If you're paddling with small kids or first-timers, Paddle Jax Amelia keeps most of its tours on Lofton Creek, a calm, sheltered blackwater creek a few minutes off the island. The business started in 2010 as Amelia Island Adventures, and Flo and Zoe bought it in 2022 and renamed it. The company says it's the only kayak guide in the area that uses sit-on-top kayaks exclusively, and its tours were mapped out by a University of Florida Advanced Master Naturalist.
Tours meet at the boat ramp for the trip you book:
- Eco Easy (2 hours): guided or self-guided from the Melton Nelson Boat Ramp, through tannin-stained water lined with cypress, sweet gum and Spanish moss. Kayaks, tandems and canoes are available, and you can bring your own boat for a lower fee.
- Big Cypress (3 hours): the longest guided trip, deeper up Lofton Creek to a cypress believed to be well over a hundred years old. The creek narrows and has fallen trees and logs to steer around, so it's more of a workout.
- Creek Creepin' Night (2 hours): the same creek after dark, with a navigation light on every kayak and a spotlight in the guide's hands. Bring glow sticks if you like.
- Sea Life Adventure (2 to 2.5 hours): a saltwater trip on Egans Creek from the Leaders & Sinkers Boat Ramp, along the edge of Fort Clinch State Park and past the Amelia Island Lighthouse. It has to run at high tide, so it isn't offered every day.
Water, paddles and life jackets are provided, and guided trips come with free photos. Young kids paddle in a tandem with an adult, and alcohol isn't allowed. A small deposit holds your spot, and you can cancel without charge with 24 hours' notice on phone bookings or 48 hours online.
For Cumberland Island or longer wilderness routes, Amelia Island Kayak Excursions runs bigger trips.