C-18 CANAL BOAT RAMPS, KAYAKING, FISHING Palm Beach County Florida's Freshwater C18 Canal Pictures, Maps,
Information
Welcome to the C-18 Canal Pictures
& Information web site. Thank you for visiting. This site provides the free online
pictures,
information and tips you need to explore one of Palm Beach County's
"hidden waterways."
Palm
Beach County's C-18 Canal is a great place to get away from the crowds.
If you want to get away from Palm Beach County's crowded
waterways, the C-18 Canal is a great
escape. It's the perfect place to kayak, canoe, fish, boat, jet ski and
waterski away from the crowds.
The C-18 is a large,
freshwater canal that delivers water to the Loxahatchee
River. It is relatively wide, deep and straight. The C-18
starts in the Loxahatchee Slough preserve area between Northlake Blvd.
and PGA Blvd. in Palm Beach Gardens. It runs through Jupiter
Farms and ends at the Loxahatchee River in Jupiter.
There is a boat launch ramp in
Jupiter, Florida near the intersection of Indiantown Road and
I-95/Florida's Turnpike. This web site features pictures of this
Jupiter area boat ramp. A
second C-18 boat launch ramp is located in the Palm Beach Gardens
area off PGA Blvd. Direction to both boat ramp locations can be
found below.
A word of caution about
the C-18: The C-18 runs through a remote part of Palm Beach
County. It does not have developed facilitates such as parks,
docks or restrooms. There aren't a lot of people around to help
you if you are injured or lost. Be prepared to wait a long time
for help if it is needed.
EMERGENCIES
Take a portable
phone with you. Write down these phone numbers (or print out this
page) in case you should need them. Seal both the phone
numbers and your portable phone in a watertight plastic bag. 911
Jupiter Police, Palm Beach Gardens Police, County
Sheriff emergency response (561)
746-6201 Jupiter Police, non-emergency number (561)
688-3000 Palm Beach County Sheriff
ALLIGATOR WARNING Alligators
are frequently
seen swimming or sunning themselves along
the canal banks. You should not feed them, taunt them or attempt
to get near
them. Generally speaking
alligators will leave you alone if you leave them alone.
Alligators have a natural fear of humans. However, you should use
caution when in the area. Keep your arms and legs inside your
boat and stay our of the water. Alligators are
unpredictable wild animals that can attack with incredible speed.
The reason you shouldn't feed alligators is that you don't want
them to associate people with food. Alligators lose their natural fear of humans
when we feed them. Alligators
that have been fed by humans may approach you in the hopes you
will feed them. This is scary
and something you don't want to happen in the tight confines and remote
location of the C18 Canal! Do
not, under any circumstances, feed
alligators! Alligators that become too "friendly" with
humans will be destroyed. Feeding wild alligators in Florida is
illegal.
Alligators are most dangerous to humans when they are protecting
their
young or they feel threatened. Sick, injured or distressed
alligators may attack people without cause. Alligators are most
abundant and threatening in the spring (mating season). April and
November are months when alligators are very active. Alligators
also appear more abundant when river water levels are low (it forces
the alligators to congregate near the main channel instead of
tributaries.) Water levels are typically low in the spring (the
end of the dry season, which runs October-May.)
Fear of alligators shouldn't keep you from
visiting the C-18 Canal. Problems with alligators are rare, but
they do
happen. Click
here for more information on dealing with alligators in
recreational area. Click
here for information on avoiding alligator attacks.
NO SWIMMING IN THE C-18 Alligators can rest on the river
bottom unseen by swimmers. Alligators are attracted by splashing
and the smell of prey in the water. They attack with lightning
speed (they can outrun a horse over short distances and leap 10 feet
into the air.) They easily maul and drown their victims.
Help is difficult to summons on the C-18 Canal and fast
emergency medical transportation may be impossible from the area. A 10 year old boy was
killed by an 11 foot alligator while wading in the C-18 fed Loxahatchee
River. Click
here for more on this fatal Loxahatchee River alligator attack.
There are no alligator warning signs posted. Don't let the
lack of
an official advisory give you a false sense of security.
NEARBY RESTAURANTS
You can get a
good meal near the C-18 Canal in Jupiter. Across Indiantown Road
from the C-18 boat ramp is Duffy's Sports
Grill (sandwiches, hamburgers, beer) at 6971 Indiantown
Road. A little further east down Indiantown Road on the right
(just past Central
Blvd.) is R.J.
Gators at 6390 Indiantown Road. I recommend Gators for its
local texture. Gators also serves sandwiches, hamburgers and
beer. In
this area you will also find McDonalds and Domino's Pizza.
NEARBY STORES AND SERVICES
This same general
area of Indiantown Road east of I-95 features
gas stations, WalMart, Pep Boys, Blockbuster Video and two supermarkets
(Winn Dixie and local favorite Publix.)
DIRECTIONS TO THE C-18 CANAL (JUPITER RAMP)
The Jupiter, Florida C-18 Canal ramp is easy to find. Take
I-95 or Florida's Turnpike to the Indiantown Road (Jupiter) exit.
This exit is also call State Route 706. Head east on Indiantown
Road a short distance until you come upon the first gas station on your
right. Turn at this gas station (the street cuts between the gas
station and a McDonalds restaurant.) This will put you in a
residential community. Simply stay to the right and you will find
the boat launch ramp behind some small apartment buildings.
DIRECTIONS TO THE C-18 CANAL (PALM BEACH
GARDENS RAMP)
The Palm Beach
Gardens, Florida area C-18 Canal ramp is not as "freeway close" as the
Jupiter ramp.
If you are coming from the south: Take I-95 to the Blue Heron
Blvd. exit in Riviera Beach. Head west about a mile to SR 710 (Beeline
Highway) and head north/west. This intersection is where the
landmark VA Hospital is located. Drive west on SR 710 (Beeline
Hwy.) several miles to SR
786 (PGA Blvd.) Turn right onto SR 786 (PGA Blvd.) and travel two
miles to C-18 Canal ramp. It's on the left side of the road.
If you are coming from the north, exit I-95 or Florida's
Turnpike at PGA Blvd. and head west to the ramp location (north side of
PGA Blvd.)
Note:
This page contains several high resolution, large size
photographs. As such this
these
pictures may take extra time to download, especially with a dial-up
internet connection. If some pictures are
missing, click your browser's "REFRESH" button.
This is the C-18 Canal boat ramp
located immediately south of Indiantown Road (near the I-95
intersection) in Jupiter, Florida. Directions to this location
are provided above.
Note the boat barrier
near the bridge. This marks the extreme
eastern end of the C-18 canal. The barrier keeps boats a
safe distance from the nearby flood
control gate. This flood control gate regulates
water flow into the Loxahatchee River in Jupiter.
The
single width boat launch ramp
is made of pavement at the top and paver bricks near the waterline.
Note that alligators
are frequently seen under the Indiantown Road bridge.
Picture of boat at base of the C-18 Canal boat ramp in Jupiter.
Picture of the unpaved parking area for the C-18 canal boat ramp in
Jupiter.
This picture shows the nearest landmarks. These two small
apartment buildings are easily seen on your approach from Indiantown
Road. They are located right next to the boat ramp.
TIP: Don't leave valuables in your vehicle when parked at the
C-18 boat ramp. The ramp is located near a high crime area.
Trailerable boats are ideal for the C-18 Canal. Fishing boats,
jet skis, water skiing boats can all be seen here. Watch out for
shallow water near the sides of the canal.
This photo will provides a good example of the scenery around the the
C-18 canal. Most of the land is flat. The canal banks are
lined with plant life. The canal is generally wide and straight
(though it has a few twists near the Jupiter boat launch location.)
The C-18 is
a nice Palm Beach County location for a quiet kayak or canoe trip.
CONTACT
Please feel free to be in touch with any questions or to share
your local knowledge of the C-18 Canal. Click
here for contact information.
******
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