Thousand Islands
Cocoa Beach’s Thousand Islands
Cocoa Beach, Florida
The Thousand Islands are a group of natural, modified, and spoil islands in the Banana River Lagoon, Cocoa Beach, Florida. From the late 1950s to the early 1970s the islands were reshaped by development and efforts to control mosquitoes as the population of Brevard grew during the initial period of the space program at Cape Canaveral and Kennedy Space Center.
About Thousand Islands Kayak Tours
The Thousand Islands are part of the Banana River Lagoon and are divided roughly in half by the Minutemen Causeway. The formation comprises approximately 900 acres of salt marsh, mangroves, spoil sites containing upland vegetation, and maritime hammocks on shell middens. Beginning in the late 1950s, small ditches were dug through the islands to allow water movement and fish access to inner areas of the succulent marsh for mosquito control.
Sediment cores reveal that the Thousand Islands were formed when a storm-driven sea broke through the barrier island, leaving behind an approximately 900 acres flood tide delta deposit. The date of this event is unknown.
The Thousand Islands Area is a Fantastic Location for Kayaking
The 1000 Islands Conservation Area at Cocoa Beach. This 338-acre preserve along the Banana River is accessed from Ramp Road west of A1A and south of Minuteman Causeway. This is a great getaway just minutes from the tourist and commercial center of Cocoa Beach. If you want to paddle through mangrove tunnels, no need to travel to The Everglades – here is one of the most extensive network of mangrove tunnels you will ever see in Florida! Paddle through saltwater marshes and mangroves.
Adventure Kayak Tours Departure Location
North Tour:
Leave from Ramp Road and head north up the boating channel to explore the northern end of the Thousand Islands and Banana River. Locating manatees, dolphins and marine birds is the goal.
South Tour:
Leave from Ramp Road and head south to explore the southern end of the Thousand Islands and Banana River.
Thousand Islands Kayak Tour Details
Leave from Ramp Road and head south to explore the southern end of the Thousand Islands and Banana River.
Location: Banana River, Cocoa Beach, FL.
Class: Typically flat water, mangrove wetland canals.
Distance Paddled: Varied; many, many possible routes to explore.
Water: brackish.
Wildlife: Many types of birds (Egrets, Herons, Ospreys, Eagles, lbis, Pelicans, etc.), alligators, fish (redfish, sea trout, etc.), Mangroves.
Difficulty Level: Easy to moderate.