Sykes Creek And Barge Canal
This is truly a wonderful area to paddle because within a small area are several very different habitats. We'll start at a bridge located on the peaceful Sykes Creek which dumps into the Barge Canal. Once in the canal, there are many different routes we can take. Two are canals which curve back and forth for a couple miles and open into some larger marsh lakes in the Audubon area. After passing under the drawbridge there’s an outlet to the Indian River where two islands can be explored. One island is filled with loads of birds, the other many trails great for stretching your legs and exploring. Going the other direction through the canal are some fun and narrow mangrove channels which are just wide enough for a kayak to slip through. They’re fun because we’ll weave, bob, and spin in and around the various obstacles in the narrow channels of water. In some spots there are small feeder waterways which, when the tide is high enough, we can go back into and explore the shallow lakes which act like tide pools and can contain loads of various fish that are easily seen.
Continuing on down the canal we'll pass by a marina which holds many impressive boats and is also a good spot to find manatees hanging out. When the water is clear, this area also has lots of cool things to discover below the surface like purple, blue, and orange sponges, oyster beds, and coquina rocks housing small creatures. A little bit farther, and the canal opens up to the Banana River estuary where you can see across to Port Canaveral, and Canaveral Air Force Station.
History
The Merritt Island Barge Canal provides an east-to-west link between the Banana River Lagoon and Indian River Lagoon across northern Merritt Island. The canal is 12 feet deep and has entrances to other water systems including Syke's Creek and various marinas. The canal links Port Canaveral along the Atlantic Ocean to the Intracoastal Waterway running down the center of the Indian River Lagoon. The canal was constructed to allow the transport of crude oil by barge to the two power plants south of Titusville, Florida. The canal had cut off North Merritt Island from the southern half, until in the 1960's the first bridge was built, partially causing the more rural character of the northern half to remain long into the 1980's.