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West Lake Park - Mangrove Estuary

South Florida · Broward County · West Lake mangrove estuary / Intracoastal connection

EstuaryLakeNot yet rated

A Broward County mangrove-estuary paddle from West Lake Park marina into one of the county's largest preserved coastal wetland systems.

High confidenceReviewed and approved

Last checked . What this means

Map position was derived from this record’s sources and is awaiting confirmation against the research directory.

Broward sources verify marina access, kayak/canoe/SUP rentals, mangrove ecosystem and self-propelled/electric-only rule. Current rental days/fees are available in county sources but park hours, route metrics and exact BYO launch workflow should be field-verified PUBLISH REVIEW 2026-08-26: hours resolved, including the 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. boat-ramp window that governs BYO launching. Confidence raised to high. Per-trail difficulty stays unrated: the three marked trails are described collectively as easy to moderate.

Why paddle here

  • It is a strong local discovery site with rentals, protected mangroves and a large wetland network rather than a single beach launch.

Launches, parking and access

Where you actually put the boat in, how far you carry it and over what. This is the part official sources are worst at, so it is the part we say most plainly — including where we do not know yet.

West Lake Park marina

Medium confidence
Launch type
Public boat ramp; concession rentals alongside
Access
Public access
Address
122 Sheridan Street, Hollywood
Hours
Boat ramp 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Fees

Weekend and holiday park gate fee may apply; rental fees separate

High confidence
Parking
High confidence
Carry to the water
Carry not yet measured

Nobody has checked this yet.Report the carry — How far did you carry your boat from the parking area to the water? (opens in a new tab)

How hard that carry is
Not yet assessed

Nobody has checked this yet.Rate the carry — How hard was that carry with a loaded boat? (opens in a new tab)

Ground you cross
Not yet recorded

Nobody has checked this yet.Describe the ground — What did you cross on the way — pavement, sand, stairs, loose trail? (opens in a new tab)

Boat cart
Not yet assessed

Nobody has checked this yet.Report cart use — Could you use a boat cart the whole way, or did you have to carry? (opens in a new tab)

Unloading
Not yet assessed

Nobody has checked this yet.Report unloading — Could you unload beside the water before parking, or carry the whole way? (opens in a new tab)

Restrooms and rinse
Not yet measured from the launch

Nobody has checked this yet.Report facilities — How close are the restrooms and showers to this launch? (opens in a new tab)

Rules at this launch
Only electric-powered or self-propelled boats are permitted on West Lake

DESK RESEARCH 2026-08-26. Paddlers launch from the public boat ramp at 122 Sheridan Street, across Sheridan from the Anne Kolb Nature Center, or hire from the concession. Park and marina hours remain unpublished. No carry distance is stated by any source DESK RESEARCH 2026-08-26: the boat ramp used for BYO launching is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., inside park hours of 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Rentals run Saturday and Sunday 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. with returns by 3 p.m., and Monday 9 a.m. to noon with returns by 1 p.m.

Unconfirmed at this launch — can you help?

Routes

Difficulty belongs to the route, not the location. One place can offer a beginner loop and an advanced crossing.

  • Red marked paddling trail

    Not yet rated
    Loop· 1.2 mi

    Put in at West Lake Park marina.

    DESK RESEARCH 2026-08-26. The park publishes three marked paddling trails totalling about three miles: Red 1.2, White 0.9 and Green 0.9. The Red trail is recorded here at its published mileage. The trails are described as marked loops, so the round-trip basis follows the shape rather than being inferred. Difficulty and duration are not published for any of the three. Anne Kolb Nature Center sits roughly two miles from the start of the trail system and is described as a place to beach and stretch The park describes the three marked trails collectively as easy to moderate; that range does not say which trail is which, so per-trail difficulty stays unrated rather than being split by guess.

    Help verify this route

    Have you paddled Red marked paddling trail (1.2 mi)?

  • White marked paddling trail

    Not yet rated
    Loop· 0.9 mi

    Put in at West Lake Park marina.

    DESK RESEARCH 2026-08-26. The park publishes three marked paddling trails totalling about three miles: Red 1.2, White 0.9 and Green 0.9. The White trail is recorded here at its published mileage. The trails are described as marked loops, so the round-trip basis follows the shape rather than being inferred. Difficulty and duration are not published for any of the three. Anne Kolb Nature Center sits roughly two miles from the start of the trail system and is described as a place to beach and stretch The park describes the three marked trails collectively as easy to moderate; that range does not say which trail is which, so per-trail difficulty stays unrated rather than being split by guess.

    Help verify this route

    Have you paddled White marked paddling trail (0.9 mi)?

  • Green marked paddling trail

    Not yet rated
    Loop· 0.9 mi

    Put in at West Lake Park marina.

    DESK RESEARCH 2026-08-26. The park publishes three marked paddling trails totalling about three miles: Red 1.2, White 0.9 and Green 0.9. The Green trail is recorded here at its published mileage. The trails are described as marked loops, so the round-trip basis follows the shape rather than being inferred. Difficulty and duration are not published for any of the three. Anne Kolb Nature Center sits roughly two miles from the start of the trail system and is described as a place to beach and stretch The park describes the three marked trails collectively as easy to moderate; that range does not say which trail is which, so per-trail difficulty stays unrated rather than being split by guess.

    Help verify this route

    Have you paddled Green marked paddling trail (0.9 mi)?

What conditions do here

How much each factor typically governs a trip at this location.

These are not live conditions. This describes how much each factor typically governs a trip here. Always check the current forecast, tide table and river level before you launch.

Wind
Not yet assessed
Current
Not yet assessed
Tide
Not yet assessed
Boat traffic
Minor factor
  • Boat traffic: Low-to-moderate; no fossil-fuel boats permitted on West Lake

Planning

Exposure
Protected mangrove lake/estuary with Intracoastal connection
Seasonal
Rental operations and hours can vary; verify before arrival.
Reservations & permits
No reservation requirement identified for self-guided BYO paddling; rental availability varies by day.

Hazards

  • Easy to get lost

    Mangrove navigation

  • Afternoon lightning

    weather/lightning

  • Other

    Intracoastal traffic if leaving protected lake system

Wear a PFD as required by Broward watercraft rules; suspend outdoor activity if the park lightning system sounds.

Amenities and craft

Craft suited to this water

PaddleboardKayakCanoe

Bringing your own boat: Yes

Amenities

  • Restrooms
  • Showers — not recorded
  • Picnic area
  • Food nearby — not recorded — Food nearby; exact in-park concession availability needs verification
  • Drinking water — not recorded

What you will see

mangroveswildlifebirdsestuaryfishingadaptive paddling

Rentals and outfitters

  • Broward County Parks - West Lake Park marina

    Rentals
    High confidence

PaddlePin tips

  • Use the marina as the field-validation starting point. Record the actual route, distance and time on first paddle rather than inferring them from the wetland size.

    High confidence

  • Safety Notes: Wear a PFD as required by Broward watercraft rules; suspend outdoor activity if the park lightning system sounds.

    High confidence

Been here? Help keep it accurate

PaddlePin is researched from official sources. Paddlers who have actually been are how it stays true.

I paddled here(opens in a new tab)Share what it was actually like and help the next paddler.Help verify this PaddlePin(opens in a new tab)Confirm or correct launch, parking, conditions, difficulty, rentals, or other details.

Contributions are reviewed before anything on this page changes. PaddlePin stays the researched directory — your report is evidence we check, not an edit to it.

Sources

Where this information came from, and when we last read it.

  1. Primary source — broward.org, read
  2. Secondary source — broward.org, read

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