Intracoastal Waterway
There is plenty of water for boating, fishing, kayaking, canoeing, diving, tubing and just about any activity that involves water. From the West the Intracoastal Waterway comes into Gulf County from East Bay in Bay County. Right at the opening of the Intracoastal into East Bay is the location of East Bay Plantation with large one acre lots that provide great boating access.
Heading East the Intracoastal passes under Highway 386 at Overstreet. There is a nice public boat ramp there.
Rivers & Lakes
Take the Intracoastal East on your rendezvous with the Apalachicola River. The Apalachicola River begins it’s 107- mile run south at Lake Seminole’s Woodruff lock and dam. When taking total water discharge into consideration, this is Florida’s largest river. The river separates the Eastern and Central Time Zones and empties into the Gulf of Mexico to the south. Water levels are generally higher during the January-March wet season and lower in the summer months.
Other waterways in North Gulf County are the Dead Lakes, Chipola River and Brothers River. The Apalachicola Rivers spill into the Apalachicola Bay at historic Apalachicola. St. Vincent’s Island lies to the West and St. George Island is across the bay from East Point and Apalachicola.
Canals
Further East is the Gulf County Canal, a 5.5-mile straight canal that takes you South into pristine St. Joseph’s Bay and on out into the Gulf of Mexico. Right at the opening of the canal into the bay is great boat storage and they can put your boat right into the canal. Also just to the left in the bay is the Marina at Port St. Joe and they have boat slips, supplies, storage and a nice restaurant overlooking the marina. St. Joe Bay is a large bay with very clear water and is a natural deepwater port. On one side of the bay is Port St. Joe and on the other is St. Joseph’s Peninsula and Cape San Blas. In 2002 the beaches here were named the best in the United States by Dr. Beach.
If you go back up the Gulf County Canal back to the Intracoastal and go another mile and half East you come to White City and the Highway 71 bridge. There is a large public boat ramp at this location. Another 5 miles and the Intracoastal opens into Lake Wimico. Lake Wimico is over 4,000 acres and running south off of the lake is historic Depot Creek.
Bays & Bayous
The Intracoastal goes on East behind St. George Island and between Carrabelle and Dog Island. The New River flows into the Carrabelle River which flows into the Intracoastal Waterway and the Gulf of Mexico at Carrabelle. Carrabelle, a peaceful fishing village where for many years, fishing has been a way of life, is located on the Gulf Coast panhandle just an hour’s drive southwest of Tallahassee. Traveling further East you pass Alligator Point, Ochlockonee Bay and into Apalachee Bay which is fed by many other rivers and streams including Sopchoppy River and Wakulla River.