou trail.
• Mustang Island Paddling Trail – The Mustang Island Paddling Trail offers three paddling trails, the 8.5 mile North Trail, the 5.24 mile Shamrock Loop and the 6.8 mile Ashum Trail. All three trails follow the western shoreline of Mustang Island in Corpus Christi Bay.
• Port O’Connor Paddling Trail – There are three paddling trails that total more than 25 miles, the 12.3 mile Fishpond trail, 8.28 mile South Loop trail and 4.82 mile North Loop.

Another popular kayaking and canoeing river is the Brazos River.

The Brazos River Authority provides paddling maps for below the Possum Kingdom Lake and Below Lake Granbury.

Click here to go to our places to paddle in Texas page to find these websites and more.

Click here to find places to paddle around the U.S.

courtesy Titusville Tours

The lagoon waters of Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge in Titusville, FL teem with bioluminescent organisms throughout the summer and fall. The best way to experience these glowing waters is, of course, by either kayak or canoe.

Naturally occurring and concentrated in large numbers, these organisms create underwater laser-like light shows. Everything underwater glows bluish-green, making for a spectacular place to paddle. Many local outfitters offer guided tours during the luminescent season.

Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge is a great place to kayak and canoe year-round, even when the lagoon floor, fish and grasses are glowing vibrantly. According to the paddle page on their web site, there are several protected-water areas that provide ideal locations for canoeing, kayaking, and small open boats. These include Turnbull Creek, Dummitt Creek, Eddy Creek, and the waters west of the spoil islands in Mosquito Lagoon.

For more information about kayaking and canoeing in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, and to find even more great places to paddle, kayak and canoe in the state of Florida, click here to visit our Places to Paddle in Florida page.