About PaddlePin

A map of researched paddling locations across Florida, with the detail that actually decides a trip — where you launch and how far you carry, how hard each route is and why, what parking and fees to expect, what the hazards are, and how much wind, tide and current govern the day.

It works in a browser on a phone. There is nothing to download and nothing to pay. Explore Florida is the way in; the guides answer the question that comes before a location: of these places, which suits us.

The website finds the paddle. PaddlePin for iPhone records the one you actually did — GPS route, pins, photos and notes, kept as a paddle journal. They share a name and a purpose, and they are honest about the seam: the app does not import routes from this site.

What the app adds →

Every location is compiled from official park, county and agency sources, each one dated. Difficulty is rated per route, not per park, with the reasons shown. Facts are kept separate from conditions. And where nobody has checked something, the page says so — an open question rather than a confident guess. Paddlers who have been there are how it stays true: every page has a way to confirm or correct what it says, and every report is reviewed before anything changes.

How we research, in full →

There are no accounts, no trip reports and no route planning here. Live conditions appear only on the field Pins at a launch. Building on top of accurate, well-sourced location data is the right order to do it in.

PaddlePin is made by FreeWill Labs, an independent product studio that builds technology for real-world experiences — a family on a trip, a visitor exploring a campus, a paddler choosing where to launch. PaddlePin is the paddling one, researched from the sources and checked on the water.

If something here is wrong — a fee, a closed ramp, a route rated badly — that is worth knowing about. Use the “Been here?” links on the location page, or write to concierge@freewilllabs.com.