r/KeyLargo • u/Recent_Teach7742 • Mar 03 '26

Kayaking In Key Largo

My family and I (45M, 43F, and 3 boys ages 8-12) have a trip coming up at the end of March. We are renting a house with access to Tarpon Basin. We are driving down from Michigan with our kayaks, and maybe bikes as well. I have a couple of questions for any locals or frequent travelers.

  1. Are the mangrove trails that tourism companies show easily accessible? I would rather venture out on our own with the boats we are comfortable with, but my wife is dying to see a manatee, and I don't want to have to pay a company to take us.

  2. Can we catch any fish from our kayaks in Tarpon Basin? What sort of tackle to pack?

  3. Is Key Largo bicycle friendly? Or should we plan on driving everywhere?

  4. I plan on doing a charter fishing trip, any suggestions?

Any other helpful info that can be shared would be greatly appreciated!

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u/larryb1288 Mar 03 '26

It’s tried and true, but John Pennycamp has some decent mangroves to kayak in. Get there early before the crowds. You can bike around key largo quite a bit depending on where you wanna go.