Picnic Island

Island time is no joke. It’s actually a good thing -if you relax and go with it.

My lovely wife and I decided to get off the water by Saturday afternoon due to predicted thunderstorms. My wife isn’t a fan of being on the water in a boat with a giant lighting rod sticking out of the middle of it.

With our trip scaled back we decided to launch from the Sanibel Causeway Boat ramp - $10/day for up to 72 hours. After a 200 mile drive, we launched Wednesday afternoon. The ramp is in excellent shape, has plenty of temporary dockage, and even has decent restrooms.

Our first stop was just a couple miles away at Picnic Island. That’s where we slipped into island time. It was an impressive little island. There’s a lot of nice looking islands in San Carlos Bay, however, most of them are off-limits to boaters are they are protected wildlife refuges. Picnic Island, on the other hand, is not only open to the public, it’s dog friendly.

During the week, traffic on the island is light. We had it all to ourselves much of the time. By Friday afternoon, however, the place gets busy. That’s understandable considering the number of boats in the area and the few free places to land them.

One side of the island is a shell beach. The other side is a sand beach. There’s plenty of wildlife to watch. It’s a good place to hang out.

-Sixbears