You can paddle three very different kinds of water with Amelia Island Kayak Excursions, a family-owned outfitter whose trips run from two-hour local tours to five-hour river days and overnight trips. There's no shop to walk into. You meet your guide at the put-in for the tour you booked, and directions come with the reservation.
The three most popular local trips:
- Lofton Creek: a two-hour paddle on tea-colored blackwater through cypress and wooded wetland a few minutes off the island, open to all ages and experience levels.
- Egans Creek: salt marsh on the north end with the Amelia Island Lighthouse in view. The creek is part of the Bartram Trail, the start time is set by the tide, and it's recommended for ages 12 and up.
- Cumberland Island: a three-hour or five-hour trip past Fort Clinch to Cumberland Island National Seashore, for paddlers 12 and older at an intermediate level. The longer version lands at the back entrance to the Dungeness ruins for a guided walk, and a National Park fee is added to both.
Beyond those, the company runs Amelia River and sunset paddles, self-guided rentals, private motorboat tours, summer camps and teen trips for ages 7 to 16, and wilderness days on the St. Marys River, in the Okefenokee and on the Suwannee. Along with standard kayaks there are Hobie pedal-drive kayaks, and every tour includes free digital photos. Kids under 12 share a tandem kayak with a grown-up, and the weight limit is 275 pounds. It's open year-round except Christmas Day.
If Lofton Creek is all you're after, Paddle Jax Amelia runs most of its tours there, while Amelia Adventures pairs its kayak trips with private boat tours. The Okefenokee and Suwannee trips add drive time on top of the paddle, so transportation coordination can help if your group would rather not caravan.